Thread: Black strop smudges the razor

My black latigo strop tends to smudge my razor spines with a black stain. I did give this strop a treatment with lather twice (it was recommended by some users here), and I have also used a non-abrasive oily paste. It is nice to the touch and performs pretty well, but is there a way to stop the black smudging?

I used to get that on a black strop. It wipes off easy enough, so I never worried about it.

Most strops do that when they are new and then it stops by itself.

I have a strop like that and I can oil my razor while I strop. The good news is it has gotten a little better over time.

That is the nature of Latigo, it is stuffed with Oils and waxes. You can polish it with a piece of brown paper, inside of a paper shopping bag, wrapped around a small, block of wood.

Brown paper is a bit abrasive. It can take a while for latigo to stop releasing wax and oil. As said it will wipe off with a tissue or towel.

Happens to me too. It does slowly get better over time. I cleaned my strop once with naptha and it helped a little but hasn't completely gone away. Doesn't hurt a thing, as the others have said wipe it off and carry on.