Thread: Dubl Duck Seal Skin Strop

Any way to clean up the linen without damaging it?

I used a stiff nylon brush and warm water... but mine had a lot of strange, waxy gunk on it. You could probably soak it in dish soap and water then rinse. If nothing else it would probably regains some pliability.

Anyone ever tried the washing machine with a bit of detergent? Not sure how they hold up or if they fluff up etc

Nice ! How does the surface feel to the touch, and what method are you going to use to condition it ? I know barbers of yesteryear would use lather and roll it out with a bottle. There is an old thread on reconditioning strops with lather here. http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...ing-strop.html Seems to be some disagreement on whether it is good for the strop though.

I use a dab of Fromm strop dressing on my hand and rub the strop down, crease on the back of the leather had a crack forming so applied some rubber glue to keep it from getting worse, but otherwise the strop is perfect. You can also apply a drop or two of neatsfoot oil for conditioning a strop.

I have 2 strops that look quite similar and are my favorites. Love the shell. Trying to press a "warp" out of one now.

I used a brush and soapy water to clean up the canvas, let it hang dry and it's great. Gentle cycle in a machine might not kill it, but i'd do it by hand.

I'm plan to punch holes and swap ends with the hardware to even out wear on 'em. And probably add d-rings later or sooner. (chicago screws, holes, thin leather, d-rings, easy)

good buy.

I've got a number of vintage strops. Most in real nice condition but the linens needed cleaned and had gotten lumpy. I washed them in a bucket of cold water with Woolite and laid them out flat to dry. They came out real nice. I did wash one in the machine with a load of laundry and it came out just fine as well. The old linens were of a heavier texture and weight than the current linen IME.

I actually like the current linen better though. I have one dubl duck 53 that is sort of rough feeling as far as the leather is concerned. I've used a leather softener/preservative on it and it seems to work fine. Old strops on old razors are cool.

I used to have a seal skin strop. If it's real seal skin it has a very different feel to it than cowhide or horse. Usually sealskin strops are black.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I used to have a seal skin strop. If it's real seal skin it has a very different feel to it than cowhide or horse. Usually sealskin strops are black.

Makes sense, hadnt really thought about that.

Here's mine for comparison:

The only words under the Alaskan Seal logo are "Trade Mark Reg US Pat. Off. / Hand Made"




When I did a couple coats of lather, there was a lot of brown darkening in the soap. Can't tell if the strop is just really dirty or if their is dye coming out of it. Either way the strop side is pretty smooth, no nicks or cuts. The back side is starting to crack a little on the edges from being dry (I think). No draw to this leather yet.