Getting lumps out of the linen on vintage strops

I have a small collection of vintage razor strops. The three vintage strops seen in the photo had linens that looked like a seriously bumpy road. The leather was fine but the lined was not usable.

I took one linen to a dry cleaner and he was afraid of damaging it so he took it and put it on his steam press and gave it a few seconds trying to flatten it. No luck. I put it on the back burner until recently.

Last week I took one of the linens and laid it in a wash bucket filled with water and a couple of capfuls of Woolite. I let the linen soak for an hour or so and then gave it a bit of a scrubbing. I put it on a flat surface and rolled it out with a whisky bottle.

The next day it was dry and flat as a pancake. I did another using the same method with the same results. For the third linen I decided to throw it in the washing machine. I threw it in with some sheets and towels and washed it with warm wash/cold rinse.

It came out alright but not as good as the two washed in the bucket. I rolled it out and it did get to flat with more rolling and finally drying but I recommend the bucket approach if anyone wants to try this. It is the one in the center in the photos.

I should have took pictures before and after rather then just after but I didn't so here they are as a finished product.

Well, FWIW - I have a vintage strop, inherited from my grandfather, and it too has similar "bumps" in the canvas. One large bump right in the "stropping zone." I worried about the bumps and tried different things to remove them: steam ironing, weights, bottle rubbing, pulling, stretching, praying (well, no...)

After several years use the bump is still there. Seemingly lessened, but definitely still there (I can still feel it when running my hand over the strop). And the razor passes right over the bump and still comes out with a very keen edge. Keeping tension on the strop definitely helps.

Scott

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Originally Posted by honedright

After several years use the bump is still there. Seemingly lessened, but definitely still there (I can still feel it when running my hand over the strop). And the razor passes right over the bump and still comes out with a very keen edge. Keeping tension on the strop definitely helps.

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It's like driving on a washboarded road - go fast enough and you hardly feel the bumps :D

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Originally Posted by mparker762

It's like driving on a washboarded road - go fast enough and you hardly feel the bumps :D

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I just couldn't get comfortable with that. It might not hurt the edge at all but I wouldn't want to take the chance. Now that I know that the lumps are easily taken out I will do that with any vintage strop I get. OTOH, I think I am done with getting vintage strops. :rolleyes:

Thanks for this tip Jimmy. I'll keep this in mids along with the hard soap rub. Like you I think I am done with vintage strops for a while, especially after today's antique shop run! CarrieM made a great find in the last place we stopped. Be careful of what you go looking for, you may find it and buy it/them. :w

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Originally Posted by Joed

- Be careful of what you go looking for, you may find it and buy it/them. :w

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Ain't that the truth.:nj

jimmy id take them and give them a good washing with dawn dishwashing liquid detergent usinf a small scrubbrush, after a thourough rinsing in cold water id towel them off some and use an iron to get out the bumps then let them dry thr rest of the way

I had an old linen that would not play ball so I took the drastic action of heavily starching it with a good hot iron pressing. It came out like new and with the application of dovo white to it, is one of my fave linens now.

PuFF