Thread: beginner with a cheapo strop

i'm a beginner when it comes to SR. i'm getting ready to do my second shave later this week. so i went ahead and got myself a cheap strop since i might muff it up. the strop i ordered has a lot of mixed reviews. Amazon.com: Scalpmaster Barber Strop: Health & Personal Care . i heard some people do not recomend this strap cause they received it with creases cor the leather was uneven. but i cant really afford anything else. i barley had the money for this one. anyways, best case scenario, the strop is fine. do i have to worry about it damaging my blade? worst case scenario, its creased, how would i go about treating it. or should i even bother?

Wait till it arrives,,if there's a problem, post a photo of it & someone here will find a way to help you.

Before I got my strop I would use my deer skin guitar strap. Or you could always buy some leather and make your own. Might not be, as pretty, but it shouldn't matter what it looks like as long as it functions properly.

If there is a Hobby Lobby, they have some small end pieces you could glue to a chunk of wood. I own lots of straps both new and antique but the one I made for about 3 bucks works very well. You might also want to look at a thrift store for an old leather belt, I have one of these too and it works.

Not sure where you are but tandy do strips that many people use. Each strip should make a few strops. A local leather worker might be a good place also.

ok, i got it today. the bolt used to keep everything together was a p.o.s didnt even fit the nut right. i replaced it with my own hardware.the leather is not creased, so i am happy about that. there are a few things i do question with the leather and will post pics. i put some mineral oil on the leather to see if the dye leaks like i had herd. the dye doesnt leak. left the oil on to soften the leather a bit. it is apparently horse leather. feels nice/ anyways heres the pics. please let my know if any of these markings could possibly cause damage to my SR. thank you.

Look up burnishing and don't put toooo much oil on it ever. You know mineral oil is a petroleum product ? I would get as much of that off as possible. Like, yesterday. This should do fine until you get better at stropping. It's going to hurt when you nick it but not as much as it would a 100dollar strop :<0) Start saving for a better one. I have a feeling the mineral oil is going to shorten it's lifespan.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Look up burnishing and don't put toooo much oil on it ever. You know mineral oil is a petroleum product ? I would get as much of that off as possible. Like, yesterday. This should do fine until you get better at stropping. It's going to hurt when you nick it but not as much as it would a 100dollar strop :<0) Start saving for a better one. I have a feeling the mineral oil is going to shorten it's lifespan.

lol, thanks. i wiped as much of the oil off that i could. the rest is already absorbed. the dye on that strope bleeds bad though. i think its all good now though. i'm getting ready to try it out in a little bit/

with the exception of a little bit of razor bun and having difficulty with the neck and chin area, my face is really smooth.