Thread: glazed, stiff Latigo

I now have a Vintage Blades latigo and webbed fabric (I believe it is the same as the SRD) strop, and a TM linen and horsehide. I'm pleased with all the strops, except for the Latigo. It seems hard and stiff, and the surface has a shiny glaze to it. The tactile sensation of stropping on it is unpleasant, like stropping on a strip of wood veneer. The strop is about a year old. I have tried repeated applications of neatsfoot oil (sparingly). The leather seems to soften at least on the surface for maybe a day or so, I get a little more draw, but within a couple of days I again have a strop that is "hard."

I've read the Wiki on strop maintenance. One thing that apparently works is rubbing the strop with a pumice stone, then using the neatsfoot. The pumice stone I have seems a little coarse for that. I think the front side of the leather would end up looking like the back side. I was thinking maybe some 1000 grit sandpaper instead.

Sound like a plan? Suggestions? My goal is to make the leather as much fun to strop on as the other surfaces -- they are all very different, but I enjoy each one, but the Latigo just doesn't seem "right."

Is it just a fast strop maybe ? Some of us like that feel.
If you must attack it with something, a diamond plate like a DMT is less likely to leave grit in the leather.

The pumice stone may LOOK very coarse, but it will not hurt the leather. I was wondering the same thing, and tried it, and it's a very mild abrasive. 1k grit paper would work as well, but make sure you don't rub too hard, or you may get grit particles stuck in the strop, and that wouldn't be very good

Try the pumice. You'll see it's not as bad as you think

Maybe PM Tony Miller. Though he didn't make the strop I am pretty sure he can inform you of a trick to achieve the desired feel you describe of the latigo.
Good Luck.

Sorry, but I am having trouble understanding this. A Latigo strop treated with neatsfoot and hand rubbed for a year should have extreme draw and be by no means be stiff. On the other hand, a horsehide strop just used for a year with no treatment would still be slick and somewhat stiffer. I have never seen any Latigo stiffen up from a sparing amount of neastfoot oil followed by some hand rubbing. Latigo's natural break in would include some leaching which is just the oil and wax wearing off and becoming very workable.

I would love to see this strop.

Thanks,

Lnn

Originally Posted by Lynn

Sorry, but I am having trouble understanding this. A Latigo strop treated with neatsfoot and hand rubbed for a year should have extreme draw and be by no means be stiff. On the other hand, a horsehide strop just used for a year with no treatment would still be slick and somewhat stiffer. I have never seen any Latigo stiffen up from a sparing amount of neastfoot oil followed by some hand rubbing. Latigo's natural break in would include some leaching which is just the oil and wax wearing off and becoming very workable.

I would love to see this strop.

Thanks,

Lnn

+ 1

Doesn't sound at all like any Latigo I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of full hides. I had a half-hide of red latigo once that was quite firm, but this was due to it being very thick (6.5mm or so on average) - even that softened up to what you would expect from latigo after a bit of use.

Latigo doesn't require breaking-in in my experience (leastwise, not in the usual strop thicknesses of 3.5 - 4.5mm) - the type used in strops is veg-tan leather, hot stuffed with oils and waxes in a revolving tub. There are two other main types - chrome-tanned (full chrome tannage and chrome re-tannage). These typically produce softer, more elastic leathers than veg-tan.

The pH control during tanning is a critical factor - if it is too low the leather becomes very hard - maybe there was a fault at the tannery? If so, a whole lot of strops will be affected.

Like Lynn, I too would like to see it!

Regards,
Neil

I have a very similar issue with a latigo strop that I have. It seems very slippery and doesn't give me any real draw. The surface is super stiff and shiny too. \
I've been considering the pumice stone as well...

Originally Posted by heirkb

I have a very similar issue with a latigo strop that I have. It seems very slippery and doesn't give me any real draw. The surface is super stiff and shiny too. \
I've been considering the pumice stone as well...

+1 on that, i HAD the same problem also, to fix it,i put a good coat of neetsfoot oil on it and let it soak in overnite and then just rubbed the strop with the heel of my hand until it got to hot and just kept repeating the rubbing.

Have you flexed it to help break it in. Something not sharp
like a knife steel or the back of a kitchen knife. Let it hang loose
and run it up and down a dozen times a couple days in a row.

While I do not like them, a fast strop should still strop up a razor well.

Typically all Latigo strops are pretty slick and may feel stiffer when new although some are treated differently and may feel more supple. The thicker the Latigo, the stiffer it will typically feel. The main thing is that they develop the heavy draw they are known far as they are or after they are broken in. They take a fair amount of palm rubbing and I like to use a couple of sparse neatsfoot oil treatments. Because of the oil and waxes used in the tanning, they will also typically leech a little bit as they are breaking in which I have never seen harm a razor when stropping. When you get past this stage, start enjoying the heavier draw. You can still strop and get decent results along the way. Just make sure that the edge and spine are on the strop and you roll on the spiine. Don't be in a hurry to win any races.

Lynn