Thread: Strop conditioning

Thanks for all the replies, guys! I'll try give it a good palm rub down later on, and see how that works out

should you give the strop a palming before or after shower? obviously you want clean hands, just wondering if after the shower has all the soap gotten rid of that oil that was in your skin?

Originally Posted by noobs

should you give the strop a palming before or after shower? obviously you want clean hands, just wondering if after the shower has all the soap gotten rid of that oil that was in your skin?

Thats an interesting question since you would want clean hands obviously but you would want to keep a bit of the natural oils on your skin as well.

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

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.

I just got a strop sized piece of leather that I want to make into a strop, but the leather is dry and stiff. will this lathering method work to soften the leather or do I need to use a different method first?

Originally Posted by ace

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.

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.

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.