Thread: Lather used on strops?

I have often heard about using lather on strops in old texts. Is this sound? How is it to be done and sometimes in combination with hot glass bottle burnishing of the leather. I am curious if this is good or bad and what it is supposed to do and why?

i say Dont DO It, but ill wait for others to respond

Lol I wouldn't dare unless I understood if it was applicable in certain situations.

I am curious to see this. I have seen it as well but I have never did anything besides palm rub and my strops work fine.

razorfaust,

In the days (ca. 80 odd years ago) when this was suggested in shaving manuals etc., the shaving soaps were over-fatted. Very few shaving soaps these days are over fatted, so any effect from the lathering is reduced.

If you have a modern strop, I would shy away from doing anything to it apart from palm rubbing, and perhaps the tiniest amount of neatsfoot oil.

If it is a spare strop, you don't mind sacrificing, then have at it and let us know what the results are

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Using High Tallow content soap,the idea was to clean and rehydrate the leather.
I do it on my vintage shells every couple yrs,works very well for me.

I have used Mitchell's Wool fat on a couple of strops to clean them. No ill effects yet. Tc

This is one of those things where shaving lore has elevated a practice. Back in the day when most folks were poor you made do with what you had and only spent money where you needed to. So why go out and buy strop treatment when your shave soap will work provided it has a high fat content.

It never really was THE way to protect a strop but has become that way. Use your palms or some of the specialized products that are out there.

My personal view has always been water and most leathers do not go well together.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

This is one of those things where shaving lore has elevated a practice. Back in the day when most folks were poor you made do with what you had and only spent money where you needed to. So why go out and buy strop treatment when your shave soap will work provided it has a high fat content.

It never really was THE way to protect a strop but has become that way. Use your palms or some of the specialized products that are out there.

My personal view has always been water and most leathers do not go well together.

This is what worried me about the practice in the first place. Seems counter intuitive to add water to a thing most treated with oil but curiosity is strong with me.

I have boiled a filthy antique-ish linen strop with Oxiclean in water three times, rinsed another few times and hung it - dried fine, white and flat.

I have also saddle soaped the bedonkus out of a couple of nasty vintage leather strops (one gone boardy and the other stiff but supple) with stiff brush and enough water to work up a good lather (a couple of times) and wiped them clean with a damp cloth. Each dried flat and, after some had rubbing, both made excellent strops. After working with a lot of hides over the past 35 years I'd say, "There is leather and then there is leather." I would not try this with anything of the I-know-it's-gonna-crack nature. Poorly tanned or very thin stuff, not recommended for water, is pretty obvious when you see it next to premium top grain hide.*

* think saddle grade leather. It'll take butt-sweat, horse sweat, rain, moring dew, cold, hot, abrasion and, if kept clean and supple (with whatever - some guys swear by bear grease, I guess) a little water is a walk in the park.