Thread: Is Your Strop Dry or Dirty?

Here are the instructions that came with my kanoyama.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Here are the instructions that came with my kanoyama.

Kanoyama .......... what do they know ? ................

I have cases for my strops so dust is not an issue. Now and then a rub with a wet sponge just for GPs. I've never had to clean a strop but if I did I'd use some Bick leather cleaner or some leatherique.

I don't know why I just noticed this thread, but great stuff here.

Some cautions though, 409 contains, or did contain in the past, hydrochloric acid. Read the labels before putting anything on your strop! I would not use anything containg HCL on a strop.

I used to rub the strop with my palm, but truly I think hand oil is 'dirty', containing salt, dust, the remnants of food preparation and eating (yum!) etc. So now I rarely rub the strop with my palm, though I do not doubt over time that may smooth or polish the leather - rather I use a tiny bit of Dovo yellow strop goop when I feel the strop needs it.

Iwasaki-San's paper contains much useful information about strop maintenance and it's worth a read.

My regimen is nothing whatsoever on the strop. If I feel it's accumulating more swarf than I want, the I clean it with a microfiber cloth and water, then when dry, I polish the leather with a soft jnat nagura.

If I feel it needs something, then I make sure the strop is uniformly moistened and apply a tiny amount of Dovo strop paste fore and aft. I have also used multiple light applications of Ballistol (mineral oil) on old strops, working it in and flexing the leather at every application with success.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by Steve56

I don't know why I just noticed this thread, but great stuff here.

Some cautions though, 409 contains, or did contain in the past, hydrochloric acid. Read the labels before putting anything on your strop! I would not use anything containg HCL on a strop.

I used to rub the strop with my palm, but truly I think hand oil is 'dirty', containing salt, dust, the remnants of food preparation and eating (yum!) etc. So now I rarely rub the strop with my palm, though I do not doubt over time that may smooth or polish the leather - rather I use a tiny bit of Dovo yellow strop goop when I feel the strop needs it.

Iwasaki-San's paper contains much useful information about strop maintenance and it's worth a read.

My regimen is nothing whatsoever on the strop. If I feel it's accumulating more swarf than I want, the I clean it with a microfiber cloth and water, then when dry, I polish the leather with a soft jnat nagura.

If I feel it needs something, then I make sure the strop is uniformly moistened and apply a tiny amount of Dovo strop paste fore and aft. I have also used multiple light applications of Ballistol (mineral oil) on old strops, working it in and flexing the leather at every application with success.

Cheers, Steve

In the old days barbers maintained their strops by using their palms. Yea, palm oil contains all kinds of bodily waste products but barbers used the same strops for many many years. They probably used the same couple their entire careers.

I'm old enough to remember going to a barber while they still gave straight shaves and used a straight for trimming after a haircut and I remember them stropping before each use and those strops were so slick you could practically see your reflection in them and they were also almost black from the palm oil over the years.

That's good enough for me.

My strops only see the palm of my hand before and after shaving, I have one beater with a pasted linen that has been treated with Fromm dressing but I would never think to add this to my Kanayama or Spanish or English Bridle strops, I added it to an oil tanned strop one time and the draw became so heavy it was almost unusable and what I added was very little, what I have done once or twice over the last few years was after shaving I rinse my brush as most do and then apply my WH and splash and the very last thing I did was palm rubbed my strop before putting my razor to it before putting it away, I am sure some of the oils that are in the WH and splash along with the soap were on my hands and transferred to the strop, I am sure it's not that much oil but enough and I figure if I do this once or twice a year it will keep my strops is perfect shape for years to come.

The thread being about dry strops, Euclid440 refers to applications of water to open pores to accept conditioners/oils.

I see this working great on some old ones. Works well!

On the back side, a damp microfiber followed by Mink oil 20 mins later is going great. Every few days..