Thread: Rejuvenating old strop

I have a vintage Valet Auto Strop leather strop. It's in good condition, but a little dry. It's not cracked, it's just not supple. The things I have here at hand are: Dubbin Shoe Grease, Mink Oil, Saddle Soap, Huberd's Shoe Oil, Wilson Leather Creme, and Florsheim Leather Lotion. Are any of these decent choices? Thanks,
Cleave

Originally Posted by cpool

I have a vintage Valet Auto Strop leather strop. It's in good condition, but a little dry. It's not cracked, it's just not supple. The things I have here at hand are: Dubbin Shoe Grease, Mink Oil, Saddle Soap, Huberd's Shoe Oil, Wilson Leather Creme, and Florsheim Leather Lotion. Are any of these decent choices? Thanks,
Cleave

Mink oil will work..
I would be tempted to use a bit of everything

Saddle soap to clean and neatsfoot oil to condition it.

Check this post out:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...ml#post1729966

You want some hydration in old dry leather.

Originally Posted by Kees

Saddle soap to clean and neatsfoot oil to condition it.

Yes, the old standbys work well. Don't drown the strop in neatsfoot oil but apply it sparingly and do more coats as needed.

Bob

Thanks, guys, I appreciate the help. I don't have any neatsfoot oil, so I was wondering if any of the things I mentioned might help in a pinch

If the Mink oil is devoid of silicons, it works great, a bit at a time.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

If the Mink oil is devoid of silicons, it works great, a bit at a time.

Just curious... why no silicone? I have two products with Mink Oil, but both have silicones. Thanks for the info

Unless you want to ruin your strop, do not add oil to it until you have re-hydrated it. That is, wipe it with a barely damp cloth followed by a dry cloth 10 minutes later a few days in a row until it has become more supple.
After that, wipe it with a barely damp cloth again, wait 10 minutes, and only then apply a ridiculously small amount of oil to the palm of your hand, rub both hands together, and then rub your oiled hands onto the barely damp leather. Wait a half hour and wipe off the excess oil with a dry cloth.

Utopian speaks the truth . It can take a month or more to properly re-hydrate a strop.

I did some digging on mink oil for pigskin on some strops I am rehydrating.
Mink oil with silicone was not recommended...