Originally Posted by
Geezer
Found it! Over the last few years it is a great strop dressing. A bit dusty at first but wears in well. I later added a bit more tallow soft soap. Mixed in a slow cooker I have enough for a couple generations.
A combination of the two formulas:
From: Standing Orders, Forms of Returns, Reports, Entries, etc. of the Queen's Dragoons Guards; 1795 -
"Take 6 pounds of the finest pipe-clay, pound it very small, put it in a tub, and put to it about 5 gallons of cold water. Let it remain for two or three days, stirring it now and then. Then take 6 ounces of gum dragon, and put it into 4 quarts of boiling water, and cover it up close for two or three days. When the gum is well dissolved, take a fine hair sieve, and strain it into the pipe-clay, and keep stirring the pipe-clay well all the time you are doing this. Then take half an ounce of stone blue, and dissolve it well amongst your colouring (this gives a clear gloss to the belts). Let it all remain one day longer, and it will be fit for use, putting it on lightly and evenly with a sponge."
1788 Strop Formula reduced amounts
From: The Discipline of the Light Horse by Capt. Hinde, 1778 (pg 559) -
"A Receipt for the White Belts. Take 1 ½ lb of Pipe-clay, 3 Quarts of Water, ¼ lb of Best Glue, ¼ lb of White Soap, Boil the Soap and Glue first, till dissolved, then Mix it with the Pipe-Clay, and Boil all together for a Quarter of an Hour; when Cold put it on a with a Sponge in the usual manner, and when Dry Rub it with a Glass-Bottle."
20%
*12 OZ. pipe cLAY
*1.5 QUARTS WATER
*1 oz fish glue
*1 oz tallow soap...more added later
Added from the later recipe to the early recipe while mixing...
+ 1 oz. Liquid laundry bluing..UV whitening agent (stone blue)
+ 1 oz. of Gum Tagacanth (Leather sealant)
Modern equivalents
From the 1795 formula, to the above, I added the:
Stone Blue, 1 0z....modern day clothes bluing for whitening.
Gum Tragacanth....Eco-Flo Gum Tragacanth; used in leather working as an edge sealant
Pipe Clay is now Finest Ball clay..like porcelain clay
Adding a abrasive later and mixing it in well while warm will work. I have tried a couple with small batches of the original mix. Here you are on your own.
Have fun!
~Richard
PS. After mixing store the mass in a seal able covered container with a plastic wrap pressed firmly onto the surface to prevent deterioration..mold growth, etc.