Thread: Need advice re: strop maintenance

You do see all kinds of advice on treating leather and a lot depends on the variables, most importantly, what you expect from your strop, do you want it stiff or floppy and the finish you are looking for.

Not all leathers will finish the same, some can be aggressive, some polish more.

Conditions, where you live, Dry vs Humid climate, where the strop is stored Humid Bath vs Dry Closet and your routine, hand rubbing vs damp cloth wiping, all will affect strop feel and performance. And you have no idea of how old the strop actually is, and how or where it has been stored.

If you are looking for a softer/floppy strop, adding moisture and a bit of oil, will make it softer. I do mean just a bit, neatsfoot or Ballistol are my go to. Try adding moisture first, with a clean, damp paper towel. Look to see what comes off, just because it is new, does not mean it is clean. Wait a day or two and up to a week or two, see if the moisture made a difference.

If it did and you want more flex, then add some oil. Dampen the strop again, with a damp cloth, wait 10-15 minutes then add no more than a ¼ ounce on a clean paper towel and work it into the strop, The water will allow the oil to absorb deep, into the leather.

Wait a few days, or a week, before you add more, if needed.

Whatever you do, do so sparingly and slowly, allow a few days for the application to take effect.


Ballistol is very penetrating. I once set a folded, paper towel with Ballistol, on a stack of new veg leather cut strops. Overnight, it penetrated through 4 pieces of 9 oz. leather.

Here is a good link to a discussion on strop maintenance, from a leather worker and strop maker. Kevin at Hides to Art, page 4, post 37, is where he talks about adding oil to leather to customize draw and finish.

In the morning I run my hands thru my hair for a little extra oil then with each hand palm down the strop until it gets a little warm. Seems to improve the draw too. Other than that I haven't done anything to it and it's over 4 yrs old.

Originally Posted by Slawman

Go to Gander Mountain & pick up a can of Ballistol. Treat one side & rub it in good. Then do the other side. This stuff is the real deal. It was designed in Germany for leather treatment & as a gun cleaner & lube around the WW-1 era.
IT WORKS! Ballistol has a great web site ballistol.com, so many things it works on!
And "NO" I am not paid to say that, I just really like the product!

Slawman

Ballistol on a strop? Never thought about that before. I love it on my guns and other leather, why not a strop?

I believe the real question is "What are you trying to protect it from?"

A new or good condition strop is not exposed (I hope) to water, mud, salt, and other insults like shoes are for example are and do not need to be protected or conditioned. A strop will not dry out or get hard with normal use in normal environments probably in your lifetime. Leather conditioners are usually either oils, silicones, or waxes and they can and usually will change the draw of your strop.

The instructions for the Kanoyama cordovan strop mentions not putting anything at all on it, just palm rubbing and an occasional wipe down with a damp cloth.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by Euclid440

You do see all kinds of advice on treating leather and a lot depends on the variables, most importantly, what you expect from your strop, do you want it stiff or floppy and the finish you are looking for.

Not all leathers will finish the same, some can be aggressive, some polish more.

Conditions, where you live, Dry vs Humid climate, where the strop is stored Humid Bath vs Dry Closet and your routine, hand rubbing vs damp cloth wiping, all will affect strop feel and performance. And you have no idea of how old the strop actually is, and how or where it has been stored.

If you are looking for a softer/floppy strop, adding moisture and a bit of oil, will make it softer. I do mean just a bit, neatsfoot or Ballistol are my go to. Try adding moisture first, with a clean, damp paper towel. Look to see what comes off, just because it is new, does not mean it is clean. Wait a day or two and up to a week or two, see if the moisture made a difference.

If it did and you want more flex, then add some oil. Dampen the strop again, with a damp cloth, wait 10-15 minutes then add no more than a ¼ ounce on a clean paper towel and work it into the strop, The water will allow the oil to absorb deep, into the leather.

Wait a few days, or a week, before you add more, if needed.

Whatever you do, do so sparingly and slowly, allow a few days for the application to take effect.


Ballistol is very penetrating. I once set a folded, paper towel with Ballistol, on a stack of new veg leather cut strops. Overnight, it penetrated through 4 pieces of 9 oz. leather.

Here is a good link to a discussion on strop maintenance, from a leather worker and strop maker. Kevin at Hides to Art, page 4, post 37, is where he talks about adding oil to leather to customize draw and finish.

I guess it depends on how much Ballistol you use. I have never had that problem with it. All I know is that Ballistol works for me.


Slawman

This is an old thread I came on just bouncing around as a new member but it raises a question I have about strops. I have 3: two Russian one an old Chicago horse hide and one new made in Germany that I assume is cow; the third is a new cheap cow hide strop mostly for my carving tools. They all have very different draws to them, the old Chicago is very slick but in perfect condition, I cleaned it with a little saddle soap and gave it a touch of neats foot oil. The newer Russian has a medium draw and the cheap cow hide is real sticky. Is slick better? Is medium better on stainless like I am guessing and the carbon steel on the lighter draw? What is recommended?

I rub my palm over my face to pick up body oil, then rub the strop until it warms up.

Got the razor and the strop and some Ballistol from Portland Razor. No problem shaving around my beard/neck. Beautiful 2" 6/8 blade. Stropped on the non-leather piece, then on the leather strop. Only a couple of very tiny nicks which I glued down. I think stropping is the larger problem for me, so off I go to uTube for some additional instructions. Think I am going to enjoy this.

Curious how you repair small nicks in the strop. I have several small nicks that I believe can have the edges sanded with some 1000 grit sandpaper which should square the nicks up. Of course the treated part of the strop is no longer, and I am inclined to put some sort of conditioner on the nicked places once repaired. Ballistol? Something better? The strop, at least in my opinion is possessive of more character than severe damage, but I've got a new piece coming in. The existing strop will be relegated to a teaching device. Any suggestions. The razor is great. Stropping is beset with operator error, but improving.

If you have tabs hanging where you nicked it those can often be repaired with some contact cement or rubber cement. Another option is to either sand the offending areas smooth or trim it away. I prefer to trim with a razor blade but other here sAnd it down.