Thread: Reviving old found strops

Yea, they used to use a chalk paste on them, Soak it for a hour or so, scrub it with a stiff small brush, a fingernail brush or a nylon paint stripping brush.

What does the water look like? And what cleaning solution are you using?

Keep changing the water and soap until it says clean after soaking and scrubbing.


I like to use a combination of Biz and dollar store Cold water wash, (Woolite), 1/4 cup for 1.5- 2 inches of water in a Cement mixing tub, probably a gallon of water. Rinse well between water changes. Too much soap will cause more problems.

The water was brownish for the first two soaks and now is clearing up. Also, some of that chalk paste you mentioned was in the bottom of the bucket on each change of water. I used a drop of regular laundry soap and a pinch of Oxiclean. I have some Woolite and will try that. Am I aiming to get all that chalk paste out?

Yea, it will come out, just takes time and a little scrubbing, rinse well between water changes. The cold water wash does work well too clean; biz will get it white again.

My wife swears by Woo lite and the Dollar store version. I have washed a bunch of grimy linen strops with the Dollar store cold water wash, they are all white now.

Laying the strop flat, on a towel and tap the strop with a brush, it will drive the grit and stains from deep in the weave out the back side, flip and tap again.

Then rinse well and soak again, scrub and tap. Continue the cycle until you wash and rinse water are clean.

Great advice from Geezer. Only added advice that I can second is the purchase of cheap unserviceable strops for use of their hardware and leather end holds. Even if you don't think that you have current use for them, you will in the future!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by xiaotuzi

The water was brownish for the first two soaks and now is clearing up. Also, some of that chalk paste you mentioned was in the bottom of the bucket on each change of water. I used a drop of regular laundry soap and a pinch of Oxiclean. I have some Woolite and will try that. Am I aiming to get all that chalk paste out?

Good!
The chalk paste is a dressing commonly used on strops to make them a bit more smooth. Some of them contained a bit of very fine friable abrasive...similar to soapstone.
Check with an old barber, they may also have, or know where to get, some.

There are probably other paint on compounds available.

~Richard

It worked well, the linen is much cleaner and virtually all the chalk paste is out. I hung it to dry with a 10 lb. weight. I think it still might have shrunk slightly but that doesn't bother me. I'm looking forward to being able to use this strop now. I'm almost done reviving the leather, got the hardware cleaned up, so I should be putting it back together soon. Thanks for the tips fellas...

The second Shell horsehide strop I got at a garage sale was very dried out but was smooth & had no cracks. The main thing I used to hydrate it was Ballistol & now it is the only thing I use on my leather strops . I had used Fromm, neat's foot oil & mink oil. but I like the Ballistol best & I use it on all my razors, strops & mixed with Smiths honing solution Also you it to lube most anything that needs lubed. It's great stuff! check it out at ballistol.com

Dave Huffman

Geezer, I wonder if grinding some chalk board chalk & mixing it with water to form a paste & treating your linen strop with it would be similar to what was used in days of old.

Slawman

Originally Posted by Slawman

Geezer, I wonder if grinding some chalk board chalk & mixing it with water to form a paste & treating your linen strop with it would be similar to what was used in days of old. Slawman

I cannot say for sure. The chalk would need some type of binder to be retained in the linen fibers. I used very small amounts of both tallow soap and fish glue like the old Lepage's paper glue.

There are some other ideas here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...-question.html
Anything is an experiment!!
Have fun!
~Richard

Ballistol is the only way to go. Highly recommend.