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I have acquired a great old strop. While it is basically nick free it has gotten a bit stiff and not so supple. My plan is to scrub it clean with saddle soap and let air dry. I heard tallow based soaps also work well for this. My real question is what to do with the canvas side of the strop? It seems real stiff and hasn't much weave showing like it's caked with some sort of crud. I'm not sure if or how is the best way to clean it. I'm leaning toward saddle soap and elbow grease.
I've taken stiff and/or lumpy vintage linens and washed them in cold water and Woolite with good results. I've also thrown them in the washing machine but I like to hand wash them better. I let them air dry on a flat surface and they have come out really nice, clean and soft. Sometimes stains are still present but the linen is restored to a working condition.
A little more information on my strop. It's an Eagle Brand Manufactured in Seattle Washington. The Main Strop is Imported horse Hide. I washed it clean with Saddle Soap at it seams pretty soft and pliable. It had 1 small nick I found after cleaning and I carefully removed the very small flap and sanded it smooth. The Second part of the strop is imported pig skin. It too was washed and is soft and pliable. The canvas/linen (not sure what) part of the strop is three layer with a leather handle. I washed an scrubbed it by hand. That removed the majority of whatever was in the weave. Than I tossed it in the washing machine. This canvas/linen strop is still very stiff. Is this normal being stiff that is for a three layer canvas/linen strop? Is it Usable if it is stiff? I'll post pictures when I get a chance.