Thread: Strop Paste

Can paste shoe polish be use to condition leather strop?
color paste or neutral

I would somehow find out how gritty the paste was first. I know metal polish can be used to strop with to polish the edge, so shoe polish wouldn't be out of the question... What kind of shoe polish is it? Is there any way you can find manufacturing information on it, mostly with respect to the grit of it? You could always just try putting a bit of the shoe polish on some newspaper, putting the paper on something flat and trying to strop on it. But only do this on a razor that you're willing to experiment with!

Dave

i'm not talking about paste with grit like green chrome oxide
but of pastes to keep leather smooth and supple

No, no, no. If you use shoe polish you will just glaze over your strop and ruin it. If you must condition it use some strop conditioner or some leather conditioner or some neatsfoot oil or even the oil on your hands by working the strop with your hands especially the palm of your hand.

Shoe polish is a wax with some type of solvent to soften it. When applied to shoes the solvent evaporates and leaves the wax for you to shine. It probably would make your strop slick and shiny too - it'll look good, but may not strop all that swell. You'd likely also pick up some wax on your razor from the strop, probably not too good, but maybe not harmful to your face. I think the waxed strop would be counter productive, but I've never tried it, so don't know from personal experience.

More better would be one of the leather conditioners such as Lexol or neatsfoot oil (not compound) - used in small and judicious amounts and not too frequently. Too much too often will turn your strop into an oily mess, yielding an instrument better suited for child discipline.