3" Black Russet Leather & Genuine Linen Paddle Strop

3" Wide Beech Black Russet Leather & Genuine Linen Paddle Strop

A good quality strop made from a base of solid hardwood - english beech - with a black russet leather stropping panel and a genuine linen pre-stropping panel. 

The solid hardwood frame is just under 1/4 of an inch thick, giving a good solid support.  It is lightly sanded and treated with Renaissance Wax to make it moisture-proof and to enhance the grain.  The handle is cut to the style of a favourite Victorian paddle strop I own.  The overall length of the paddle is just over 18 inches, the width is nominally 3 inches and the stropping length is about 13 inches (note: as each item is individually hand made minor differences in construction, appearance, wood grain, etc may occur).

The black russet  leather is the result of a collaboration between the tannery and myself.  Usually russet leather is a leather that has been finished but not coloured in any way, other than by the tanning liquors.  This one has been dyed to give it a smarter appearance.  It is a fairly stiff, robust leather with a very fine grain.  It has quite a fast, light draw which may be modified by the use of neatsfoot oil or yellow paste (these increase the draw by giving the leather more drag), so this type of leather is ideally suited to someone who wants to dial-in his own draw.  Of course, it can be left as is and will give a fine finish on a razor.

The pre-stropping panel is made from genuine linen stretched over a pad of soft leather.  Natural linen is more abrasive than cotton or canvas and really needs no dressing.  It is a natural product and is undyed and unrefined, so there will be fine wispy fibres on it - these may be left alone as they will not affect stropping and will fall away over time.  Alternatively they may be trimmed or singed off.

Because leather is a natural item and also due to the hand-made construction there are some small marks, cutting variations and natural faint lines/grain, but these will not affect this paddles ability in the slightest to produce a keen edge on a razor - I use prototypes of all the strops I make, and can tell what is an acceptable cosmetic marking and what will impede the quality of the leather and affect its performance - I only sell the best quality selected leather - the rest is discarded.

Paddle Strop Pros:

• Easier for the novice to use - no need to worry about keeping it taut!
• Lighter and more compact than a loom or a hanging strop, so good for travelling with.
• Ideal for pastes because it does not sag - sagging contributes to edge rounding.