strop mold!

[jake]

last fall, i moved to the mountains outside of taipei, about 100 miles north of the tropics. before i moved, i kept my strops in the bedroom and never had a problem. but now that i live in this new place, i've had never-ending problems with mold on my strops. my regular-use tony miller strop is fine, but the three other strops (dovo wide, pasted dovo regular, and 2" dovo best russian) generate mold like nobody's business, usually within two weeks if left untouched.

for what it's worth, none of the other leather stuff (shoes, belts, bags) in our house has had problems... and as far as cleaning the strops, i rub tom's of maine shaving paste into the strop and then wipe down with a clean dry rag, followed one day later with strop paste.

first question: has anyone else had similar problems, and if so how did you solve them?

second question: since i use the 2" best russian least of all, it's got the worst mold problem. at which point would the strop be considered a lost cause? it's a shame to think of having to toss it even if i hardly use it anymore.

thanks,
jake pollock
taipei, taiwan

[icedog]

last fall, i moved to the mountains outside of taipei, about 100 miles north of the tropics. before i moved, i kept my strops in the bedroom and never had a problem. but now that i live in this new place, i've had never-ending problems with mold on my strops. my regular-use tony miller strop is fine, but the three other strops (dovo wide, pasted dovo regular, and 2" dovo best russian) generate mold like nobody's business, usually within two weeks if left untouched.

for what it's worth, none of the other leather stuff (shoes, belts, bags) in our house has had problems... and as far as cleaning the strops, i rub tom's of maine shaving paste into the strop and then wipe down with a clean dry rag, followed one day later with strop paste.

first question: has anyone else had similar problems, and if so how did you solve them?

second question: since i use the 2" best russian least of all, it's got the worst mold problem. at which point would the strop be considered a lost cause? it's a shame to think of having to toss it even if i hardly use it anymore.

thanks,
jake pollock
taipei, taiwan

Just to be clear, your strops are not "generating" mold. The leather is actually hosting the mold. Molds thrive in warm, humid climates. The mold spores live in, on and off or the leather. Then when you rub the Tom's of Maine into the leather, you are feeding the mold even more. This may be why the least used strop is also the least moldy. My immediate thoughts are that anything that will kill the mold will also damage the leather. For example, if you were to saturate the strop with chlorine bleach or leave it out in the sunshine or boil it or bake it. However I will do some research. Also I am certain the members here will have some brilliant solutions from which we can both learn.

Brad

[jake]

brad,

thanks for the reply. just to be clear, it's the least used strop that has the worst mold problem. in the past, i've wiped the moldy strops clean with a dry rag and then cleaned them as normal. don't know if i waited longer to clean/treat the strops if that would have any impact. either way, i look forward to any input anyone can provide!

jake

[icedog]

brad,

thanks for the reply. just to be clear, it's the least used strop that has the worst mold problem. in the past, i've wiped the moldy strops clean with a dry rag and then cleaned them as normal. don't know if i waited longer to clean/treat the strops if that would have any impact. either way, i look forward to any input anyone can provide!

jake

I'm sorry Jake. I misread the original message. Be that as it may, in order to control mold one has to control moisture. Moving warm, dry air past your strops will keep mold from growing. I realize in a sub-tropic climate the last thing you want is to run a heater but that is the simplest solution. There are other solutions. I did some internet searches and found some interesting ideas:

• These folks tell you you can kill the mold with a dilute alcohol solution. However they are specific that the leather be "finished". I think TM will comment on weather his strops can tolerate this: http://www.advleather.com/
• "For the control of pests, the National Forest Service, utilizes a freezing process (Conserve a Gram). Freezing should not be undertaken on a regular basis but only when pests are present. Dry articles made of leather, wood, textiles and paper are suitable materials. Freezing can be accomplished in an ordinary freezer (but not self-defrosting) as long as the temperature remains would be stable at less than -20°C. Two freezing cycles are conducted separated by a warming period. Provided that the appropriate steps are taken to prevent the presence of moisture, this approach seems safe and effective." Read the entiredocument here: http://www.ccmlnet.org/Pests.html
• Here is an interesting forum of horseback riders that have the same issue: http://www.dailyequine.com/forums/to...?TOPIC_ID=3821
• Great paper on molds (moulds) and how they affect leather: http://www.tantec.co.nz/fungi.htm
• From the University of Missouri: http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/...28.htm#Special
• Another interesting paper. They are all beginning to sound the same, control moisture: http://www.chicora.org/mold.htm

No, I don't have anything better to do, not for another three hours

Later Gator,

Brad

[Tony Miller]

I think the strop you have from me is probably a Latigo model and the oils and waxes filling the pores are not allowing the mold to be hosted on it. The Dovo types are untreated leather and quite porous absorbing moisture and airborne spores.

Bleac is pretty strop stuff and I would not suggest it on one of mine, but on any strop if it looks like a lost cause at this point it would not be a great loss to try it.

Tony

[honedright]

How about a light spray of something like household Lysol?



Scott

[nun2sharp]

How about a regular cleaning with saddle soap, and then some kind of leather conditioner and preservative?

[Utopian]

So you have a Tony Miller strop that you use regularly and three others that you don't use regularly and you want to know what will get rid of the mold on the three other strops?

eBay!!!



I agree with the saddle soap and conditioner route. A thorough cleaning will remove some of the mold spores and, as Tony pointed out, the oils in the strop reduce the retention of the water needed for the mold to grow. Also, a few hours in the sun is good for killing off mold.