Thread: Dubl Duck Russian Strop no. 53

Need some help please. Got a dubl duck Russian no. 53 strop on Ebay. The leather is very different than any other strop I own.

The leather has a heavy draw and the leather seems to have cracks but the draw is smooth. Especially after I sanded it down. But it seems no matter how much I sand it down the cracks are there. Even though it is smooth to the touch

I know there is a duble duck Rhino strop. Could this also be rhino? The back of the leather strop has a diamond pattern
on it

Any help is very much appreciated

The cracks are probably because the leather is dried out. If you sand too much you will have suede. The layer you use is thin so be careful. Going by how you describe it , I would wipe it down with liquid glycerin and maybe burnish it with a glass bottle or something round and smooth. Other can chime in on there experience using one. I sold mine a long time ago and didn't use it.

A pic is worth 1000 words

Many of the better DD strops had the diamond pattern on the back.

Russian is cowhide, not rhino.

The flesh side was removed using razor sharp wires at 45 degree angles originally. The diamond pattern was used on later strops to ape the original. It was a stiff leather anyway, rolling the pattern into it made it even stiffer, so it had to undergo a long and intense break-in period, originally.

The other traits of old time russian tannage was a red colour and birch and other oils to give an aromatic smell and protect the leather from damp and insects.

The Illinois russian strop still uses the reverse or flesh side of the leather, not that you can spot it easily after the mechanically applied finish and the dye.

Cracks in leather are where the leather has dried out. Leather fibres contract in the dry and elongate in wet conditions, hence the need for annual treatment. Left too dry for too long and the fibres will never elongate again.

Lathering heps as does neatsfoot oil and glycerin and other treatments. Help to hide the damage that is, not cure it. It can never be cured, Treatments may trap moisture in the leather, promoting an overall swell, but tbe fibres will not self-repair. They are dead, and have been for a long time.

A foul night troubled with thunder and lightning, kites on metal wires flown high up into the eye of the storm and the services oh Herr Doctor Stroppenstein are a last resort.

Be aware that the reanimated strop may go berserk, drowning young maidens in deceptively calm lakes, before meeting its maker for the second time in a furiously burning windmill while the townsfolk cheer.

Are you ready to release such a perversion and affront to God the maker on an unsuspecting world, my friend? My head tells me No! but my poor, tattered heart which once believed in the supreme good of mans eternal, divine, soul, makes me wonder...

Alas, my time here on this Vale of Sorrow and Tears is almost done, so perhaps I shall be spared the full horror of a reanimated, blood hungry zombie strop stalking the land.

Neil (Its alive, I tell you!) Miller

Neil, have you had any nuerological testiing done since your last health issue?? just curious

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Neil, have you had any nuerological testiing done since your last health issue?? just curious

I was sequestered for a while and I believe some people got hurt, but we dont talk about that cos it upsets me.

They were going to keep me under observation until I told them that my good friend Pixelfixed was going to take care of me, and after I had your signature forged they let me go.

Took ages to get that jacket off that they loaned me, no pockets, no buttons... It did have mittens built into the sleeves and did up round the back. Toastie.

Now I went and lost tbe directions to your house, so I would be mighty obliged if you could send them again, and wrap a 45 and some cash up in the bundle just in case.

We'll have some fun times, you'll see...

Our old buddy Neil! 'E's not done YET!'

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

A pic is worth 1000 words

I tried several times to take a picture but could not get one clear enough to show what I am asking about

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Many of the better DD strops had the diamond pattern on the back.

yes, mine does too