The Opelousas courier., 1901-01-12
ABE AMERICAN MADE.
WE MANUFACTURE MILLIONS
OF RAZOR STRoPS.
russian Leather Strops Are Made oG
Observation-Disclosures Ones Are Made
of Cowhlde-Razor stones Are Pro-
feS5ional instruments.

fessional Instruments
Razor strops are made in hundreds
OF varieties, counting kinds, qualities,
materials, styles and manner of finish.
They r produced in this country 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 mount
ings at ene end to hang the strop up
by and at the other end to hold 1t by,
cost from 81 to 81 each. Strops Of imi-
tation Russian leather are sold as
cheaply as 50c. Fine Russian leather
swing strops with silver mountings
range in price from IS to s25 each.
After those of Russian leather the
best swing razor strops are made Of
horsehide, Of which, in fact, q very
large proportion of all swing stroDs ara
made. H%oBsehide strops are produced
in great variety, genuine horsehids
strops being sold from 25c to $1.25
each. Imitation horsehide strops made
| Of cowhide. are sold at various prices.
from 10c to S75c each. Swing razor
strops are made also of calfskin and
OF porpoise leather.
Perhaps 5 per cent Of the swing
strops sold consist of the leather alone;
but the great majority of them, of
whatever kind, grade or quality, con-
sist Of two parts, the leather strop and
q strop Of corresponding dimensions Of
cotton or linen. On cheap strops this
part is Of cotton, on the best strops
Of whatever kind 1t is Of the best Irish
linen, woven in the form of a hose and
then hattened into strop form.
There is a swing strop that Is re-
versible. 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 StTop
that rolls up like a window shade into
the attachment from which 1t swings
on the wall.
Hand strops, the familiar two-ssded
and four-sided streps, with a handle at
one end, are made in very great va
riety, including for example, travelling
strops, one sort Of which. small IN
size, has q handle that unserews and
can be dropped inside a place made to
receive 1t In the strop.
Besides the hand strops of solid con-
~sstruction with two or four sides, there
are hand strops whose sides are COM
posed Of leather strops drawn at either
end cver o supporting framework,
which can be frightened by turning UP
on the handles.
Hand strops are sold at various
prices ranging from 15c to 81 each;
silyer-mounted hand strops run up to
S25 each.
By no means every man that shaves
himself and has a razor strop Of some
sort has also a razor hone, or stono:
as a matter Of fact, not n man in a
hundred, perhaps not one in a thou
sand, has one. There are men that
hone their own razors,' using, perhaps.
a stone that came down to them from
their father, Or it might be from their
grandfather. And stones can be
bought, if one wants them that way,
in q silver box. But as a rule, when
q mans razor needs honing he is more
likely to take them to the BARRIERS; so
that the razor stone is virtually a pro-
fessional implement, used almost ex-
clusively by the BARRIERS.
Of razor stones there are two gen.
eral kinds, almost all Of which, Of both
kinds, are imported, the water stones,
rs they are called, because they are
used with water, from Germany; and
the ell 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 a very important
part of the barbar's kit o~fstools, and
he values a good stone highly. And
a good razor stone is rather a costly
thing.
German water stones cost from 25c
to So each; and Belgium oil stones, ac-
cording to the grit and quality, from
75c to SIS each, these prices being for
stones from 6 to Is inches in length;
s-inch and 1o-inch being the sizes most
commonly used.-New York Sun.