Thread: Question on Strop Maintenance/ Breaking It In

When I bought my strop I also bought a small tube of dressing or paste or what have you (no label, just a yellow stripe on it. Every now and again I rub a little onto my fingers and then massage it into the strop surface. I forget where I read it, but I am of the understanding that it was a sort of oil to treat the leather.

Anyway, after having used this strop for a while, the leather has become very smooth, almost burnished.

Is this the way it's supposed to be, or am I mistreating the strop? Or has my strop become "broken in?"

I don't really notice any difference in sharpness or anything, I'm just wondering. I mean, it didn't come with instructions or anything, you know?

After using a strop for a while you will notice it gets kind of polished or glazed and that's normal. It doesn't affect stropping or draw. I don't think using the oil changes that it just keeps it supple in case it starts to get a tad on the dry side.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

After using a strop for a while you will notice it gets kind of polished or glazed and that's normal. It doesn't affect stropping or draw. I don't think using the oil changes that it just keeps it supple in case it starts to get a tad on the dry side.

Excellent! Thank you. That answers my question perfectly.