Thread: Strop conditioner; whats the difference?

Yeah I gotta go neatsfoot oil here too, after trying just about every thing it is the easiest, cheapest, and I have never found a difference in effectiveness... I put it on an old wash cloth then rub that on the strop, I have never liked putting any oil directly on the strop...

Keep in mind we are talking maybe doing this every 6 months lightly in the worst of conditions.... Even just a hard rub with the heel of yer palm will condition the leather...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Yeah I gotta go neatsfoot oil here too, after trying just about every thing it is the easiest, cheapest, and I have never found a difference in effectiveness... I put it on an old wash cloth then rub that on the strop, I have never liked putting any oil directly on the strop...

Keep in mind we are talking maybe doing this every 6 months lightly in the worst of conditions.... Even just a hard rub with the heel of yer palm will condition the leather...

+1 here. I think the Neatsfoot Oil is the best and easiest to use. Mink Oil is OK, but not quite as penetrating. I think the tendency I have seen with the Dovo treatment is to lay it on way to thick. Don't need much.

Another cool thing is a leather guy recently told me that putting neatsfoot oil on the back side will actually penetrate quicker and be better than the smooth side. I am experimenting with this currently.

Lynn

any tips on application?

Lynn,

i remember you saying something about thid but i didnt catch the conversion. please tell me how that worked.

jason

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I put it on an old wash cloth then rub that on the strop, I have never liked putting any oil directly on the strop...

HUGE +1.

Over the years I've used neatsfoot oil on all sorts of things from saddles to leather hats, although I've yet to put any on my strop. (you don't have to condition strops all that often, and I was out of neatsfoot oil last time)

It can soak in VERY quickly, and if you try to pour it on leather and then rub it around, it can be very hard to get an even application, which would be very important with something like a strop.

I guess it depends on what your leather is like to start with. I dumped and smeared neatsfoot on my home made strops kinda like honey on toast, it soaked in fast, leaving dark patches for a while, but after a couple of applications and a few days, they look nice and even.

I keep my Neatsfoot oil in a spritser that was left after the bathroom cleaner fill ran out I only apply neatsfoot to the back/flesh side of the leather.
Lay the strop back side up on an old tea cloth then spray a light coat over the strop evenly. no rubbing required.
On the working face I use a variety on options depending on the strop being dressed.
One method I like for very textured russian strops is rubbing a bar of saddle soap direct onto the leather. I then buff the strop vigorously with the palm till the suface is matt. Dont over do the saop though.

PuFF