Originally Posted by
Neil Miller
Thanks Rich - much obliged!
As described, this is like the old russian horse hide - stiffer than usual. It is exceptionally fine grained, and very, very strong - blunts cutting tools in no time when you are making strops from it! On some pieces there is also a pleasing natural marking.
It has very little draw like others have said, but this is usually the reason for buying it. It will probably require some pre-conditioning as described in the item description but try it as-is first to see how you get on. The conditioning steps are quite easy. I have one I use conditioned with saddle soap and neatsfoot (the saddle soap is "soft soap" - glycerine and oil rich) and it really does make the strop much more supple and much less prone to any cupping. The process does darken the leather though, which is why I decided not to do it to the strops I have advertised.
Even after conditioning, particularly if you omit or are very sparing with the neatsfoot oil, the draw is only slightly increased.
Regards,
Neil