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Welcome to
The Well Shaved Gentleman &
Heirloom Razor Strop Company
Home of the Original Latigo and Vegan Friendly Strops!
Winter 2009 Update!
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My products are available at my online storefront:
www.shop.thewellshavedgentleman.com
The Heirloom Razor Strop Company
I am proud to say that I have produced nearly 3000 strops to date and
my customers throughout the world have called my Artisan models the
best strops being made today. Check the popular shaving forums and
see glowing comments from my satisfied customers on a daily basis. I
work hard to keep that reputation and am constantly refining my
products to perform even better and to remain a competitive value in
todays market, even over those that are mass produced.
I am not a large manufacturer nor are my products made elsewhere to
my designs. Every leather strop I sell is made by hand, by me personally.
You are buying from the craftsman and the designer. The only items not
made completely here by me are my paddles. The wooden components
for these are made by my Amish craftsman friends who do my
woodworking, and occasionally will help with cutting handles and
end caps, but all major strop components, especially the main
strop body, are hand cut by me.
I buy complete sides of top grade Latigo tanned cowhide, and heavy butt
section cuts of bark tanned horsehide for my hanging strops. Each piece
is laid out and cut by hand with a knife and straight edge to assure only
the best parts of each hide are used. Edges are rounded and beaded, and
each piece goes through my proprietary "breaking in" process, again by
hand. Punched holes and end cuts are done with clicker dies in my shop
on a hand operated press or by my Amish craftsmen on a similar press.
It is this hand made process and attention to detail that sets my products
apart from the rest but is also why I often have limited availability of
some items. It takes time to produce items by hand and I work at a pace
that insures the best product, not unlimited availability. I do not take
orders for items not currently in stock and ready for delivery. Each week
on my storefront I offer only the items that are currently available for
sale and give a heads up as to what I am manufacturing and that will be
ready for sale over the next few weeks.
My products are available at my online storefront !
www.shop.thewellshavedgentleman.com
Check my online storefront for each weeks
current products!
Heirloom Artisan Hanging Strops
The Artisan models are my best Horsehide and Red Latigo strops
and are made from heavy 7 to 9oz. top grain leather. These
premium strops feature a second component from Cotton Canvas or
Genuine Linen and even an optional second leather component. These
are made in 2", 2 1/2" and 3" widths with leather handles or Dee Rings.
A special leather only Artisan "Lite" model is available as an entry level
starter strop to which one can add the optional cloth components and
handles as they progress with the art of stropping and shaving.
Heirloom Paddle Strops
My Four Sided Quad and Superwide Two Sided paddles provide an
excellent tool for use with abrasive sharpening pastes to refresh a shave
ready blade and for mild honing, as well as providing a tool for daily
stropping for those desiring a rigid, compact strop. My wooden paddle
blanks are made to my design by my Amish craftsman friends and the
leather is cut and bonded to the paddles here in my shop. I use a variety
of leathers depending on the purpose of the strop. Heavy Red Latigo
and Horsehide for finish stropping, and a natural bark tanned cowhide
for pasting are all available options. My paddles are wider and longer
than others offered in the marketplace, designed by me to provide the
most surface area while retaining an easily used overall size and a
traditional look.
My Heirloom Diamond Abrasive Compounds are Amplex products,
repackaged in small 1.5 gr containers to provide a more economical
alternative to the larger and more expensive factory supplied
containers. Each container will provide one to three pastings depending
on the size of the paddle.
Heirloom "Vegan Friendly" Synthetic Strops
I am proud to offer the only commercially available vegan friendly
barber's strops. This is a product I developed in the Fall of 2007 and
offer in a variety of versions. I use a thermal poly-urethane for these
with the look and feel of leather. An added advantage is that no special
care needed as is typical of leather strops making these a great travel
alternative as well. I produce these in my Artisan style as well as a basic
"Starter" version in 3" widths.
My Heirloom Leathers
My Heirloom Red Latigo was the first leather I offered and one I
introduced into strop making. It is an oil and wax rich, "pre-dressed"
leather that quickly caught on because of it's superior draw. I use the
best 7 to 9oz. hides I can buy and still discard over 50% of each hide
when cutting as not meeting my rigid standards. It starts out with
a smooth, firm finish and light draw but will quickly develop with use,
gaining more draw and suppleness as it is used. This would be my most
versatile material, providing an increased draw over time, and is my
suggestion as the best choice for an all around strop.
My Heirloom Horsehide is my premium finishing leather. I use only 8
to 9oz. butt section horsehide cut by hand from the best pieces
available. It's unique pore structure and density creates an almost
magnetic feel against the razors edge, quickly aligning it while having
a smooth, very light draw, or feeling of friction. I leave my horsehide
with it's natural coloration intact. It will range from a uniform
"coffee with cream" look to a beautiful, varegated type woodgrain
like pattern. The Latigo end caps and handles used these make for
very handsome strops. These tend to have a lighter draw and make an
excellent finishing strop, especially when combined with a Latigo second
component in place of linen. For this reason though I do not suggest
them as the best choice for a beginner where the increased draw of
Latigo will make the stropping process easier to learn.
Modular Construction Allows For Options
All of my current Artisan strops feature modular construction,
something I started with my first strops 4 years ago. This has several
advantages. A user can easily replace a damaged section, leather or cloth
without having to buy a complete new strop and it allows you to swap
sections later. Down the road you can add a linen component in place of
the cotton you started with or the Latigo can be switched out completely
to make a horsehide strop. This also allows for some unique combinations
like the my Tri-Strop that is getting rave reviews on the forums. This is a
Latigo/Horsehide/Linen 3 in 1 strop that was created by just adding an
extra component to one of my existing strops. Just another inovative
design that started at the Heirloom Razor Strop Company.
As always, each of my strops are made and tested in house, by hand, by
me, and to my unyielding standards.
Thank you,
Anthony D. Miller, Stropmaker
Please note that I am the only outlet for my products. While strops using my
Artisan™ handle and trim designs are offered elsewhere with different branding
they are not Heirloom Razor Strop Co.™ products.
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