Thread: Lathering a strop

I would be concerned that adding lead might result in a version of a pasted strop, something I have tried to avoid. The lather, any kind I was using at the time, has seemed to work wonders for me. I lather the soap on heavy, leave it out overnight to dry (and to allow the strop to absorb the lather), and rub it in the next day. I have experienced build-up of soap and dye from the strop on the blade, but it is easily wiped off. The increase in draw is significant, turning my paddle into a "draw machine".

A while ago I oiled a couple of strops and found the draw increased quite a lot. They became much easier to use but I don't think there was any difference in the actual blade edge. Are you guys saying you think draw improves the edge, just makes it easier to strop, or both?
The one strop I have that hasn't been treated is an Ambrose horsehide. It has no draw but gives me a great edge, so I'm reluctant to coat it with alum just yet.

I think 'draw' defines the interaction of the strop with the blade. If it is increased, then the effect on the blade should be enhanced. That has been my experience every time I've lathered my strop. YMMV, but my results have made me a believer.

Draw isn't good or bad, it just is. It's an effect, a power. Imagine a hone with an adjustable grit. That is what a strop is, only on a higher magnitude. You could describe a 4k stone as having more draw then an 8k stone. That doesn't make it better. Run the razor over two grits, one has more draw, right? More tension. That doesn't make 4k better. But now jump to a grit magnitude 100 times finer and you may prefer more action over less action.

As I stated in a recent thread, You don't have to use your good soaps, just find a tallow soap. If you're really hard up, you can use Ivory soap. An old time barber I know uses it on his strops, and he said it works great.

Tallow is the key

I've made bullwhips for several years now and the recipes for plaiting soap are just that... tallow or lard based soaps used to plait the braids of the whip to make them tight and supple. Seems to me it should work on strops too.

Did my T miller heirloom #2 last week using Cella,love the treatment.

This is a thread good enough to bookmark.

Yeah I thought about trying the soap treatment in the past. I would have to do it on a strop that I don't care about to experiment. Reading what honedright posted from the barber manuals the rubbing down with a bottle was important and long and drawn out. If I wasn't alright with the results I have been getting with my SRD premium 1 I might have been driven to it. I figure if it ain't broke why fix it ? OTOH, experimenting is good too. Maybe it could be better than it is.

I have a HandAmerican horse butt from Keith that I made my own strop out of. Works good for me as I don't like a lot of draw. I put neatsfoot oil .... very lightly .... on one of two Tony Miller horsehide strops I have. Those who have them know they have little or no draw. The light application of neatsfoot made a significant difference and increased the draw on the one I applied it to. So I'm cautious, wanting to dip my foot in the waters before I dive in. It is an interesting topic though, Especially considering the good reports of members who've gotten the good results.

I used the bottle technique ( maybe 10 mins) What it did for my heirloom which is maybe two mos old is it made it feel and draw like an old will used strop,less draw which I like,I hate new strops with a passion,just like I hate new shoes and belts.