Wrinkled strop

I think I have ruined a strop but would like your advice. It is one of Tony's that I keep at my parents' house and use very occasionally. When I came back for Chrimbo I noticed it was very stiff and made a scratching sound when I was stropping and didn't seem to work as well as it's more regularly used and more flexible brother.

In my eagerness to rectify it I rolled it quite tightly and have now consequently made it very wrinkled. It does not seem to be working at all well.

I'd appreciate anyone letting me know if it is repairable or should I consign this one to a painful lesson?

you could try rubbing it with neatsfoot oil or saddlesoap. That may help remove the wrinkles and soften it up a bit. After it has soaked up the oil and dried, treat it like you would usually. But, I am new here. Used both on saddles as a kid for similar problems, dry/cracked/wrinkled leather.

The old barber manuals used to recommend breaking in a strop by rubbing lather into it and then rolling a bottle over it many times. I don't know if this would be effective or not. You might try PMing Tony Miller and asking him. :shrug: If you go the neatsfoot oil route be careful not to overdo it.

The stiffness is likely from non-use and this is where a brisk rubbing with the hand would warm and soften it again. the scratchy sound is likely dirt and dust on the surface, again from sitting unused. I always keep mine hanging and do rub each with the hands before use to wipe the surface clean. if the rubbing didn't bring it back to life rubbing Neat's Foot Oil onto the palms of the hands and then rubbing the strop would work.

The Latigo leather is actually quite stiff and hard when cut from the hide and I do quite a bit of proprietary "breaking in" steps on each piece before it is made into a strop and again on the finished item before packing. Sitting unused for months can cause the leather to harden again.


The rolling tightly.....that may be where you killed it. Rolling tightly with the smooth side out will stretch the skin and if hard may actually create very fine micro-tears in the surface, rolling skin side in will instantly buckle the surface skin and that can never be fully corrected. Neat's Foot Oil and the bottle rolling may help but once an actual bump forms in the skin it is done.

I ship my strops rolled into about a 9" circle, skin side out and this is fine for the week or so of transit time but I would not leave on that way over time. Skin side in, rolled into a 9" circle may be okay but it depends on just how supple the leather feels.
If you have ever seen the website photos of my Dual leather strops neatly doubled over to display both sides do realize even that few minutes for the photo will ruin the leather skin and I typically use a waste piece for all of the catalog shots for this reason.

Never, ever roll a strop skin side in and always rub with the hands before using to clean the surface of dust and grit.

Tony

Whenever I have encountered a stiff strop, I have found that the neatsfoot oil really does work the best. I like to rub in a moderate amount at first and let it soak in for a day. Then a little less the second day and a very little the third day. The hand rubbing, I find, is essential and I like to rub the strop until my palm feels warm. On one that has been rolled as described, I would recommend laying it flat after each application and you can even put a towell over it and lay some books on top the help keep it flat. I would then recommend a 2 1/2 lb little round weight if you have one to anchor it while hanging for a couple days. Keep up the hand rubbing as this is great maintenance for all leather strops no matter who makes them. I also give a nice palm rub to mine prior to daily stropping.

Have fun,

Lynn

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Originally Posted by Tony Miller

rolling skin side in will instantly buckle the surface skin and that can never be fully corrected. Neat's Foot Oil and the bottle rolling may help but once an actual bump forms in the skin it is done.

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Ooops, looks like it's a goner! Well as I said, I suspected it would be a painful lesson. After over a year of using straights I thought the learning process was more or less over and I certainly thought mistakes had become a thing of the past.

Tony, thank you very much for such a thorough reply which was thoughtful and helpful. I appreciate it would have taken some time so I am obliged. Great also to see other members found this beneficial.

I have another strop of yours to keep me going for now, but when finances permit I will be a returning customer of yours.