So, I've just finished cleaning the leather and cloth side of my strop with Goop and Borax. I plan on treating the leather with mineral oil, because I get it for cheap at work. The question is, do I need to treat the cloth side of the strop, or leave it be.

As for the strop it is a vintage 24" Russian Shell that was extremely dirty when I received it.


Oh, and as a second question, the backside of the leather has a checkered/diamond pattern. When I cleaned it there was a brighter almost red residue that came off. Was this possibly rouge, and what is the diamond/checkered side used for.

Thanks for the help in advance.