Leather for a stroping paddle

[Lister]

Anyone got any recommendations as to the sort of leather to look at to use making a stropping paddle or does it not matter?

 

[mikew]

Veg tanned cow hide is good for knives. The identity store will cut you a piece to your spec: http://www.theidentitystore.co.uk/

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Or you could just get a belt blank off the bay.

 

[dave53]

you could go to a charity shop they've got lots of leather belts cheap as chips regards dave

 

[luckylee]

I would go with calf skin or goat skin 1 mill or less for stropping scandies, as you want no give at all, and a 4 mill belt blank will have to much give in it, but if your are stropping convex edge then maybe 2.5 mill veg tan would be great as you will have the give for the grind hope this makes sense bud, so ideally you want the very thin leather on one side and the thicker on the other that's what's works for me, and I have been known to play around with a bit if leather or 2
i hope this helps bud.
take care, and happy stropping.
lee.

 

[Kepis]

From 5.46

[video=youtube;Lm53mCOQTR8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm53mCOQTR8[/video]

If it works for Uncle Ray....................

On my fixed board strops, ie leather glued to a flat piece of wood, i use 2mm thick veg tan have done years and had no ill effects whatsoever stropping any type of blade edge, be it scandi or otherwise, i use slighter thicker stuff for stropping convex edges such as axes.

 

[luckylee]

From 5.46

[video=youtube;Lm53mCOQTR8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm53mCOQTR8[/video]

If it works for Uncle Ray....................

On my fixed board strops, ie leather glued to a flat piece of wood, i use 2mm thick veg tan have done years and had no ill effects whatsoever stropping any type of blade edge, be it scandi or otherwise, i use slighter thicker stuff for stropping convex edges such as axes.

you won't have no ill affect but when you try using thinner leather you will notice a difference, I no we all love uncle ray, but does he sharpen his knives like our long strider, now if I had to choose between the two, to sharpen my knife I no who I would choose, all leather will work, I have found that some just works better, it all depends on how much pressure you use when you strop also, but with thinner leather that does not matter as that variable is taken away, I always used thicker leather until I tried thinner leather, and then I noticed a difference, have you tried thinner leather bud? Or just used the 2 mill?