Thread: New Guy Needs Help

Originally Posted by Banjoman84

One more question. Would the strop be okay to use as long as I got some oil for it?

I'm not, at all, familiar with their strops. Can you give us a desciption of it including what width it is, and why you think it might need oil? I think we can come up with some solutions.

Best Regards,
Howard

Originally Posted by SirStropalot

I'm not, at all, familiar with their strops. Can you give us a desciption of it including what width it is, and why you think it might need oil? I think we can come up with some solutions.

Best Regards,
Howard

It's about 22 inches from hook to handle. 12 1/2 inches of stropping leather, 2 inches wide. The reverse side is white fabric woven in a way that the stitches move in a "V" fashion from either side meeting in the middle and pointing towards the hook at the top. It looks like there's a few nicks on the swede side of the leather. I asked about the oil because I thought it would need it to preserve the strop. Also there are a bunch of ....wrinkles is what I'll call them. Kinda like it's starting to dry out, but I'm not a 100% on that.

I was going to do that at first, but then I discovered straight razors. I guess it's the challenge of it. I'm not writing off DE at all. I would like to learn both actually.

I would guess that anyone that would sell you a low grade razor, won't miss another opportunity to do the same with the strop.

Focus on good inexpensive equipment, and be patient.

Originally Posted by Banjoman84

It's about 22 inches from hook to handle. 12 1/2 inches of stropping leather, 2 inches wide. The reverse side is white fabric woven in a way that the stitches move in a "V" fashion from either side meeting in the middle and pointing towards the hook at the top. It looks like there's a few nicks on the swede side of the leather. I asked about the oil because I thought it would need it to preserve the strop. Also there are a bunch of ....wrinkles is what I'll call them. Kinda like it's starting to dry out, but I'm not a 100% on that.

Banjoman

This is a cut and paste from the wiki, and may be pertinent to your strop.

Stiffness or wrinkles
Some physical influences, such as dust, dirt, or longer periods of non-use, may cause your strop to become stiff and make a scratching sound when stropping. Trying to rectify this by rolling it quite tightly is wrong and will cause your strop to become wrinkled. It will lose most if not all of its functionality.
In most cases, the stiffness is likely from non-use and this is where a brisk rubbing with the hand would warm and soften it again. Scratchy sounds are likely dirt and dust on the surface, again from sitting unused. You should always keep strops hanging and do rub each with the hands before use to wipe the surface clean. If the rubbing will not bring it back to life, rubbing Neat's Foot Oil onto the palms of the hands and then rubbing the strop would work.
Rolling a strop tightly may kill it. Rolling tightly with the smooth side out will stretch the skin and if hard may actually create very fine micro-tears in the surface, rolling skin side in will instantly buckle the surface skin and that can never be fully corrected. Neat's Foot Oil and the bottle rolling may help but once an actual bump forms in the skin it is done.

Never, ever roll a strop skin side in and always rub with the hands before using to clean the surface of dust and grit.[3]

Here's the link and there's lots more good info in it. Strop treatment and repair - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Hope this helps, and I sure wish your intro into straights would have been a more positive experience. And, maybe from here on it will be!!

Kind Regards,
Howard

Originally Posted by SirStropalot

Banjoman

This is a cut and paste from the wiki, and may be pertinent to your strop.

Stiffness or wrinkles
Some physical influences, such as dust, dirt, or longer periods of non-use, may cause your strop to become stiff and make a scratching sound when stropping. Trying to rectify this by rolling it quite tightly is wrong and will cause your strop to become wrinkled. It will lose most if not all of its functionality.
In most cases, the stiffness is likely from non-use and this is where a brisk rubbing with the hand would warm and soften it again. Scratchy sounds are likely dirt and dust on the surface, again from sitting unused. You should always keep strops hanging and do rub each with the hands before use to wipe the surface clean. If the rubbing will not bring it back to life, rubbing Neat's Foot Oil onto the palms of the hands and then rubbing the strop would work.
Rolling a strop tightly may kill it. Rolling tightly with the smooth side out will stretch the skin and if hard may actually create very fine micro-tears in the surface, rolling skin side in will instantly buckle the surface skin and that can never be fully corrected. Neat's Foot Oil and the bottle rolling may help but once an actual bump forms in the skin it is done.

Never, ever roll a strop skin side in and always rub with the hands before using to clean the surface of dust and grit.[3]

Here's the link and there's lots more good info in it. Strop treatment and repair - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Hope this helps, and I sure wish your intro into straights would have been a more positive experience. And, maybe from here on it will be!!

Kind Regards,
Howard

Thanks a lot. I appreciate the help.

Ben.

Here is a list of some SRP guys in Iowa........

http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...rt=posts&pp=50

Originally Posted by Banjoman84

It's about 22 inches from hook to handle. 12 1/2 inches of stropping leather, 2 inches wide. The reverse side is white fabric woven in a way that the stitches move in a "V" fashion from either side meeting in the middle and pointing towards the hook at the top. It looks like there's a few nicks on the swede side of the leather. I asked about the oil because I thought it would need it to preserve the strop. Also there are a bunch of ....wrinkles is what I'll call them. Kinda like it's starting to dry out, but I'm not a 100% on that.

Hi Banjoman84,

I started in exactly the same place as you. Unfortunately from my experience, almost everything in that kit from that particular vendor is not up to par as members here expect of serviceable products. Mine came with a Vanderhagen soap, bowl and brush kit aswell which was the only good product in the kit that I found however, mine had the brush swapped out for their own brand badger brush which fell apart...
the razor is not something you should try to tackle as already mentioned. I actually got one shave out of mine but it was not comfortable and dulled to the point of too dull to shave at the end of the shave. the blade was also quite badly warped.

The strop i was also curious about, but I found mine also had those 'wrinkles' which is the result of packaging and the strop being folded over. This was not good for stropping on as the crease in the leather would not come out.
I recommend just getting a new strop from one of the many great vendors online. You can find them by searching through the forum here.
A great inexpensive strop can be found at Whipped Dog Straight Razor Shaving Equipment , the poor man strop kit is a cheap and quality strop

+1 to the whippeddog kit.

There were a few straight razor users in Iowa City a couple of years ago, but I don't know if they're still around. I was back there a few weeks ago, and the Soap Opera on the ped mall still has a few soaps and brushes. Kinda on the pricey side, though. No strops any more. I bought my Illinois strop there, about ten years ago.

There's a fellow up in Decorah, bkratchmer or something close to that, who used to be quite active here.

Best wishes to you. If I still lived in the area I'd invite you over and you could try out some blades. You still could, but it's about a 15-hour drive.

+1 to the whipped dog kit.