Thread: Strop maintenance question, please

Hi,
I have a quality Dovo strop--linen on one side, leather on the other.
The only thing I do is treat the leather periodically with mink oil--it keeps the leather soft and offers consistent resistance on the blade when stropping. I washed the linen side once and reapplied a tube of white paste. All is working well.
My question is, do I need to do more to keep this strop working well for years to come?
I was told awhile back to rub a dry pumice stone on the leather periodically. Should I be doing this?
Thanks for your help.
Ron

You need to do no more only use a dry pumice stone to smooth unwanted nicks and cuts on the leather. I condition my strop maybe twice a year at most.

You would only need to pumice the strop if there was uneven texture to the surface or if the leather was extremely dirty. Pumice is also used in the conditioning of a strop in conjuction with lather.
I would also hold back on the mink oil and get to rubbing with a sweaty palm instead, you get a better result imo. You cant beat the look and feel of a strop that has aged with use and rubbing with the palm.

PuFF

The pumice stone is used more on Russian or cowhide strops to remove the outer nap and develop a smooth surface. Hand finish daily until well broken in.

Another method is to use stiff lather rubbed into the strop with a smooth glass bottle or the palm of your hand and always wait 24 hours before applications of lather or dressing.

A quality horsehide strop taken from the rump area of the horse will come to you very smooth and need little if any breaking in.