Strops, strops

Found two used strops at a good price. I really only wanted the one, but they came together, so...

One is a Sear's Craftsman "Timber Tanned Butt Hide" which is nearly pristine. No evidence of use. The leather surface has a small crack on it, I will probably try to repair and sand down. The handle has some of the canvas thread broken, but is perfectly serviceable.

The other is a "Pliable Russia" and has some writing on the handle I haven't made out yet. Heavy use. Leather is a bit dry and will need rehydrating.

Both have linen sides. The Craftsman looks unused, but is impregnated with a little bit of waxy compound. The Pliable Russia is heavily used with some sort of paste rubbed in.

Decent finds I think, particularly the Craftsman. No neatsfoot oil out here in the desert... I'll likely use coconut oil over time.

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Closer inspection on the Russia Pliable... it has a quarter inch crack all the way through on the edge, about mid-point on the strop... will likely have to lose the leather on that one.

Given the age, I'll probably handwash the linen components from both... downside to that? I expect they may shrink a little, but they are a nice heavy linen that's hard to get nowadays.

The lack of access or neatsfoot oil should be a problem. Use another oil that will not go rancid over time, but stay away from petroleum for the most part. Bummer on the crack. There are a some older work in progress threads about how different people have washed out linen. Some have gotten shrinkage and others not. Good luck and nice find.

Neetsfoot, Ballistol or Olive oil work well, I have been using olive oil on leather for about a year now, since it was recommended by renown leather tooling artist and saddle maker, Don Gonzales.

The trick is to clean the leather with as little water as possible and add oil slowly, very slowly to damp leather ½ ounce at a time over a period of weeks or months and to roll the leather. It can take months to rehydrate leather, it took years to dry out.

Linen will shrink if left to its own, but can be rolled, stretched and blocked to prevent shrinkage. You will need to un-sew the leather handle, but it can easily be hand sewed back on. Vintage linen is a joy to use, worth the effort to restore.

If the cut is too bad in the leather, make a paddle strop from it and glue it to a piece of wood. I use cut up inexpensive 3/8 th inch bamboo cutting boards for paddles.

I've spent quite some time hydrating the strop. I cleaned the linen (twice) and sowed the handle back on.

It's an interesting strop. Very fast. The linen is nice thick and heavy. Maybe it will grow on me... but I prefer my Tony Miller horsehide & modern linen.