The first 4 photos show the production model of my travel strop, pix 5-12 show th 1st working prototype, which has become part of my camping/vacation shaving kit. Basically, they feature the same design, but the prototype isn’t quite as refined.
Each of these roll-up strops will wind up being a little different, but very similar; just under 2” wide, 25” overall from the top of the loop to the very end which is tapered and serves as an easy-grip handle. The realistic stropping surface is 13-14”. The loop snaps to the back of the strop for fitting to a towel rack, doorknob, or any other similar type of makeshift anchor point.
The leather is all horsehide, with a velvet finish. The edges are beveled and sanded. All of the hardware is nickel plated. I make these myself , by hand, one at a time. They’re not 100% ‘perfect’ in a visual sense, but they are 100% functional and I think they look pretty damn good.
The finish on the leather - which I call ‘velvet’ - has a very light nap to it, sort of like velvet or velour. For me - this is the best stropping surface for any blade. While I do love my Kanayama Cordovan 80k - 99% of the time, I strop my razors on this velvety horsehide.
To protect the velvet-finished horsehide, the strop is stowed into a 16 oz Ziploc container with a twist on lid. While the container isn’t glamorous – it’s functional, durable, and resealable.
