Thread: reconditioning old stops

Hi all,

I haven't been around for a while. I've been busy with strops and decided to post here to throw some stuff out to the audience.

I recently gave away a perfectly functioning, reconditioned old Sears and Roebuck strop with a beutiful reddish sheen to it - why I did this I have no idea.

So I started hunting around e-bay and wound up buying 5 separate strops (my wife then told me to stop). All of them were old, hanging, horsehide strops. None of them have a handle for gripping hold of at the end, since I don't hold with that kind of fancy gadgetry.

Some of them had linen strops attached to them. Controversially, I decided that linen is a real pain and adds no value whatsoever, so I removed them (I have them hanging in my cupboard in case someone changes my mind). Not sure how the rest of the audience feels about linen, and about that elusive lime-type coating that it displays. I'm not sure I buy the theory behind it. Having said that, the theory I heard was that it cleans and warms the steel before stropping on the leather.

So what I was primarily interested in was the leather.

One of the strops was a Sears and Roebuck. It's quite a dark strop, and I'm almost certain that it's never been used, apart from one or two strokes maybe. With that in mind, it didn't need any serious work. I worked in strop dressing with my fingers and then a bottle and it seems perfectly workable, although it doesn't have the same gleam as my old one. Does years of stropping 'polish' a strop and give it that gleam?

Two of the strops were Russian reds. One of them, it turned out, had a deep cut right in the centre, which someone had glued together. I pumiced right into that cut to determine the depth. I was outraged, but I guess one in five isn't so bad. That one is a goner.

The second Russian red came up beautifully. I had to pumice it down a bit. For this, I coated it with a thick lather (Trumpers), let is soak in for a few minutes, then pumiced it down. The lather disappears as you work it over the pumice. Most of it was done gently, but there were a few nicks at the side where I had to go slightly deeper to smooth over the edges. Then I worked it over with the strop dressing and the bottle. It's come up beautifully. Although the nicks are still visible, there's no feel for them at all when stropping. The strop also hangs completely straight.

The next one was a very dark, almost black strop (brand: High Flyer). Again, same technique as with the Russian red: pumice followed by working it over with the bottle and strop paste. It came up really well, although it's not hanging completely straight, since the idiot who sent it to me in the post had folded it (but very loosely, thank God) in two places. I'm hoping these slight curvatures will straighten out in time and with stropping. The leather at the folds hasn't been broken or cracked. Anyone with any experience in this matter?

The last one was a smaller strop (brand: Pumble) that had really been through the wars. There were scratch marks all over it, and I didn't think I'd be able to use it when it arrived. I had to go pretty heavy on the pumice with that one. But when I worked it over with the strop dressing and bottle, I was amazed: the surface is now really smooth and there's not a mark to be seen on it. The only defect on this one is that the leather is slightly distorted on this one - there's a curvature to the side (as if it had been worn as a belt). I don't find this affected the stropping at all (but interested to know what others think). At any rate, I gave this one to my Karate teacher, just to be on the safe side.

So now, I'm left with three great-looking strops on my wall. I'm still working myself back and forth between them, trying to decide which one I like best.

One of the most intriguing questions for me is how old they are. I'm wondering if there's anyone out there with experience in dating strops?

Also wondering why there seem to be so many nicks along the right-hand side of old strops. Also interested in anyone else's experience with working up old leather. I didn't use mink oil in the end - just stuck with the strop dressing.

Any comments welcome.

PS - I'll try to post some images of the strops once I figure out how to work my wife's digital camera.

thanks - anders

To address why there's nicks along the right-hand side... :P
Newbies. Me. Right here. Back before I really learned anything I had some pretty bad habits. Stropping was new to me and being right handed I often had the blade turned the wrong way once every so many laps. SLICE! Nicks on the right-hand side.

When I was still nicking my strop, all of them came on the right side. On a good note, none of them were really deep, but since most of us are right-handed, the right side of the strop gets WAY more traffic.
What you did is very inspiring though. I'll scour the local antique markets and see if I can pick up a resto project. It would be nice to have a practice piece before I fix the rookie mistakes made on my TM piece.

Anders, I'm really interested in the process of reconditioning old leather strops. I have three that belonged to my Grandfather, perhaps my Great Grandfather. I've had them for years just hanging in a closet. I use one every now and then to put the final edge on a knife, more than likely good cause for stoning, perhaps even a hanging offence.
What kind of pumice is used? I've seen pumice blocks, or is a grainular pumice better? What is used for strop dressing and where do you find strop dressing?

Originally Posted by Zerco_1

...Some of them had linen strops attached to them. Controversially, I decided that linen is a real pain and adds no value whatsoever, so I removed them (I have them hanging in my cupboard in case someone changes my mind). Not sure how the rest of the audience feels about linen, and about that elusive lime-type coating that it displays. I'm not sure I buy the theory behind it. Having said that, the theory I heard was that it cleans and warms the steel before stropping on the leather...

thanks - anders

This may be slightly off topic, but I find this difference of opinion about the linen a bit interesting. Either the linen is necessary, or it isn't. I don't see how it could be both (sometimes necessary, sometimes not?). One question is, why would strop makers have ever bothered to produce linen strops without some good reason? I've found the linen strop to be very usefull, if not entirely necessary, for optimum razor preparation before shaving. But why would this be so for me, and not for others? My best guess would be a difference in technique. If one doesn't fully appreciate, or hasn't experienced, the benefit of the linen strop, due to not knowing how or why, it would be easier to assume that using the linen is mostly worthless or, at best, unnecessary. I would suggest not giving up on the linen strop quite yet.
Now whether or not the linen is a real pain? Well, it is one more thing to learn and maintain, so you may have something there...

Scott

Hi John,

The strop dressing is Fromm strop dressing. You should be able to get it at either of these two links:

http://www.k9clippers.com/fromstropdre.html
http://www.razorstrop.com/#dressing

Alternatively, you could probably use mink oil or Neatsfoot oil (pure neatsfoot oil, not a compound containing petroleum).

I don't think it particularly matters what kind of pumice stone you use. A flat one might be a good idea, but it depends on your technique. I advise against using sandpaper, since I've heard reports of it ruining strops (tiny grains of sand can transfer themselves from the sandpaper to the strop, which can be difficult to remove - these grains can play hell with a razor)

Make sure the old bottle you use is completely clean - no glue residue from the label.

Reconditioning your grandfather's old strop sounds like a worthwhile project, but what I might do in your position is purchase an old strop on e-bay first (there are many of them and they won't cost you that much). Then go to work on that one first before you turn your hand to something that obviously has emotional importance for you.

Good luck - anders
Good luck - anders

Scott is the real expert here, and I'd like to add my vote for linen...

I always feel I benefit from using the linen (admittedly, different linens do not work equally well for me) and am surprised to hear someone say there's no difference...

Cheers
Ivo

I've found the linen or canvas does make a difference in the final result and I always use them. Classic shaving sells a pumice stone nice and flat and designed just for the task.

Usually if I get an old strop and if it takes more than some light pumice work and cleaning and conditioning it just ain't worth the work because there are so many vintage strops out there for very reasonable prices. I guess its similar to how much work your willing to put in to a vintage blade before you throw in the towel.

Great information and advise. Thanks.