Thread: Strops

HI all
I have been reading what you have posted on strops and I find that upon a close inspection wile stropping I have found that my strop has a upward curl and that the center of the razor is not in contact with the center of the strop very much I have been conditioning it but it is still stiff and curled. Would the palm and neets foot oil work you think to make it relax and maybe soften it? I am having problems with the edge and maybe this is part of the cause.
Thanks for the help
Bob

Just to be thorough, what kind of strop do you have (maker, size, material)?
I'm hoping it doesn't start with a z.

It is an Illinois it has a bulls head on the top nearer to the hanger
Bob

OK, thanks.. I'm not an expert at strop problems (my latigos were never stiff at all) but I've heard guys using nearsfoot oil and running a glass bottle over the strop while laying it on a flat tabletop.

Thanks I will give it a try I would like to shave with a straight with out it trying to tare my face off

so it's kind of cupped, with the ends higher than the middle?
i'm not a fan of unnecessary conditioning, if the leather is supple it's all good. even if it's not too flexible,
if it's cupped as i imagine just bend it the other way, it always seemed to me that the middle being a little higher than the edges is preferable to the other way around. stropping with x-pattern can work much better too.

Welcome aboard Bob, Great screen name BTW

I think maybe you might want to approach this from the other side as in the inside of the strop.... The strop should come apart, lay it on a flat surface stropping side down and rub in the Neatsfoot oil from the back side...
If you put the oil on an old wash cloth first, you will be able to better control how it goes on the strop...

I would oil it from the back for 2-3 days until the strop flattens out then flip it and oil the front side once, and let it sit over night... re-hang it the next day and you should be good to go....

Hope this works out for you

Edit:
As Gugi said if the leather is flexible you can just work it with your hands, my method is for an older dryer strop...

We are also assuming that you have had the razor honed????? professionally

No It has not at this time the shop said it was shave ready but I do not think so one of the members here offerd to hone it and I may send it to him but I will try to find some one here in southern CA first... any one out there know some one in So cal? please let me know
Thanks
bob