My new kanayama 70000

There is another thread around here discussing my having not used a strop for some time. I've been shaving with an edge right off a 12k naniwa superstore. Everyone yelled strop! I listened.

Here's what I got, a 70000 kanayama strop from aframestokyo.

The packaging was great and my new strop was well protected in a triangular shaped rectangle hybrid box. I quickly opened the package with the fervor of an eggnog addled kid on christmas Eve. Newspaper and bubblewrap protected the treasure inside. I tore through that to reveal the true piece of craftsman ship contained within.

This is an amazingly beautiful strop. It came with a canvas strop with hardware and a two piece leather strop with hardware. The leather strop consists of a suede piece and a smooth leather piece stamped with a gold llama, 70000 and company seal. It truly shines like treasure.

I haven't had the chance to use the canvas strop as I'm still breaking it in, a process which I will show in another post for those interested.

The suede and smooth leather is a dream to work on and all high compliments I've read are true based on my experience.

It's so nice I almost didn't want to use it but that goes against my philosophy so, used it I have.

Enjoy the pictures.

Nice!!
Now excuse me, I have to go buy another strop...

They really are amazing. Love mine.

Beautiful! Congrats!!

stoop said:

They really are amazing. Love mine.

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Did you go through the recommended process for breaking in your canvas strop? I have performed a modified version but I don't know if its broken in or not, its certainly not as stiff as it was new.

Quoted from aframestokyo website:


******PLEASE DO NOT USE THE CANVAS STROP WITHOUT ANY TREAT TO BE SOFTER******

The new canvas strop is very tough and hard cloth, so it might get damage to your razor blade. If you do not have time to do below processes, please take off the canvas strop from leather strop, and wash it in washing machine with softner at least several times like new jeans. The new canvas strop will be softer and it is forgiven the lapping of razor blade.

###################################################################################

=====How To Make Softer Canvas Strop=====

It is kind of hard work, but if you will try to do it, please do like below:

Put on body soap (solid one), and wash it away

Put on the canvas strop on the wood board, and pounding with wooden hammer on the round portion of the wood hammer side to kill the tough fibers.

Washing by brush

Rubbing solid body soap

Washing by brush

Wrapping by Nagura to polish the surface of the canvas strop

Washing by washing machine

Drying at shade a couple days

Putting on body soap by brush

Wrapping by beer bottle strongly

Please do the all above processes three times

Fantastic score!

Still don't have a Kanayama strop but this is pushing to get one.

I did nothing as drastic as Takeshi suggests on his site. I just did this:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-Questions-for-Mr-Naomi?p=8104713#post8104713

It's still a little stiff but no longer fearsome. Also, putting the end of it in your palm, holding it medium firmly on that side with your fingers, then wrapping it over the back of your hand and pulling it through 180 degrees around your hand works nicely too, a few times on each side.

Nice!!!

Sweet strops!

I recently splurged for an economical 10000, just because I had to see what they are like. It is an amazingly supple piece of horsehide.

I hope you get many years of enjoyment from it.

Very nice! Enjoy.

Jnatcat said:

Still don't have a Kanayama strop but this is pushing to get one.

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Do it. Money well spent. You get what you pay for.

For those interested in the break in process of the canvas strop. Here's what I've been doing which is a slightly modified version of the advise found on aframestokyo site.

I used mybar of good old fashion soap courtesy of Vermont soap works. I wet the strop in hot water. I killed two birds with one stone by doing this while I take a bath. I then rubbed the strop with the bar of soap and used a scrub brush to work the latherinto the fibers of the strop. Then I rinsed in hot water. Now the fun part. I didn't have a wooden hammer to beat the hell out of this as suggested but I do have an old mortar and pestle. I beat the hell out of the strop with that. Then I rinse, soap, rinse, beat. I do that three times a day for three days and I'm done. Try it out, seems to be working for me.

Fantastic

Top notch! You will love stropping on all 3 surfaces! Good job!

Well done! Even after scrubbing mine with the steel scrubber, the thing feels like it will last a couple lifetimes.

Excellent! It's a good one indeed.

Cheers, Steve

I envy you the suede piece too. Those look really nice.

A thing of beauty indeed. I think the 70k hits the sweet spot of features and cost. Congrats!

Old Frog said:

A thing of beauty indeed. I think the 70k hits the sweet spot of features and cost. Congrats!

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That's what I figured. Really doesn't seem like there's too much variation though.