Thread: Strop Question

I have been straight razor shaving for about a month now. Proud to say everything has been going great and I will never go back to the four bladed king of razor burn.
The strop I am using is at least 60 years old, it took quite a bit of mink oil to get it back to shape. Today my 2 year old son got a hold of it and pulled it all apart, the thread was dry rotted and brittle. I did discover the back side of the strop is in perfect condition the leather is smooth and not a single crack or blemish. The front side of the leather kind of looks scaly and has little cracks all over the place. I am planing on sewing the strop back together tonight and tomorrow. My question is would I be better off using the original side in its condition or would I be better off to use the back side being that it is in great shape?

It is really tough to say without seeing the leather. It may be to close to tell without actually being in the same room with it.

The best thing would be to compare it to a known material in appearance and performance.

Sorry I can't be more help! Hopefully another person can be.

-Rob

I guess the question is "smooth" relative to what. Relative to the cracked front side or relative to a new piece of latigo. Maybe your son gave you an opportunity to refurbish to new condition
You could try the side in question flat on a table like a paddle strop & assess the results.

Having completed my first shave a couple of days ago, with a new dovo 4580, the question is can you over strop the blade and making it too sharp or too thin to use safely ?

Originally Posted by Doublewood

Having completed my first shave a couple of days ago, with a new dovo 4580, the question is can you over strop the blade and making it too sharp or too thin to use safely ?

The sharper the better. If it's too sharp. Well, thats a good thing. The result of over stroping is that the bevel becomes rounded or curved which results in a dull razor. In this case it is time to hone the blade.