Thread: Concave Strop

Hi, I have a 2-strop setup (honing & polishing pastes) and I've recently noticed that my polishing strop is concave down the long axis. I.e. If I look down it's length, it looks like this:

<--Width-->
----___----

This has made me alter my stropping style so that the full length of the edge of the blade meets the edge of the strop.

My question (at last!) is this: Is it possible to fix this strop in order for the edge of the blade to be fully in contact with the entire strop for the full range of motion, or is it better to simply junk this one and get a better one?

Much thanks in advance for the assistance.

Martin.

Put some hot water in a bottle and roll it down the strop.

Originally Posted by ernestrome

Put some hot water in a bottle and roll it down the strop.

Thanks. I'll give that a try just as soon as I've finished moving house.

Martin.

Wow interesting you just asked this my strop I just noticed did this.. I think ill end up throwin it out anyway man.. it was my good strop to.. Thanks for the info!

That is a terrible waste travis. Send it to me and i will try to fix it and pass it on to a newb.

I've had this happen, as well, and wondered if it could have been caused from the shower. My shower does a good job of steaming the bathroom up, which I would think has some effect on the leather. To give you an idea of how bad it gets, I've got three 1/2-inch think candles on a shelf in there that all now droop like a weeping willows. Since mine was eBay special anyway, I soaked the leather and dried it flat over a week or so with a cloth and telephone book over it. It seems rather flat now, though my TM strop came in before the drying process completed so I've yet to actually try using it.

One can simply strop in an X-pattern, with no loss in performance.

The steamy conditions in many bathrooms are a quick path to a cupped strop. My red latigo are pretty resistant to this, the honey brown slightly kless so but both seem to be easily renewed.

I had several brand new Jemico strops I bought as samples to decide if I wanted to carry them. Nice delicate, but classic looking strops. All three cupped within one week of hanging in my bathroom and were a bear to flatten again.

My own strops, a red latigo, a honey brown, two different naturals (soon to be released as beginner versions) and a horsehide all have remained flat after almost a year for some.

Try flexing it opposite the cup with your hand, up and down it entire length. I then usually rub them shoe shine/buffing style (smooth side out) over a wooden pole to stretch and flex them back to flat. This works well on any strips I have had that showed signs of cupping before finishing a strop fropm them.

Tony

Originally Posted by Tony Miller

....rub them shoe shine/buffing style (smooth side out) over a wooden pole...Tony

Okay.....so I'm standing naked in my bathroom, strop in hand.....










....what should I use for the 'wooden pole'???









......n-a-a-a-a-a-h ! ! !


-whatever

-Lou

Originally Posted by scarface

Okay.....so I'm standing naked in my bathroom, strop in hand.....
-Lou

Another one subscribing to the Rich school of shaving <g>.

(Rich is one of our naked shaving proponents)

Tony