Thread: Neatsfoot oil on a new strop?

Hey folks!
I got a nice new strop for xmas this year. It is not coloured in any way, kind of an Ivory colour, I've just been rubbing with my palm. 3 questions arise from this. First, will neatsfoot oil change the colour much, especially if i don't get it rubbed in evenly? second is it necessary to use the oil, or should new strops get a little douse out of the box? and third, it has diamond spray on the back, will that eventually effect that?
Thanks!

Personally I never treat my leather strops just wipe with my Palm each morning. I'd guess if you used oil being a light colour it would change it. The diamond shouldn't penetrate to the front but make sure you wipe the blade before using the front of the strop.
Again my personal preference is to keep treated strops separate to completely avoid cross contamination.
As an aside Alastair at Westholme Razor Strops just made me a superb linen strop that I'll use with Cr Ox.

A brand new strop shouldn't need any treatment for years. And when the time does come say in about 4-5 years, You would use 1 drop of neatsfoot, any more and you will probably trash the strop. AS far as changing the color Its safe to assume that when you would put an oil on anything the color would go darker.
Stick with the palm rubbing that's all you will need for years & years to come.

noobs,

Tarkus is correct. All a new strop needs — a quality strop — is daily rubbing with the palms of your hands, before you take your shower, that is.

The addition of any oil will not be needed for many years. However, your strop can benefit from the occasional cleaning and addition of moisture.

Maybe two or three times a year I dip half of a washcloth into water, wring it out, and then wipe the front of the strop with it a couple of times. After 15-20 minutes I wipe it repeatedly with a clean dry cloth.

The most oil I put on a strop at one time, if I feel it's REALLY dry, is as much as I get by rubbing it across my forehead before the morning's ablutions. Don't do this with the diamond side or you'll be all twinkly and people will wonder.

I have added oil to old strops, but even then I applied it to the underside of the strops.

Neatsfoot is great for an old strop that has become dried out. But I would not use it on a new strop at all. I much prefer mink oil, or other high quality conditioners. The standard tubes of yellow banded strop paste are good too.

Interesting. Sometimes I rub the leather back and forth on the hair on the back of me head. My hair gets a little oily over time so I figure this gives a light dose of oil to the business side of the leather.

Originally Posted by roughkype

The most oil I put on a strop at one time, if I feel it's REALLY dry, is as much as I get by rubbing it across my forehead before the morning's ablutions. Don't do this with the diamond side or you'll be all twinkly and people will wonder.

When you get to my age you haven't got any oil left in your skin. Sometimes I think when I rub the strop my hands are drawing the oil out of the strop and the single digit humidity doesn't help. If my strops get dry I'll put a drop or two of neatsfoot in my hand and then massage it well into the strop. It even helps my hands.