Thread: 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


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.