Thread: Mink Oil Questions

Some forum members recommend mink oil as a strop dressing. I recently picked up a vintage strop in excellent condition that needs some conditioning. I was wondering if this is what they used back in the day? And keeping with the vintage vibe should I used 100% mink oil (liquid) or the cheap cut stuff (cut with bee's wax, and sometimes pine pitch in a paste).

Mink oil will work very well on its own, just give it a few days to soak in and dry properly. it's oily.

X

Cool! Should I get the 100% liquid in the bottle? Or the cut lower % paste stuff in the can?

I have been using the paste in the little round canister and it works fine. Really rub it in though.

Lynn

I just bought a shoe -polish size can of mink oil. It's far and away the best stuff I've used on my strop. I hand-rubbed a generous quantity of it on the strop and removed the excess and let it dry overnight. By the next morning it provided a smooth and consistent drag or resistance for the blade. Cheap, too. The can should last a very long time.

Good deal. I was doing some research on it and wanted to get your opinions on it and what would work the best. What I'm getting is that mink oil replaced whale oil for waterproofing and conditioning leather. There's a natural chemical in both that is what is sought.

I'm going out on a limb here but do you think they used whale oil to dress strops back in the day (I would guess yes)? Then turned to mink oil when that well went dry? Now you have the cut stuff (not pure) because pure mink oil is getting crazy expensive. Would this have an effect on the blade (more passes, duller blade, need for different leathers, etc.)?

I have been using it really makes the leather soft,worse thing for leather is hot dry weather

yep that's what I use,really great without a big price