Thread: Great grandfathers old strop

Originally Posted by Euclid440

What condition is the leather, hard, stiff, soft, and flexible?

Do you know how, (folded, flat, hanging) and where it has been stored?

Yes, do not sand it, unless you absolutely need to and I don’t see where you do.

You should remove it from the holder and rehydrate it before you even clean it, if it is stiff.

Rehydrating the leather may get rid of some of the nicks and scratches or at least make them a non-issue.

Restoring leather is a slow process, taking short cut can ruin the leather.

It is not stiff, feels good. It have been hanging in a dry (but cold in the winter) room. I dont think it needs to be rehydrated, but for the record, how is that done?

Oh, it needs to be re-hydrated, it is just a matter of how much.

If it was hard or very stiff, I would re hydrate before even cleaning so as not to damage it.

Removing it from the hanger and a good saddle soap cleaning with a damp sponge or soft brush is a good start. Then working in a small amount of Neat’s-foot oil about a ¼ teaspoon is a good start. Much of the scratches will disappear. It looks like it may take a couple cleaning to get all the years of grime and soap out of it, go slow and work softly. Do not scour with harsh cleaning pads or brushes or sand paper. It has taken years to accumulate the grime and will take some time to come off without damaging the leather. As it re-hydrates it will release more of the deep grime, which for a strop is bad.

Here is a recent reply on the same subject, post 22 on this thread, “Strops better than Hones” with some very good links on the subject.

Old leather need re hydrating and cleaning slowly, using a good saddle soap and Neat’s-foot oil or a good quality leather conditioner added a little ¼ teaspoon, at a time to a damp strop and worked in, then wait a few days to a week to allow it to absorb and do it again if needed.

The key is to proceed slowly, old leather can easily be damaged if cleaned aggressively.

Ah, ok! Thought maby "rehydrate" was another prosedure. Thanx for describing it to me! I would probably have rushed it...

Please understand that many people here confuse "rehydration" with oiling. Leather needs water more than oil and can be ruined by being saturated with oil. Rehydration is the gradual addition of water to leather, followed by the addition of a small amount of protective oil.

Be forewarned.

I bought an old strop that had been stored for many years in an attic. The first time I pulled on the handle it came off!


The threads had dry rotted. Took it to my cobbler and had it re-stitched. Still using it.

Lots of good advice here, it'll look great when done! Very nice heirloom from your Great Grandfather, a real keeper.

Okay, so I have cleaned it now. A few times and let it hand and "rest" a day between. Now, after geting rid of the dirt I can see small particles glimmer in the surface. Probably some metal... They wont come off by cleaning with leather soap. Is there something else I can do to get rid of them? Or do I simply have to rehydrate it (witch would be the next step anyway) and then test and see if the particles have any effect?

Originally Posted by JackeHj

Okay, so I have cleaned it now. A few times and let it hand and "rest" a day between. Now, after geting rid of the dirt I can see small particles glimmer in the surface. Probably some metal... They wont come off by cleaning with leather soap. Is there something else I can do to get rid of them? Or do I simply have to rehydrate it (witch would be the next step anyway) and then test and see if the particles have any effect?

I have never tried it myself, but I've read that a strong magnet through a thin cloth, or maybe it was paper towel. Sounds weird but it might work.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I have never tried it myself, but I've read that a strong magnet through a thin cloth, or maybe it was paper towel. Sounds weird but it might work.

Might work with a really strong magnet. The particles are so small so Im not sure a magnet will "find" them and be able to pull them out. But it is worth a try, if I had a strong magnet...