Thread: spine of the razor gets black residue after stroping

Hey

I just started stropping on a new Latigo. My technique seems good (no nicks....yet) I hear that sound zzziiipppp and the blade shaves well.

However the razor gets this residue from the strop. I recently put conditioner on the strop is that the reason or is the strop just breaking in. Perhaps both?*?

I have seached the previous posts but I can't figure out the right keywords.

Thanks for the help.

Originally Posted by CyberShdw

Hey

I just started stropping on a new Latigo. My technique seems good (no nicks....yet) I hear that sound zzziiipppp and the blade shaves well.

However the razor gets this residue from the strop. I recently put conditioner on the strop is that the reason or is the strop just breaking in. Perhaps both?*?

I have seached the previous posts but I can't figure out the right keywords.

Thanks for the help.

______________________________

Get yourself a tube of metal polish like Maas, Flitz or Simichrome and see if the black can be polished away. If not, anyone with a cotton buffing wheel and some buffing compound can probably get rid of the black for you. Once it's gone, keep the blade oiled with TuffGlide or mineral oil . I like Remoil which is a gun oil.

CyberShdw,

Latigo leather should not need conditioning before use as it it is normally treated during manufacture.

This is part of a post from Mr Tony Miller :


Latigo is a name applied to leather a tanned by a certain process and is almost always Cowhide.

Oils and waxes are impregnated into the leather. It was not made specifically for strops but it's characteristics lead me to start using it on my products a few years ago and others quickly followed. It help create a nice heavy draw and since the pores in the leather are filled with the waxes they tend to absorb less moisture and tend not to cup very easily as many strops do.


Get yourself a microfbre cloth and scrub the surface of the strop, then rub with palm.

Repeat for a few days and the surplus wax from the stop will be removed and thus the residue on the spine of the razor.

Have fun

Best regards

Russ

Originally Posted by CyberShdw

Hey

I just started stropping on a new Latigo. My technique seems good (no nicks....yet) I hear that sound zzziiipppp and the blade shaves well.

However the razor gets this residue from the strop. I recently put conditioner on the strop is that the reason or is the strop just breaking in. Perhaps both?*?

I have seached the previous posts but I can't figure out the right keywords.

Thanks for the help.

My guess is the razor is collecting conditioner.

If it wipes off with a bit of tissue paper all is good.
Strop, wipe and enjoy.

If you only added a little bit more conditioner than is ideal it will
transfer to the spine, get wiped off and will eventually stop transferring.

If you over did the conditioner:
You can rub with brown paper bag paper. A coarse clean paper will
pick up extra as will placing clean paper top and bottom then stacking
books on it.

I like a little bit... because wiping it off is never 100% so there is a little rust
prevention going on with the thin layer that remains.

The important bit is your statement: "the blade shaves well". When that
is true nothing needs to change..

it's not uncommon for come of the material from the strop to come off the first few times you use it depending on the type dressing the strop had. usually it comes off the razor easily. personally I like cape cod polishing cloths. They are like a Swiss Army Knife for metal care of all kinds.

Yup, the conditioner is causing the wax to come off the face side. As said wipe with a paper towel or piece of toilet paper, it should come off, if not spray a small amount of WD40 on a paper towel and wipe the blade, then dry with a dry paper towel.

It should stop after a couple of weeks, if not lay the strop on some folded paper towels and weight the strop onto the towels. They will wick any extra conditioner.

Latigo makes a nice strop but does take some breaking in. I rub them with a clean paper towel briskly before use, to break in, but perhaps the Micro Fiber may be more effective as Neil suggests.

Thanks all, they sold it with leather conditioner. Up sell I am guessing. I love polished boot/shoes it's totally an after effect of military service. At least I have some good shine coat...

Use the strop, wipe the spine. It will go away. Non-issue.

Frank