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Fabric strop

mysteryrazor

Well-Known Member
I have noticed that some fabric strops are flattened tubes. These strops resemble sections of fire hose. I remember seeing fire hose about this size at school in fire stations at one end of the hall. That goes back quite a few years so I do not know how accurate that memory is.
 
You're memory is quite accurate, Jay! I remember that also..

But, as I remember that canvas was extremely heavy duty. I don't know if schools still have them or not... It's been a while since I've been in one! I probably paid more attention to those hoses, and whatever was going on out the window than what a teacher was attempting to instruct.
 
I have one tubulus fabric Jay is 3" w.,but is 5 mm thick .It is not bad ,is very shoft .If you like i can post pictures.
Best regards
Emmanuel
 
I have noticed before that some strops were tubular and they looked like fire hose. I just had a lot of time to think wile I was cleaning the half dozen strops. I have a lot to do this coming week. I would like to stop in at the fire house and ask about the hose. It would be interesting to find out if it comes in small sizes.
 
Jay,

I just checked and discovered that one of my fabric strops also is tubular like a fire hose!! It seems to be canvas without any inside rubber lining, although the print outside says linen! Interesting!!

ADDED LATER:

Well, the Wikipedia says:

[box] Around 1895, unlined fire hose made of circular woven linen yarns began to replace leather hose. It was certainly much lighter. As the hose fibers, made of flax, became wet, they swelled up and tightened the weave, causing the hose to become watertight. Unlined hose, because of its lack of durability, was rapidly replaced with rubber hose in municipal fire service use. It continued to be specified, however for use on interior hose lines and hose racks until the 1960s[citation needed], and is still used in some areas for forestry applications. [/box]

So, mine may be linen after all!!! If you find some source for the 'forestry applications' let me also know.
 
I called the fire station most of their hoses are lined. I have some feelers out to see what is available. I am busy preparing to cook for a TWA retirees lunch tomorrow. The strop is on my to do list.
 
Called American hose. That is called the jacket and they only make it in Poly now. Also called National webbing they do not make 2.5 inch canvas webbing but it can be made on special order $250 min order.
 
Jay - somewhere there is a source for linen tubes. Based on my research, Canadian Forestry Dept (and US too) extensively use this. It may be commercially known as "Flax Hose."

For all I know, it may be made in China or India.

Where is Chris when we need him? ;)
 
Haha. I did spend two summers planting trees in BC, and another year and a half counting trees on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, came away with a bear story or two, but, thankfully, was never involved in any fire-fighting!
I have done a few google searches in the past in the past, but all I ever came up with was some cotton webbing in huge quantities, good widths, but huge lengths, and lots of money.
Someone should get a call out to Torolf, he's got a Textiles background and I'm sure would know much more about it than I would. Heck, I'm a red-neck! i didn't even know you could buy a linen shirt... most of mine are polyester!
 
Oh. If you like to find a tubular linen to morrow ill post pictures giving the supplier for 2,5 " . OK ?
Rgds
Emmanuel
 
Thanks, Chris!

[box] It [x]unlined fire hose made of circular woven linen yarns[/x] ... is still used in some areas for forestry applications. [/box]

Torolf might have a high end source. [x]Ya, I know, possibly Versace and Torolf might be sourcing from the same company.[/x] We need a blue-collar source.

[small][sub]We don't really need it, but we cannot help ourselves. [/sub][/small]
 
Emmanuel said:
Oh. If you like to find a tubular linen to morrow ill post pictures giving the supplier for 2,5 " . OK ?
Rgds
Emmanuel

Emmanuel to the rescue. Thank you! Your aviation friend, Jay, also will be pleased.
 
I'd be interested in a group buy if anyone comes up with a good source. Not for any real reason... mostly just because i can't help myself.;)
The fire hose I've seen seems as if it would have a nice texture, and weight, if only it was in a material I had any faith in. I've experimented with some cotton canvas, but I can't say i'm really impressed with it, but I really should do more with it before I write it off. it was never a good candidate for strop material because it wasn't tubular, which i think is key if it can't be woven with a heavy enough weave like the Kanayama.
 
If you find a source I would like a fresh piece. I have a vintage strop with a piece of the hose and it is like stropping on fine leather.
 
This is it: http://cgi.ebay.com/VTG-APT-BLDG-AL...OZZLE-BRACKET-NR-/230589162472#ht_2391wt_1141 It's all I can find.

It is exactly as I thought; the only place to find this stuff, I figured, would be to salvage it from an old building.
My google-fu has turned up this lone eBay sale, hundreds of misspellings of the word "flex", and very old references. I have a feeling that this stuff hasn't been made since the '50's.

Near as I can tell, this hose in the auction might yield 22, 20" lengths. Fewer if one cut at a place other than the fold, but the fold might be permanent after having hung there like that for 60 years. So that would work out to $6/length (if the auction stays at that current price)
Normally, I can spend $140 without even leaving the house, but this seems like a bit of a gamble... it might suck as a strop, and then how the hell would we unload the other 21 lengths? Plus, then we'd have wrecked a nice antique.
 
Come to think of it I have seen some Canvas tarps at Tractor supply Company and Lowes that were heavyweight. Not expensive either. Hmmm I have to go to town later if they have one in stock I may pick it up for testing purposes.
 
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