Thread: Waxing new horse shell strop?

I just splurged on a 2" Horween leather horse shell Cordovan strop made by the Walkin Horse people, and the vendor recommended I polish it with something like turtle wax. That seems like very strange advice to give for a stropping surface. Has anybody else heard of this practice?

I've shaved off it, and there's either a placebo effect or it really does a nicer thing to my edge than my Illinois steerhide strop.

Thanks for input. I'm puzzled by this.

Nope...

You are putting a Petroleum based product on the leather, not something I would do to one of mine...

All I have ever used on leather horse tack is saddle soap to clean it and Neatsfoot Oil to keep it supple. I tend to do the same with my one bridal leather strop. I do know that there are waxes specifically formulated for use on leather but have never used them.

Bob

Don't ruin the strop. Wax will fill the pores and dry out the leather and change the strop characteristics.

I wouldn't want to rub my razor on turtle wax before shaving with it.

Michael

Maybe NeatsFoot Oil from SRD

Thanks, everyone. I suppose if this leather was shoes I'd be treating it differently, but it's not.

I stropped up a bunch of razors today, and it really is an improvement over the steerhide I've used until now. The linen strop on it is very nice, too, and puts out a delicious smell from the stropping action. Same core smell as in linseed oil. Linen, linseed... it's the same stuff.

After tonight's shave, I did my putting-away stropping on my Illinois strop, canvas side for 20 and leather side for 30, then did my personally calibrated HHT, then gave it 30 on the linen and another HHT. Slightly keener edge, a little toothy feeling, too, in the way it snagged at the hair. 30 on the shell and another HHT--a little keener and a good bit smoother. The blade was an extra-hollow 6/8 Vom Cleff, and I don't remember what I last honed it on. But this strop is a winner! Better still, I could afford it because there were some blemishes on the leather. They're already disappearing under the stropping.

I also like the 2" width; it's not a handicap. My other hanging strops are 2 1/2", but I don't miss that other half inch at all. The narrow width also contributed to the affordability.

I'm thinking why put anything on a strop that's working so well ? Especially not something with solvents in it like car wax.

Nope, I'm not putting anything on it. And I'm glad I double-checked on the vendor's instructions.

I tend to just rub them on the palm of my hand before I use them. 5X if I remember.