Thread: Feather "Self Strop" DE Razor

I bought this Feather "Self Strop" DE razor at an antique market -- $36 seemed like a fair price. I've never seen one of these before.

The original instructions (in Japanese), the strop, and some original blades were included in a nice bakelite box. The plating is worn away in some places -- this razor was _used_.

I tried putting in a modern DE blade -- no go! The razor was designed for blades just a little bit narrower (side-to-side, not edge-to-edge) than "current production". So I'm not going to be shaving with it.

By chance, there's a listing of one of these razors in mint condition on eBay (now removed from bidding):

Item number: 110657036482

I have a few questions for the group:

1. How can I treat the strop so it doesn't fall apart when I remove it from its case? It's all rolled up, and has probably been rolled up for many years.

2. If I _could_ get blades (or modify blades) to fit it, how would it shave?

3. If anyone is interested in translating the instructions into English, I can supply photos.

Thanks --

Charles