Red Imp strop

[alex1921]

After having lunch on Thursday I made it to an antique shop and found a red imp strop. The thing was dried out and hard as a board.
Wanted to pick it up and try restoring it but they were asking too much for it, for my taste anyways so I passed.

[Christian1]

Saw one very similar to that at one place but it was folded up. They were asking a bit too much as well. Last 2-3 antique stores I have been to have had a fair share of extremely rusted straights for 50$+ =/.

[alex1921]

I was a bit disappointed because the surface had no cracks or cuts but he didn't want to negotiate. He had straights, no rust but everything was 4/8. Not my cup of tea.

[Euclid440]

Looks very savable, leave your contact info and offer, towards the end of the month some vendors get more “flexible”. Negotiation is a dance.

When hydrating, go slow adding oil and moisture a little at a time. It can take months, but those old strops are worth the effort, and a bit of money.

I have bought some for top dollar and some for a couple of bucks. They are all worth the money once restored.

[alex1921]

That you Marty. I think that's what I was looking for, a little push Will give it a week and go back to see if we can make a deal.

[sloanwinters]

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.

[thebigspendur]

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.

[Euclid440]

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.

[sloanwinters]

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

[joelkerr]

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.