Thread: Strop conditioning

Everything applied to a strop affects its draw. Being conservative is a good idea because one would not want to try something that does not work out and cannot be reversed. One can always try a more aggressive technique later, if conservative does not work.

What has worked for me is surface cleaning with a damp cloth and hand rubbing. All my strops were flexable to start. None were stiff, hard and dry, or old in need of restoration. When using a treatment, I would use less, go slow, and only add more later if clearly needed.

I rub my strop post shower before shaving the again after shaving and stropping. This is to remove any grit as well as oil the leather. Too much oil from the skin can build up a film of crud that can affect draw and trap grit. The damp cloth will remove the film of crud.

with what?? just the lather I use for my shave? when? before the shave then wipe clean? or after then let it soak for a bit, then wipe clean??
Who cares why the sky is blue...this is important stuff!!

Originally Posted by ace

Then, of course, there is always the "Ace" method: Lather the crap out of it!

I will explain sky coloring later, but for now:

Lather up whatever soap you're using. Lather up the strop. Allow it to dry overnight. Then wipe off the residue the next day. Moisten a towel lightly and rub the strop. Allow the strop to dry once more, then prepare to experience "true draw". You may get slight strop dye residue on your blade as you strop. I do, and I consider it worth the improved draw. It wipes right off.

Yea John, cleaning is something we don’t hear too much about in strop maintenance. Take a dry paper towel and wipe your strop and look at all the junk that comes off the strop. Just hanging it will collect a lot of airborne dust. Add that to a razor that has not been stropped on Linen or the equivalent and a lot of dirt and grit can be added to your strop.

All that crud will affect the edge when stropped on.

A paper towel is also a good way to apply conditioner sparingly. Fold in to a 2X4 pad and add a couple drops of condition of your choice, then rub the pad onto the strop. If need be add a couple of drops more a few days later.

I might do this for a new strop with a drop or two and wait to see what effect it has. A new factory strop could very well have been sitting in a warehouse for a long time.

Do not worry about the curve, it will straighten out on its own and will not affect your stropping.

If for some reason you put too much conditioner, lay the strop on paper towels in the sun, they will wick the oil out. I have painted on Ballistol onto dried hard, old antique store finds, leather strops. Let soak for a week or so then set in the sun on paper towels to wick off excess with good results. A drop or two of conditioner will not ruin it, learning to strop is more damaging to your strop.

Go slow and keep the spine on the leather. Do not flip until the blade has stopped moving. I used an Illinois Strop for maybe 30 years, before I bought another. Kept me shaving…

I've always flipped the razor before it stops moving. This reduces the chances of cutting the strop. Start the flip as you approach the end of the stroke and start back in the opposite direction before the flip is completed. This makes the whole process more fluid.

I'm curious, those that are using Neatsfoot oil, are you applying to both sides of the leather strop?

I find giving the strop a good rub down with my hands before each use is enough, as the oils from your skin work into the leather.

Rubbing the strop before use also seems to increase the draw slightly and make the razor really sing over the leather

I'd only really use neatsfoot oil or the like if you're reconditioning an old strop where the leathers dried out some, or if you find that rubbing the strop with your hand alone isnt enough.

If you've got a new strop thats been made from decent leather you shouldnt have to condition it out of the box IMO.

+1 on Stubear's advice.

I regularly use palm rubbing on my two strops, that should be all you need.

The only exception to this, for the sake of discussion, was when I purchased a new Illinois #827 strop. I use this along with my superb SRD 3" Roo Strop, I added the option on the Roo strop of the 100% pressed backing, very nice.

The Illinois #827 is a great beast, very heavy draw, love it, and the back is pressed fine linen, it's very hard, almost like a bumpy glass surface, it's impregnated with cerium oxide, add a nice touch to a blade.

When I purchased the strop, it was advised to condition this strop once prior to use with Fromm Strop Conditioner, which I did and it works as proscribed. This winter has been exceptionally dry, and for the #827, palm rubbing wasn't enough, it dried out a little too much, so again I applied a dime sized dollop of the conditioner and worked it in, and the strop returned very nicely.

The Roo is such a nice fine, thin layer, that I've had no trouble with it at all, palm rubbing has been more than fine to maintain it.

Cheers!

went with a good hand rub today...not sure what I changed...but stick spots were not there...might be a blade pressure issue that I'm having, but thinking that it is just a bit more of a rub prior to stropping to get it dialed