All About Pocket Knives

I was needing a good strop. I couldn't find a good used one. All of them had cracks and cuts. I looked at some nice new ones. Most were out of my league price wise.

So I went to an Amish saddle shop run by a guy I've known all my life. He's never made one of these before, but I described it to him and his wheels went to turning. (The D ring was my wife's idea). I got the fabric at a local Amish upholstery shop.

My saddle/harness maker friend cut and radiused the leather, sewed the leather and fabric together. I ordered it 3 1/2 inches wide, the knife in the pic is a CASE 3299 1/2 for comparison, the leather/fabric portion is 34 inches long, 37 inches counting the D ring. The leather is bridle leather. He used his leather sewing machine to sew it all together.

Well done Wade, might I ask what you paid and would he be willing to make more?

That's a beauty Colonel!

Anyone care to expound on the old debate as to whether the linen side is really needed?

Dennis

Wow that's nice. Looks to be very well made.

________
Mike

Thanks fellers. The hardest part was finding the fabric. The guy at the upholstery shop just happened to have a remnant of some suitable fabric left over from a job. The fabric is lighter than I wanted so I doubled it up. We'll see how it works.

bestgear wrote:Well done Wade, might I ask what you paid and would he be willing to make more?

Shoot me a PM.

Now how do you use it? I have never used one. I take the edge and push it across a whet rock. Do you use the strop backwards from how you use a whet rock?

Monte

montemojo wrote:Now how do you use it? I have never used one. I take the edge and push it across a whet rock. Do you use the strop backwards from how you use a whet rock?

Monte

Yes. You push the razor spine forward and flip and pull it back toward you. I just use a old belt for my knives but a razor's cutting edge is very fragile. You want a good smooth strop.

Very cool Wade

Thanks Scott!

That's a real beauty. I recently got my hands on a piece of flax linen fire hose and plan to make my own strop as soon a I find a piece of nice bridle leather. You got yourself a real prize

Umcknifeguy wrote:That's a real beauty. I recently got my hands on a piece of flax linen fire hose and plan to make my own strop as soon a I find a piece of nice bridle leather. You got yourself a real prize

Awesome. That firehose linked is supposed to be the best.

Very nice. Those Amish harness makers are some savvy dudes.