Thread: Reviving old found strops

Hi to all from a beautiful day in Cape Town

I have found a pair of old strops hanging in an antique store nearby and before purchasing them I was wondering what procedure is recommended for bringing them back to life again.
One looked pretty flat though very dried and a bit stiff, with a linen or canvas as well; the other appeared, in dim light and in a hurry, to have quite a few irregularities on its surface.

I am quite keen to buy at least one of them and resurrect them because, well, I don't have a strop of any kind yet and although I have a razor, I can't use it because I am still assembling the honing and stropping gear.

I read elsewhere on this forum that somewhat tatty strops can indeed be satisfactorily reworked.

Advice please?

Photos please. You can use neetsfoot oil on leather and gently wash linen by hand. Someone will come along to give you more information.

Some of the ones in antiques stores are not serviceable. They are badly nicked up and epidermis nearly worn through. Those ones are good if you are looking for the hardware. If the condition of the surface of the strop if good then they often need a drink of neatsfoot oil or perhaps a gentle wash first. Rubin the leather on a firm and flat surface helps to condition the leather as it warms it slightly and aids to absorb the neatsfoot oil. Mink oil can also be used, and other conditioners can too as long as the do not contain waxes.

I knew someone with more knowledge would come along. Thanks.

I was taught by a leather worker to use a very small amount of neetsfoot oil on a cloth that is barely damp with it. Rub it in in a small area of the face at a time till the whole strop is dark but not shiny. Give it a day or so and do it again. Myself, I use one finger to do the application and cover about a 3" square inch space per dip in the neetsfoot oil.
An application of oil on the back side can help also.
After the strop is flexible and not likely to crack, You can bend it around a chair leg and pull it back and forth to loosen the fibers. Then after a while, bending around a door edge almost 90 degrees.
Here are a few of the ones I have renewed.

Now if the strop is cracked or deeply nicked, don't buy it.

I remove the linen component and scrub it with toothpaste and a scrub brush. Bleaches it also. I hang it with a clamp ( pants hangers) on each end and a weight to stretch it.

Hope this may help!
~Richard
PS a very little oil at a time is best too much and you have a wet rag!

Yup, as said, it depends. If they are scared or board stiff, pass. Unless they are cheap, I often buy stiff, folded leather and linen strops for a dollar or two, just for the hardware or the linen. Some hardware is very decorative and can be reused. So depending on the price…

Old leather can be revived, but as Geezer says, take it slow. Water is a good hydrator, but don’t soak it, it might fall apart. Wipe with a damp paper towel to add moisture first to get the leather flat, let it soak in a few minutes, then add you Neat’s-foot. Just a couple drops on a paper towel or fingertip. Then wait and let it soak in, slowly, days...

Once flat, wash with saddle soap, this is controversial, some say it will dry the leather, but you will re-hydrate with water and neat’s-foot later. It may take several cleaning/drying sessions to get it clean without soaking the leather, use as little water as possible, dry flat, not in direct sunlight.

Take your time, it can take weeks to revive a dried up leather strop, and some will just fall apart.

Linen on the other hand responds well to a good soaking with dollar store cold water washing liquid and water, scrub lightly with a small stiff brush, Fingernail brush works well.

Once clean, look at your soaking water, Biz or Ox clean will get it white or whiter. I use a plastic cement mixing tub, about 5 bucks, for soaking, but heard others use wall paper soaking trays.

Air dry with a weight, weighted clamp or rack like Geezers or just Iron flat after drying works. It also may take repeated washing to get clean, but old linens are worth the effort.

While you may not be able to save the leather, and old horse hide leather is a joy, most linen are savable.

Geezer, what is that second last strop? The hardware looks very close to my Dad's old barber strop, only mine is Chrome coloured and plain rather than any lines inside, like yours.

I can barely see the stamping on mine.... it looks like a P...... Brand strop? The P is not a given, it's just my best guess.....

Regards

Christian

Long ago to a new home, sorry

Pity.

I had a long hard look at it again.... must be my eyes or a change in the light (both likely...<sigh>).

To me it now looks like an F instead of a P.... which makes sense as Fromm was a big name back in the 50s and 60s for barbering supplies.

I guess I'll never know for sure.

Thanks for the reply,

Regards

Christian

How long are we talking about soaking the linen? I have one soaking for a day now and a lot of grime came out already but the linen must have been treated with some white crud in the past and that is seriously caked in between every stitch, both sides. Will that ever come out and is there any harm if it doesn't? I have not owned many strops and none had the white stuff in the fabric so I am not familiar with it but I assume it's a polish of sorts.