Thread: Whipped Dog - Poor Man 'Flawed' Strop Kit

Originally Posted by cosperryan

Well he bought it as a "flawed poor mans strop". Thus the flaw was made known. Its not like WD tried saying it was a perfectly fine strop ready to make your edges as smooth as angel's feathers. The strop can be fixed. You can sand it down smooth and progressively go to finer grits and finish with rubbing a little neatsfoot and burnishing with a bottle. Iwasaki had a similar way of refacing strops but it involved soaking in gasoline first and that just seems dangerous.

If it needs 'fixing' it's not just 'flawed'. It's 'broke'.
OP could have just bought a strip of belt leather & not had to sand it.

Real strops should look like these,Heavy.thick shell,both at least 70 yrs old,they work to perfection.

Originally Posted by JimmyWetshaver

I Perhaps Neil can give you some advice, he just helped me advising me on how to finish an unfinished edge on a strop I picked up.

Thanks Jimmy,

I certainly can offer some advice here.

What you need is some naptha. It is a volatile spirit, so you have to use it with caution. Old timers probably know it best as Ronson Lighter Fluid, it came/comes in a yellow can with a red plastic spout that acts both to seal the can and to pour the fluid. It is what you use for zippo style lighters.

Now find a place outdoors where the fumes from the naptha can disperse freely without harm. Take some corrugated card, the same xize as the strop and three times wider, and fold it three times so it is approximately tne width of the strop. Liberally apply the naptha to it, then place the strop on top. Apply what remains in the can to the surface of the strop, then ignite with a match (safest option) or your zippo lighter if you dont like your hairy hands. Tossing the zippo lighter while it has a flame going onto the pile as they have a propensity to do in the movies is just wasteful and you should refrain from this questionable practice.

Once the flaming inferno has subside, tread the mass into ashes and let them be transported by the four winds to the remotest parts of the globe.

I trust that you will find that said erstwhile strop will never threaten to injure another razor.

Regards, Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

Thanks Jimmy,

I certainly can offer some advice here.

What you need is some naptha. It is a volatile spirit, so you have to use it with caution. Old timers probably know it best as Ronson Lighter Fluid, it came/comes in a yellow can with a red plastic spout that acts both to seal the can and to pour the fluid. It is what you use for zippo style lighters.

Now find a place outdoors where the fumes from the naptha can disperse freely without harm. Take some corrugated card, the same xize as the strop and three times wider, and fold it three times so it is approximately tne width of the strop. Liberally apply the naptha to it, then place the strop on top. Apply what remains in the can to the surface of the strop, then ignite with a match (safest option) or your zippo lighter if you dont like your hairy hands. Tossing the zippo lighter while it has a flame going onto the pile as they have a propensity to do in the movies is just wasteful and you should refrain from this questionable practice.

Once the flaming inferno has subside, tread the mass into ashes and let them be transported by the four winds to the remotest parts of the globe.

I trust that you will find that said erstwhile strop will never threaten to injure another razor.

Regards, Neil

Neil,perhaps you should consider getting a brain scan

Originally Posted by cosperryan

Well he bought it as a "flawed poor mans strop". Thus the flaw was made known. Its not like WD tried saying it was a perfectly fine strop ready to make your edges as smooth as angel's feathers. The strop can be fixed. You can sand it down smooth and progressively go to finer grits and finish with rubbing a little neatsfoot and burnishing with a bottle. Iwasaki had a similar way of refacing strops but it involved soaking in gasoline first and that just seems dangerous.

I agree, the seller fully disclosed the flaw, he did not try to hide it, even put ,flawes, in the sales description, so what can you say?

I am not so sure it can be fixed by sanding. Some leather is so thick it can be 'split' into two or more layers. Of these layers only one has the skin side intact. The others are rolled to burnish one side and/or some artificial thin cating is used to give the impression of a skin side to the under splits, which is made to look more real by rolling again, this time with the top roller having a 'pore' pattern on it.

These splits are all fleshy material, and they get looser and more fibrous as you deeper, eventuall leaving a spongy porous sued lik material.

The point is, tbe so called skin side of a split is very thin, and you are into the fleshy fibrous layer in no time at all. Then the more you sand, the more you raise the fibres, so yo might very well be on a hiding to nothing.

Regards,
Neil

Pixelfixed, it's on the to-do list, my friend (brain scan, that is).

I have had more then enogh MRI and CAT scans and x-rays, so not adverse to something a little different.

I don't know exactly what is involved, so do share your experiences...

Regards,
Neil

Well, I was a little disappointed about the wrinkles when I got the strop, but being a novice I didn't want to be overly critical only to learn it wasn't that big a deal. So much for that.
I appreciate the advice. If it is going to be a project getting a brand new strop ready to use, I may as well try to exchange it first.

Originally Posted by cosperryan

Well he bought it as a "flawed poor mans strop". Thus the flaw was made known. Its not like WD tried saying it was a perfectly fine strop ready to make your edges as smooth as angel's feathers. The strop can be fixed. You can sand it down smooth and progressively go to finer grits and finish with rubbing a little neatsfoot and burnishing with a bottle. Iwasaki had a similar way of refacing strops but it involved soaking in gasoline first and that just seems dangerous.

If you check the site, it actually says, "Leather strop with cosmetic flaws, but still fully functional." So, yes, it is supposed to be a 'perfectly fine strop' in terms of performance.

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

Thanks Jimmy,

I certainly can offer some advice here.

What you need is some naptha. It is a volatile spirit, so you have to use it with caution. Old timers probably know it best as Ronson Lighter Fluid, it came/comes in a yellow can with a red plastic spout that acts both to seal the can and to pour the fluid. It is what you use for zippo style lighters.

Now find a place outdoors where the fumes from the naptha can disperse freely without harm. Take some corrugated card, the same xize as the strop and three times wider, and fold it three times so it is approximately tne width of the strop. Liberally apply the naptha to it, then place the strop on top. Apply what remains in the can to the surface of the strop, then ignite with a match (safest option) or your zippo lighter if you dont like your hairy hands. Tossing the zippo lighter while it has a flame going onto the pile as they have a propensity to do in the movies is just wasteful and you should refrain from this questionable practice.

Once the flaming inferno has subside, tread the mass into ashes and let them be transported by the four winds to the remotest parts of the globe.

I trust that you will find that said erstwhile strop will never threaten to injure another razor.

Regards, Neil

Could you post a video? I wouldn't want to make any mistakes.

FWIW I know that it is a bitch that the strop was unusable, but the full kit, unflawed does not cost much, and Larry on his site says that the flawed strop only costs 10 dollars.

If a member posted tbat they were thinking of buying a 10 dollar strop off Ebay, I can only imagine the advice other, more seasoned members would give.

I reckon you have to spend a reasonable amount of money on your gear, not a fortune but not a pittance either.

Regards, Neil

Originally Posted by JP5

Could you post a video? I wouldn't want to make any mistakes.

Certainly, not a problem.

I just have to wait a little until the police investigation into how next doors house burnt down blows over. Also, that will be long enough for the third degree burns on my hands to heal up...

Regards,
Neil