Thread: need to fix my strop

how would i clean the scales because i don't wanna end up breaking them if i try and pull them apart

High grit w&d and a little hand polishing. A pipe cleaner or rag on a stick for between the scales

Since this thread has the title of the same issue I am having, figured I would piggyback off it.

I am also fairly new to the art of straight razor shaving and I understood that I would put nicks/cuts/slashes into my first strop.

My questions are these:

1. Do the nicks/cuts/slashes damage the blade as it passes over them?

NOTE: I think I am getting the hang of the stropping motion/passes. I've noticed that the times I've damaged the strop, it's because I haven't been totally focused on the matter at hand.

2. Is there a way to address them without resorting to buying a new strop? I know this one won't last forever, but I would like to get a few months out of it if possible before having to replace.

Below is a photo with the damage I have inflicted on my strop. The things that concern me the most are the nicks that have scratched the leather and left piece of the top of the leather just sort of hanging there. The cuts near the bottom don't really affect the motion and I can stop and turn before getting to them



Any ideas/guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Looks like you have enough undamaged area to keep using it. Strop in between the cuts, take your time and concentrate 100% on what you are doing. Does the razor still shave ok?

0000 grade steelwool and metal polish will really clean up a blade, unless you want to re-hone keep it away from the cutting edge.

You can sometimes glue flaps down with super glue. Someplace on this site there is very good info on strop restoration but I don't know the links.

Update here's the link:
Strop treatment and repair - Straight Razor Place Library

Originally Posted by Grazor

Looks like you have enough undamaged area to keep using it. Strop in between the cuts, take your time and concentrate 100% on what you are doing. Does the razor still shave ok?

Yes, still shaves good. I will follow your directions and focus on the task at hand. Thanks!

Originally Posted by rodb

0000 grade steelwool and metal polish will really clean up a blade, unless you want to re-hone keep it away from the cutting edge.

You can sometimes glue flaps down with super glue. Someplace on this site there is very good info on strop restoration but I don't know the links.

Update here's the link:
Strop treatment and repair - Straight Razor Place Library

Thank you! I will head over there and read-up!!

To the OP, if your strop looks like the one posted, dirt in the leather is a bigger issue than the cuts. Glue the cuts with rubber cement and trim any thing that’s sticks up. The razor will ride over any divots.

You want to clean the razor, to keep the rust and dirt on the razor off your stop. If you don’t clean the razor, you are imbedding the grit into the strop every time you strop. Once it is deeply imbedded, you can never remove ALL the abrasive grit, and that abrasive grit will affect the bevel and the edge, buy cutting into the bevel all the way to the edge, causing a chip. Rust is very abrasive, it is Ferrous Oxide, problem is you don’t know the grit size…

And yes, that is rust, if not it would have wiped off. Replace the leather or just buy a clean piece of leather to strop on.

000 steel wool and WD40 will clean the blade and the scales, a wooden coffee stir stick with steel wool wrapped around it will get between the scales.

Posting photos of your razor and strop will get you more detailed and better advise.

To euroman, Glue down the flaps and slow down, stop before you flip. You can buy a replacement leather from SRD, for a few bucks.