Advise needed refurbishing an old strop.
I snagged a really old strop on ebay.
The leather was a little stiff, but the surface is good. A little saddle soap and neatsfoot oil has done wonders, lost all the gold leaf in the process though.:(
I de-rusted the swivel hardware and a couple treatments with Birchwood Casey Plum Browning should prevent problems in the future.
The fly in the ointment is the cloth strap ("Imported Scotch Linen, Heavy 3-Ply"). Even after a soaking and scrubbing with laundry detergent and water it was like a wavy piece of plywood. I soaked it again and ironed it flat, it's now like a perfectly flat piece of plywood.
Any ideas on how make the linen more pliable would be greatly appreciated.