Thread: Great grandfathers old strop

I recently got my great grandfathers old razor strop fron a relative. It is in qute good condition but it needs some cleaning. I wonder what you guys recomend. My plan is to clean it thoroughly with sadelsope, get rid of some nics and rough spots with a sandpaper (about 1000 grit?) and later finish off with some neatsfoot oil. If i missed something please let me know.

Sounds good to me. Nice gift. Enjoy and cherish.

Very cool. Please post pics when you get it all cleaned up and ready for use.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but sandpaper will remove the top grain and I'd only use that as a last resort option. Great to have a genuine heirloom for a strop.

Same here, do everything but the sandpaper and see how it is first

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but sandpaper will remove the top grain and I'd only use that as a last resort option. Great to have a genuine heirloom for a strop.

You can try this technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpL...nel=BillMorris

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.

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...