Thread: Strop restorations

Evening chaps,

I picked up some old strops in a box of old stuff from a long-gone barber's shop. Before I go in heavy-handed, I'm wondering what the thinking on restoration in the forum is.

Here is the haul:


The hanging strop is some sort of napped leather, with fabric on the back. Both sides are in pretty poor shape and dirty. On the plus side, the leather is amazingly not too dried out and looks salvageable. However, there are a few loose threads in the cotton/linen on the back, and some serious nicks in the leather: I'm thinking first glue up the nicks with leather cement, then clean the leather with saddle soap, then start the process of moisturising. Is that a reasonable order of service?

Then there is the paddle strop. It is an interesting one, it has a leather side and a sprung wooden side:


With this one, maybe just clean and condition the leather, but what about the wooden side? It is designed to be used simply as plain wood? Luckily, the wood still has a surprising amount of spring in it.

Finally, the loom strop:


This one is in the worst shape of all, there are some big nicks in the leather, the leather feels very dry and hard, and the fabric is dirty and worn. Would I be looking at taking them both off and re-tensioning them?

Thanks!

Don't ask me , ive been restoring one for over a year now..
Probably should check on it :/

Originally Posted by JOB15

Don't ask me , ive been restoring one for over a year now..
Probably should check on it :/

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm in no rush!

I used leatherique cleaning solutions (for car seats) and sanded out the slices/nic's with 400 grit glass paper which was a mistake because the little glass particles embed on the surface of the strop.

Mine is hanging in a cupboard on a coat hanger and it has a lot of draw, too much I'd say.

There was a period when I would strop on it daily to try and condition it back to life.

Hope this helps

Originally Posted by JOB15

Hope this helps

Yes it does!

I've read as much as I can on the forums here. And I'm no stranger to leather. But for example, I'm still a bit unsure about how to wash the linen on the hanging strop without getting the leather wet, or how to re-tension the loom strop. And how should that sprung paddle strop be used? Can replacement linen be bought for strops?

Let's see if anyone feels like chipping in.

Originally Posted by Montgomery

Yes it does!

I've read as much as I can on the forums here. And I'm no stranger to leather. But for example, I'm still a bit unsure about how to wash the linen on the hanging strop without getting the leather wet, or how to re-tension the loom strop. And how should that sprung paddle strop be used? Can replacement linen be bought for strops?

Let's see if anyone feels like chipping in.

Not in your area, but here's a couple of chips:
 
 
Strop Replacement Parts