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  1. #1
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    Default dry strop after saddle soap cleaning

    I've had a tony miller latigo for a while that I use every day. great strop. over a year or two, gunk accumulated on the top 1 cm of the edge I run the point down. Could never figure out exactly what it was or why it only accumulated on one edge of the strop. But it started to affect the evenness of the draw. Last night i cleaned it off the whoe strop with a little saddle soap, and that seems to have worked. However, the leather is now pretty dry, so when I stropped last night it made a scratechy sound the draw wasn't as good usual.

    Do I just need to rub my hands on it for a few weeks, or should I rub it down with some oil to get some moisture back into it? And which oil? neats foot? mineral?

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    Senior Member Tony Miller's Avatar
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    I'm really not a fan of saddle soap, etc.... on my strops as the results can be unpredictable. Maybe an application of Neat's Foot Oil would renew it but I can't promise anything.

    I would try a very light coating. Put a little into the palm of you hand, rub it with the other hand to disperse it a bit then rub the strop with both hands. This method will apply very small amounts evenly where just painting or pouring it on will cause it to sink in unevenly and possibly leaving way too much.

    Tony
    The Heirloom Razor Strop Company / The Well Shaved Gentleman

    https://heirloomrazorstrop.com/

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    thanks tony. It was actually better this morning for some reason, so I may not need the oil, but that's what I'll do if I do need it. And it is nice ot have the stop nice and clean.

    Any idea what the grimy gunk would have been? I'd guess oil from the blades (though I swipe them first), but then why wouldn't the gunk be evenly spread across the strop?

    Also, if you don't favor saddle soap, how would you advise cleaning your strops?

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    Senior Member blabbermouth jnich67's Avatar
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    I could be wrong, but I think the RL leather has waxes and what not added to it. I'm guessing those get pushed around by the stropping and build up in some areas...

    Jordan

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    Quote Originally Posted by jnich67 View Post
    I could be wrong, but I think the RL leather has waxes and what not added to it. I'm guessing those get pushed around by the stropping and build up in some areas...
    this

    Also the reason the dryness has improved is the oils have seeped up from the lower levels of the strop. The saddle soap only really strips the oils from the thin upper layer. After cleaning my strops I use a very small dab of the Fromm strop conditioner while the strop is still damp, which makes it easier to rub it in evenly.

    I use Williams mug soap to clean my strops FWIW. Seems to do a better job than saddle soap, and avoids having another specialty item around the house.

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    Quote Originally Posted by mparker762 View Post
    this

    Also the reason the dryness has improved is the oils have seeped up from the lower levels of the strop. The saddle soap only really strips the oils from the thin upper layer. After cleaning my strops I use a very small dab of the Fromm strop conditioner while the strop is still damp, which makes it easier to rub it in evenly.

    I use Williams mug soap to clean my strops FWIW. Seems to do a better job than saddle soap, and avoids having another specialty item around the house.
    this is fascinating and explains a mystery that has been bugging me for a while. And it gives me something to do with that nasty smelling puck of Williams!

    Thanks!!!!!

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    by the way, if the waxes and dyes are building up on one edge of the strop, does that reveal an infirmity in my stroke? Maybe I'm not X-ing evenly, or putting too much pressure on the point end?

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    Not necessarily but it's possible. If you sweep the blade in an arc instead of straight up and down then this will tend to encourage their migration to the far side of the strop. OTOH if you put more pressure on the side of the strop nearest your wrist then this also cause this.

    I personally have a problem with putting more pressure on the near side of the strop, and long term this is likely to be a problem so it's something I'm working on (short term it just means my tips are sharper than my heels, which is not really so much of a bad thing...). On my Tony Miller horsehide/linen paddle the near side of the canvas shows the most evidence of swarf. Fortunately with a paddle I can just tilt it so the far side is a little higher to help even out the pressure.

    One reason to make sure and re-condition the leather using a very small amount of conditioner is because although the oils will wick around in the strop, it's slow enough that if you wash your strop often enough you'll get a differential in the oil levels between the two sides of the strop that can cause bowing. Reverse problem (cupping) happens if you over-condition the face side of a strop - if the face is soaked with oils then the back side will absorb more humidity than the face and will expand more, and the strop will cup. Also if you're getting cupping without a good reason you might want to look at the back side of your linen, which makes a good oil sponge to wick oils out of the back side of the leather. A lot of vintage strops have major staining on the inside face of the linen from years of contact with the oily leather.
    Last edited by mparker762; 03-23-2009 at 05:00 PM.

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  12. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by mparker762 View Post
    you might want to look at the back side of your linen, which makes a good oil sponge to wick oils out of the back side of the leather. A lot of vintage strops have major staining on the inside face of the linen from years of contact with the oily leather.
    you know, I was just noticing that last night - that my linen side next to the strop was looking awful red........

  13. #10
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    Is it a buildup you are seeing, or is the surface being scuffed? I get scuffing on my strops, as per my other thread.

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