Thread: New to the old way

Originally Posted by eddy79

In the tutorial he mentioned that the leather was uneven and that was the reason for sanding. If yours is flat snd smooth there would be no need

Mine is flat, but after a careful inspection, there are a few high spots here and there that seem to be natural occurrences in the skin. So, considering that, I think I will pick up some sand paper tomorrow and go ahead and cut it down just to be safe. I don't want to ruin my brand new freshly honed razor on a strop that isn't perfectly even. Being new to it all is enough of a handicap without adding sub par equipment to the equation.

So I finished my leather portion of my strop today...I think. I followed the tutorial and figured it would be relatively easy because I paint cars and bikes occasionally so I'm no stranger to cutting paint, how much different can leather be? Well, the answer to that is very different. Dry sanding is no problem. As you can see in the pics, my leather was quite uneven. I cut it with 150, then 220, 400, 800, 1000 then finally 2000. I sanded dry on the 150 and 220. The 400 I started wet sanding and that is where it got hard. I finished up last night and set it out to dry. This morning, the leather was smooth, but not polished like in the tutorial, however, it has what look like green spots in it. Not sure what from. You can't feel any bumps or anything so I'm not too terribly worried about that. Not sure if it matters that I don't have the high polish though. Anyway, I've decided to do a denim piece on the other half, simply for cost purpose. I'll save my leather for making another strop rather than using it as my linen side as well.

Here are my pics in order from start to finish. Feedback greatly appreciated - good or bad.

If you want the shine back, you would have to spend a bit of time applying a very thin layer of leather dressing (not all leather dressings are up to the task. You would have to find out about what you have available locally) and buffing it off with a soft cloth, and repeating until shiny. This will also reduce the draw of the strop.


Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

If you want the shine back, you would have to spend a bit of time applying a very thin layer of leather dressing (not all leather dressings are up to the task. You would have to find out about what you have available locally) and buffing it off with a soft cloth, and repeating until shiny. This will also reduce the draw of the strop.


Mick

I don't care about the shine for aesthetic purposes. But if I need to polish it for better performance then I will do what I need to do. What do you mean as far as draw of the strop?

Originally Posted by Jtyson

I don't care about the shine for aesthetic purposes. But if I need to polish it for better performance then I will do what I need to do. What do you mean as far as draw of the strop?

The amount of resistance/drag or lack thereof, felt on the razor as you move it over the leather. Heavy draw is a feeling of the razor resisting the stropping action and light draw feels like it's skating over ice. The everything else is in between those two extreme's.


Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

The amount of resistance/drag or lack thereof, felt on the razor as you move it over the leather. Heavy draw is a feeling of the razor resisting the stropping action and light draw feels like it's skating over ice. The everything else is in between those two extreme's.


Mick

Do you know of any brands of leather polish that would work? I know nothing about leather treatment and searching the web has left me more confused than when I began

I like a little neatsfoot oil and the rubbing with a smooth glass for about 5 mins

Originally Posted by Jtyson

Do you know of any brands of leather polish that would work? I know nothing about leather treatment and searching the web has left me more confused than when I began

Leather polish? Well if you want to go for a light draw you could go that way. Give the strop a base of dye in the right colour, polish with shoe polish and give it a few coats of leather sealer. heard good things about this sealer http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/e...countryid=1033 but haven't tried it myself. I use a locally made product.

For a heavier draw I would use a wax based leather treatment, applied thinly and buffed off. Repeat.

Have a look at the Jay-El product line Saddle & Harness Care: Jay-el


Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

Leather polish? Well if you want to go for a light draw you could go that way. Give the strop a base of dye in the right colour, polish with shoe polish and give it a few coats of leather sealer. heard good things about this sealer Tandy Leather Factory - Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene but haven't tried it myself. I use a locally made product.

For a heavier draw I would use a wax based leather treatment, applied thinly and buffed off. Repeat.

Have a look at the Jay-El product line Saddle & Harness Care: Jay-el


Mick

I was under the impression based on your first statement that I needed to lessen the draw for functionality purpose. I have a tandy leather a couple miles from my house, so that stuff you linked to I can probably pick up tomorrow. I'm concerned though, couldn't treatments also act as abrasives? Forgive my ignorance, I've never worked with leather before.

Originally Posted by Jtyson

I was under the impression based on your first statement that I needed to lessen the draw for functionality purpose. I have a tandy leather a couple miles from my house, so that stuff you linked to I can probably pick up tomorrow. I'm concerned though, couldn't treatments also act as abrasives? Forgive my ignorance, I've never worked with leather before.

I recommend a slicker strop for beginners, but it doesn't have to be that way if you don't want it to. I'm sure that others would say entirely the opposite, as it is all fairly subjective opinions as to which way is better. What I am giving you is just my thoughts on the matter. I don't proclaim to be an expert by any means.
Anything you apply to the leather may or may not make a difference to it as a strop, but the micron of leather dressing or sealer, properly applied, would make no discernible difference to the razors edge. The leather you used for your strop would have had dye (and possibly sealer) applied to it before you went and sanded it all off anyway .
If you're worried about you're ability to carry out the dying and sealing procedure, then by all means don't. Leave the leather as it is. After all it is mostly just about appearances with dye, and sealer in this case, is just a means of trying to get a slicker strop, that as I have already pointed out, is just my personal thought on the best approach for a beginner.


Mick