Is this strop usable, or restoreable?
Hi, I'm brand new to straights and stropping. I wanted to buy an inexpensive vintage strop off eBay for practice and restoration, in addition to the good TM strop I already own. So I picked up this one for $25.
It's an old Illinois "Imperial Russia" type, with the rough surface. Overall, it's in good shape, but it has a really rough patch in the lower end, and some scratches in it, like a kid got hold of it with a knife. You can see what I'm talking about in the pictures below, especially in the 2nd picture. The 4th picture is of the reverse side of the strop, it has interesting lines machined in it, I suppose to make it more flexible. The linen is in perfect shape, and has been used a bunch.
Is this usable as-is? It actually looks far worse than it feels, as the entire strop has a certain suede-like nap to it. Would I need to use a pumice to smooth or even this out? Or is it just a nice conversation piece to hang on a wall?
Thanks for any insights or advice.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j2...op/Strop01.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j2...op/Strop02.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j2...op/Strop03.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j2...op/Strop04.jpg