The aegis & intelligencer., 1900-11-09
RAZOR STROPS.
Millions of Them of Many Varieties
Made In This Country Yearly

Millions of Them of Many Varieties
Made In This Country Yearly.
Razor strops are made in hundreds
of varieties, counting kinds, qualities,
materials, sizes. styles and manner Of
finish. They are produced in this coun-
try to the number of millions annually.
and American razor strops are exported
to all parts of the world.
The very best of the swing strops, now
so extensively used, are made of Russian
leather. StropS of this kind, with the
very simplest sort of mountings at one
end to hang the strop up by and at the
other end to hold it by, cost from 81 to
81 each. Strops of imitation Russian
leather are sold as cheaply as 80 cents.
Fine Russian leather swing strops, with
silver mountings, range in price from
$5 to $50 each.
After those of Russian leather the best
swing razor strops are made of horse
hide, of which, in fact, very large pro-
portion of all swing strops are made.
Horsehide strops are produced in great
variety, genuine horsehide strops being
sold at from % cents to $1.25 each.
Imitation horsehide strops, made of cow
hide, are sold at various prices, from 10
cents to 10 cents each. Swing razor
strops are made also of calfskin and of
porpoise leather.
Perhaps per cent Of the swing strops
sold consist of the leather alone, but the
great majority of them, Of whatever
kind, grade or quality, consist of two
parts-the leather strop and a strop Of
corresponding dimensions of cotton or
linen. On cheap strops this part is Of
cotton. On the best strops of whatever
L., - ;, ho ho- Ir;e
in the form of hose and then fatten-
ed into strop form.
There is a swing strop that is reversi-
BILE. If the face of the leather is cut
in use, the strop attachments are such
that the leather can readily be turned.
There is also a swing strop that rolls up
like window shade into the attachment
from which it swings on the wall.
Hand strops. the familiar two sided
and four sided strops. with a handle at
one end. are made in very great variety.
including for example, travelling strops.
one sort of which. small in size. has a
handle that unscrews and can be drop
ped inside a place made to receive it in
the strop.
Besides the hand strops of solid con-
struction with two or four sides, there
are hand strops whose sides are COM
posed of leather straps drawn at either
end over a supporting framework, which
can be frightened by turning up on the
handles.
Hand strops are sold at various prices.
ranging from 10 cents to 81 each; silver
mounted hand strops run up to S25 each.
By no means every man that shaves
himself and has razor strop Of some
sort has also razor hone, or stone. As a
matter of fact. not one man in a hundred,
perhaps not one in thousand. has one.
There are men that hone their own ra-
Zors, using, perhaps. stone that came
down to them from their father, or it
might be from their grandfather. And
stones can be bought, il one wants them
that way. in a silver box. But as a rule
when mans razors need honing he is
more than likely to take them to the bar
ber's. So that the razor stone is virtually
professional implement, used almost ex-
clusively by the BARRIERS.
OF razor stones there are two general
kinds, all of which, of both kinds.
are imported, the water stones, as they
are called. because they are used with
water. from Germany, and the oil stones.
used with oil and called Belgian oil
stones. from Belgium. Some BARRIERS use
one and some the other, and some use
both. OF course the razor stone Is
very important part of the barber's kit
of tools, and he values a good stone high
ly. And a good razor stone is rather a
costly thing.
German water stones cost from 25
cents to 50 each. and Belgium oil stones,
according to the grit and quality, from
IS cents to S5 each, these prices being
for stones from 6 to 10 inches in length.
8 inch and 10 inch being the sizes most
commonly used.-New York Sun