Thread: I got a linen really clean. Now it has no wax. What do I do?

I bought a great new-oldstock horsehide IRS strop. When I say new-oldstock I mean unused, but had been hanging around here or there for years. It's in great shape the but linen side was as heavy and thick as lacquored canvas.

I cleaned it up really good by soaking in a sauce pan of hot water, and placing the saucepan in the oven at 170 degrees F, the lowest my oven would go. I'd soak it for 30 min then take a fine bristled nylon brush to it with some laundry detergent, then repeat. I did this probably 8 times. Near the end I soaked it in some thin bleach water for about a minute, then rinsed that out. I did this to get out some water stains.

Now it's as clean as a cotton belt and a bit limp. There is absolutely no trace of wax on it. It looks great but I'm sure I have to put some wax back on it or something. In the other thread ED Simon from IRS was quoted as saying there was beeswax or parafin on the linen.

"According to Ed Simon (Fromm Intl. / Illinois Razor Strop Co.) it's either beeswax or parafin. Apparently IRS used to make strops for Dubl Duck."

Now what do I do? buy beeswax? how do I apply it?

help

Well you'll have to give this some thought and experimentation, especially at your level of understanding the "art". What I would do at this point is to use the linen as is and see how it works. Second, failing that, I have rubbed some candle wax into my linen to act as the "parafin". Litterally just rubbed a candle sideways into the taught and stretched linen. The function of the linen isn't so fine in the polishing of the edge that only beeswax would suffice. And to be honest I'd apply the candle rubbing rather sparingly 4-6 strokes. I'm sure you'll get other ideas.

I apply the beeswax when protecting wood by heating it with hot air.

Take the beeswax lump, and rub on the strop until thin layer is formed, 5 or so times up and down will do.
Than, take a regular hair dryer, and apply heat at the strop until wax melts. Do this slowly and gradually on the strop's entire length...

Nenad

And whatever you do, don't use a heat gun, unless you like your linen crispy. Ironing should do it, as long as you clean the iron by going over a couple of sheets of paper afterwards.

Here's my thought. This comes after doing some recent searching through the U.S. Patent and Trademark archives. I was searching "razor strop" and found patents for a bunch of ideas. I came across one that mentions the "common" use of wax on canvas strops and how it was applied. Basically the wax was melted, poured onto the strop and then ironed in with some sort of protective, absorbent layer between the strop and the ironing device. You have to be carefull when melting the wax, especially parafin, as it can be a fire hazard.

As far as the wax used, white beeswax seems the choice for a tacky surface. Parafin for a smooth glossy surface. A comibination of both might even work.

Someone else here might be more of an expert on impregnating textiles with wax, or you might try lots of experimenation on other items first before trying it on your strop. Then, when you are successful, you can share your methods with the rest of us .

Scott

But the protective layer would have to be non-absorbent or it will suck in too much wax. On a side-note, if you ever get a wax stain on your pants, put a few sheets of paper over it and go over with an iron. Remember to take off the pants first

On the other hand, maybe you want some absorption of the wax so only a certain amount is left in the strop. The patent article did mention something about a certain amount of skill required in waxing the strop. Maybe the strop needs to be oversaturated with wax first to assure even dispersion, and then a certain amount needs to be removed? The waxed strops I have are dry on the inside of the hose, so maybe I'm wrong. Someones going to have to try it out to know for sure.

Scott

...if you ever get a wax stain on your pants, put a few sheets of paper over it and...

Ilija... that is a super tip. I have a question though. I'm dang near 60 and have never gotten wax on my pants. What would a person be doing to get wax on their pants?

Pants were just an arbitrary textile article. Same goes for shirts, upholstery and carpeting. The reason I used'em as an example was because I had a major wax spill over my fav. pair of jeans during a power outage.

Originally Posted by urleebird

Ilija... that is a super tip. I have a question though. I'm dang near 60 and have never gotten wax on my pants. What would a person be doing to get wax on their pants?

I use to play with fire a lot and candles always got my attention... I've been covered a few times. Sometimes people make candles too. I remember my mother making candles with me as a child. And um... you cant forget the um... you know... hot wax in the bedroom .... Speaking of which... maybe you can get wax stains from waxing body hair?