Thread: Red Imp strop

i just picked up a similar red imp 700c today. pretty good shape with still some flex. hopeful it can be restored. do any members offer strop restoration services? or know where i might look?

thanks.
-s.

I've never heard of strop restoration services on this site.

Basically you get some quality leather cleaner and once cleaned up you use leather conditioner to restore it. There are several on the market; bick, leatherique or neatsfoot oil to name a few. Everyone has their favorites.

I know the Razor Emporium does strop restoration, I have seen some of their work and it is ok, not near the level of some of the work posted on this site.

Restoration of a strop is dependent on the condition to begin with and can be very time intensive, making a full restoration not very profitable. Much like a razor many folks that do full restoration are not getting rich.

If you cannot find someone restoring to the level you are looking for, there are many good posts on how to do it, the trick it to go slow it is easy to do more damage than good.

thanks guys. yeah, thats what i am afraid of. taking what could be a beautiful strop and destroying it due to my inexperience.

Originally Posted by sloanwinters

thanks guys. yeah, thats what i am afraid of. taking what could be a beautiful strop and destroying it due to my inexperience.

If I learned to do it, you can too! There's a lot of great information on this forum, much of it from Euclid440. Restoring strops requires minimum investment in supplies (just sandpaper, mink oil or neatfoot oil or something similar, and some saddle soap), and some patience. That's it! Anytime you have questions, there are a lot of guys here who are happy to answer and to encourage - I know this from experience. Plus it's super satisfying to learn to do it yourself.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/stroppi...dry-dirty.html
I have used Euclid's method and it has worked very well.

I used to collect strops and my method was use bick leather cleaner which is designed for quality leather and just keep at it until the leather is clean. Then bick conditioner until the leather becomes supple. To finish it off a few DROPS of Neatsfoot oil. The time it takes and effort expended will depend on the shape the leather is in. It could take quite some time if it's in bad shape. Often times you have to treat both sides of the strop.

I have this thing about saddle soap. I don't like it except for what it is designed for, saddles and very tough leather. I keep water away from leather as a general rule.