Thread: Old linen

I recently found a strop that belonged to my dear old granddad and have started to restore it. Luckily the strop had been stored hanging so it is already very flat. Aside from freshening it up with a pumice stone and neatsfoot oil, the leather didn't require much work and turned out very nice

The linen is a different story. It seems to be only slightly dirty, but it is very stiff. Almost like a freshly starched pair of blue jeans from the cleaners. I've never used a linen strop before but I'm assuming from various pictures that it should be soft and flexible. So far all I've done is wash it in soapy water and scrub with a brush which took some of the dirt out but had no effect on the stiffness. The texture of the linen is very smooth, but again I've never used a new linen so there's nothing to compare it to. I'm assuming that I would not want to use a razor on the linen in this condition. I've already considered replacing it with a new piece but for sentimental value I would like it be original. Any ideas?

-Robert

Don't replace it yet. I had several that needed freshining. I soaked them in a 10% bleach mix and some Dawn detergent. Brushed out the dirt, rinsed and dried it. it was quite stiff. I used the handle of a butter knife to work the strop and it softened nicely. I have several linen strops one is very supple and one is still a bit stiff. It looks like a 1 1/2 inch fire hose flatened. nevertheless. Just work with them.

All of my strops have stiff linen and they work fine, all the easier to keep taut.Many times they are also impregnated with an abrasive as well as being a thick material.Dont worry about it.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

All of my strops have stiff linen and they work fine, all the easier to keep taut.Many times they are also impregnated with an abrasive as well as being a thick material.Dont worry about it.

+1. All of my vintage linen sides are firm burr removers. MikeB

Another +1 on the stiff linen. The firehose in an apt comparison. That is what all of my old linens are like.

I'm with nun2sharp and sdsquarepoint!

Sounds like I get to keep the linen then! I was also hoping to keep the old hardware, which is just the clamp at the top that holds the leather and linen together. It's got a few specks of rust that I was going to sand off and then spray over with some sort of finishing spray...maybe chrome? Anybody ever used any of that stuff or something similar?

-Robert

I've got a dozen old strops, like any normal person, and I just leave the hardware as is unless it's exceedingly grungy or moldy or something like that.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Another +1 on the stiff linen. The firehose in an apt comparison. That is what all of my old linens are like.

I have seen a strop with 2 1/2 " old tubular firehouse linen with the red stripe down the middle. It must have been one of the choices among some in those days. MikeB