Thread: I did a stupid thing....

I uh accidentally put the white "fine edge" DOVO paste on the leather side of my strop.. Is there any way I can save this leather side? I tried getting a damp towel and rubbing it off didnt work to well..

Brain cramps happen. You can try soap and water and then go at it with a pumice stone. That should remove most if not all of the paste but the leather may well be permanently contaminated. Also the pumice stone may abrade the surface too much to be restored so you may just have to settle for having another pasted strop in the arsenal.

Ah I was afraid of that, the white paste wasnt even suppose to be on the leather side of the strop... It was my good strop to, Ill just have to get another, And what is the correct way to evenly put paste on the strop? Just spread it around?

Purchase the automotive hand cleaner called GOOP. Make sure you get the non abrasive product.

Put approx 3 pea size drops on the leather. Work it around a bit and then wipe it off with a paper towel. Repeat this until the strop is clean.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Purchase the automotive hand cleaner called GOOP. Make sure you get the non abrasive product.

Put approx 3 pea size drops on the leather. Work it around a bit and then wipe it off with a paper towel. Repeat this until the strop is clean.

If this does not remove it completely (even after several applications), then apply more goop and scrub it with an old toothbrush. This is how I clean old cromium oxide off of untreated leather before applying new.

Just another data point,
Ed

If the methods mentioned work and take the paste off completely and the surface isn't abraded beyond repair then a good rub down with mink oil might bring back the smooth surface. Contact Tony Miller the strop guru as he might have some ideas about restoring it. As far as applying paste I first rough up the surface a bit with a pumice stone (If I'm not stripping off the old layer of paste first.) and then put on a couple small dabs and spread them around with my finger until the strop is evenly coated. You don't need to use very much as a little goes a long way.

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

If the methods mentioned work and take the paste off completely and the surface isn't abraded beyond repair then a good rub down with mink oil might bring back the smooth surface. Contact Tony Miller the strop guru as he might have some ideas about restoring it. As far as applying paste I first rough up the surface a bit with a pumice stone (If I'm not stripping off the old layer of paste first.) and then put on a couple small dabs and spread them around with my finger until the strop is evenly coated. You don't need to use very much as a little goes a long way.

Interesting! I never rough up my leather and always like the smoothest leather I can find to use as a pasted strop.

I don't go overboard on the roughing. It's really to rough the surface of the old layer of paste rather than the leather. It's to help the new layer stick to the surface better. It seems to work okay but since I've had next to no experience with professionally honed razors I don't really know if I'm doing more harm than good.