Thread: Concave Strop

i have 2 strops that are concave and the the blade only touches the edges not the center of the strop can i iron this thing flat? i tried putting then under the matress with no luck

I am assuming that these are leather hanging strops. If that the case the way you hold the strop may effect the "cup" of the strop. do a search for strop cupping and you will get some info. That being said if the strop is actually cupped when it is just laying on a flat surface then I do not think that switching your grip will help. What I have seen recommended is to take a wine bottle filled with warm (not hot ) water and use this to "iron" the strop.

Usually you see this in very wide strops. its rare in regular width strops. You can try the rolling pin trick and you can try not holding it quite so tightly (but not loose either). If that doesn't work the nuclear bomb approach might be soaking it in water and then allowing it to slowly dry by itself. The cupping might come out but thats a last resort.

yes its a really wide strop i love it! i do pull really tight on it, il give the bottle thing a try thanks for the help guys

Another thing that will help when you use a bottle to "roll" it is to use a light dressing to slightly soften it and make it a bit more pliable.

Actual "strop dressing" is available, but I have never tried it. Good alternatives are neat's foot oil and mink oil.

I personally prefer mink oil and use the Kiwi brand (you can get it anywhere; sold near the shoe polish generally). If you decide to try it, USE SPARINGLY! I will dab a little onto my palm and rub my hands together to spread it, just enough to make the palms of your hands shiny and a little tacky. Rub it into the surface and allow it to soak in for an hour or so then wipe any excess with a towel. I also use a hair dryer to heat the leater a little to help liquify the mink oil more and soak in better. After it has soaken in some, I would use the bottle trick or add a little more to soften up more; depends on how dry the leather is. If the mink oil soaks in and the leather is very slick (vice slightly tacky) in minutes, I would personally add a little more (it's soaking in and doing it's job).

I can't stress enough, use this a little dab at time! The mink oil will soften the leather, but you will notice more draw on the strop. If you prefer a very fast, slick strop with very light draw to it, don't use mink oil.


v/r

Allen

Depending on the stop material, I have had success with
simply bending the strop the other way.

- Scott

thankd for the replys, right now i have it squished between some books hahaha im gonna give the bottle thing a try next