Hey All,
I picked up an antique strop yesterday and have set in on bringing it back to life. It has two strops, one marked "sharpen" and one marked "finish." Both leather, the sharpen side is black and the finish is chocolate.
The black side was covered in cracks, which I started to sand out with a stick of pumice. I soon discovered that the only way to get the cracks out was to completely remove the black finish. I suspect that I may have to do the same on the chocolate side, too.
The sanded leather now looks like suede (I can swipe lines in it with my finger).
My question is this: how can I refinish both sides? What can I do to maintain the original intention that one side is, I assume, more abrasive and the other is smoother?
Thanks, fellas.
Alex