How far from usable is this strop?

So i bought this from ebay to replace a strop that i regretted selling. The strop i sold was a certyfd and i didn't know how good it was until i replaced it with a new strop which although adequate, did not feel (at least to me) as the russian shell. The i found this on ebay and jumped the gun and is supposed to be nos, but i know that the leather might have dried a bit and it is folded. Having said that here is the beast
Attachment 152769Attachment 152770Attachment 152771Attachment 152772

Any info on the maker would be apreciated as well.

I'm very apprehensive of that fold in the leather. If it has been drying like that for years, I'm not sure you could get it back into shape. I think it will need moisturising/oiling/greasing before you can bend it back into shape. Once the leather is supple again, I think it will do just fine. Perhaps a light sanding of the surface to remove as much dirt and small damage as you can.

Those are/were damn great strops,is that mold residue? the white patches.If so I would wipe it down with white viniger (do not saturate)
Than use saddle soap to rehydrate the leather and furthur clean.
When dry use some tallow lather and a wine bottle to flatten and rehydrate even more,would refrain from sanding.
looks NOS with the paper still intact,try to save it if you can,they are wonderfull strops

A fold like that will come out only one way. Unfortunately it will require the nuclear option which is soak the strop in water until saturated and then slowly let it air dry. Of course try the other methods first with moisturizer and rolling pins and putting weights on it but I fear they won't work.

i will give it a shot and hopefully it is not too dried up. i will report as soon as i get it.

+1 on what bigspendur said. I can speak from experience with a fold of that type since I once picked up one in that same condition. I was a bit too forceful in trying to straighten it and it cracked halfway across. I'd try soaking or steaming before doing any serious straightening.
It would be a real shame to lose one that seems to be in such great condition otherwise.



rs,
Tack

I am a bit afraid about warping with water. How about if I use some (a lot of neatsfoot oil) and then soak with water to minimize possible warping? Yes, no?
How would you steam?
I have this ceramic stranger that I made to steam vegetables, can that work. It cooks vegetables real slow which should be a good thing right?

Yup, I got one folded like that in a group purchase of a black embossed leather barber case that had a Boker razor and Dark Blue Escher inside with just enough of the label on the end that I could make out the “Dark Blue” end label no Escher label, the real reason I bought the lot for 30 bucks.

I removed the strop hardware and painted it while still folded with a boar paint brush and Ballistol until it stopped soaking it up. I waited for a couple of hours then lay it flat and wiped with Ballistol soaked paper towels until the gunk stopped coming off on the towels and laid flat on dry paper towels to dry and wick excess oil. Came out nice and did not crack when unfolded.

The stone cleaned up nice also, but lost the end stamp… don’t plan on selling it. The strop was not as nice as yours it was more of an experiment.

Neatsfoot oil is how i would proceed. soak it thoroughly and let it hang--don't try to bend it at all for a week.

If it won't take any more oil (wipe on/wipe off) then start gently flexing it. Let it hang.

It should soon be straight enough for stropping.

UN-cracked leather can nearly always be resurrected, cracked leather is cracked leather forever.

I'm a whore for old cheap strops and got an almost identical strop to that one in the mail today. Except it was well-used and nicked. Didn't need oiling, but I have two others that did.

It's a lovely leather. Harder and slicker than my new SRD Latigo. Edit: on second look, I see that albeit Russian, mine is a Hess Hair Milk Labs strop. "Keene Edge" above the "CCCP" markings where yours has "OKKC". But that doesn't change how i'd fix it.

pure neatsfoot, not "compound".

I would address the mold first. The poor thing is rotting and you better stop that first. The fold won't matter, if it's rotten inside. If you bend it anywhere and see any tiny cracks you better plan this out right. It looks like it was stored in a basement or someplace damp and dank. If you use anything with wax or a sealer it will trap everything inside and it will rot from the inside out.

Whatever you do and the above comments may all be good. Remember it took years to get into that condition. It will a while to get it right.
I have one I have been putsing with for a year but, it is coming to life. the joy of the ones I have saved has more than offsett the slow going!
~Richard

How far from usable is this strop?
That depends, how far from me are you..... :p

Some great advice above my post.
One thing I have diligently and repeatedly noted in my experience with this sport/hobby/method is time and patience reaps rewards.

So I emailed the seller, to enquire about the condition of the strop and he mention that the lather still supple. So hopefully it will be salvageable. I am going to be patient. Since you guys recommended pure neatsfoot oil I ordered some online. Hopefully within a couple of months I have seen brand new working strop. After noticing how hard it is to get a russian shell in good condition I am going to hoard a few just to be safe.

Here is another question
Is vinegar the way to go to clean mold? The reason I ask is because vinegar is acid and I use vinegar to age porcelain before throwing scuttles etc. In this instances an acid environment allows for mold to grow and break down porcelain particles making it more plastic. I have read alcohol is another option, what do you guys think? A commercially available leather cleaner could be the safest, but which one?

For leather cleaning I use Bick leather Cleaner. It's kind of a gel and is the same Ph as leather and contains no petroleum products.

I wouldn't soak in oil of any kind. With water it will dry clean by itself and then you can add the appropriate amount of oil afterwards. if you soak with oil and it's successful then you have to get all that oil out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rocarule

Here is another question
Is vinegar the way to go to clean mold? The reason I ask is because vinegar is acid and I use vinegar to age porcelain before throwing scuttles etc. In this instances an acid environment allows for mold to grow and break down porcelain particles making it more plastic. I have read alcohol is another option, what do you guys think? A commercially available leather cleaner could be the safest, but which one?

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We used another personally produced product to accelerate mold growth in many of the ceramic clay bodies.
I would not use any alcohol on leather, nor would I use steam because of a bad experience doing it long ago. The leather shattered due to inherent dryness. I have heard of using naphtha for removing oil.
~Richard

Household white viniger is 5% acid, about the same as lemon juice which would also work.
You need to kill the mold spores first,than proceed.Just a wipedown.

Already cleaned did saturated the area with pure neatsfoot oil
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That looks just superb! Did you strop with it, yet?

Ah, looks great.. it's coming along nicely! Slow is good.



rs,
Tack

No stropping yet I am just letting the neatsfoot oil sink in slowly. I have another question. How do you flatten the linen side?

I'd say ironing. Maybe wrap it in a towel (or what's the word for the cloth you use for drying dishes?) if the linen is delicate.

i will do that and will apply the same treatment to the leather to eliminates the slight warp.

Ironing leather? I've never heard of that, perhaps someone else can comment on it. You could try compressing it under a pile of books for a few days, to be on the safe side.

i was reading that tam ironing the leather at low temperatures unwarps the leather and softens it. again the warping is only minimal so i guess it should be okay.

Ah, that's good. I hope you can get it completely smooth :)

Here is the strop already fulfilling its purpose

Here it is on action
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1...ser=1287756887

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1...ser=1287756887

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rocarule

...How far from usable is this strop?...

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About 10? No, wait, make that one hundred. No, just a sec, 23. Fathoms.

Here it is Attachment 157676

So that was just paper stuck to it not mold ? Looks like you saved it, yeah !!

No it was what in Spanish is known as salitre (I believe the English word for it is saltpeter). Saltpeter is corrosive but can be neutralized easily with an acidic solution (vinegar in this case).

Nice job. It's really inspiring to see what can be done with the right skills and a little patience.

Wow! You did a great job on it. It is almost resurrecting my Strop AD. :D

Amazing save Roberto. We are proud of you.......

Really dry leather will not take oil, you will ruin it with neatsfoot, soak it in water oil it then let it dry, the water will pull the oil through.