Thread: Illinios 827 warping

Originally Posted by jimmyfingers

I bought the 827 because it was a good starter strop and had a linen part.

I have been using it for about 3 months now and some of the leather looks like it is shrinking. I tried to capture it in pics but it cant. Some parts of the strop look like they have lost about a 1/4 inch.It looks like the leather is warping.

I keep it in a climate controlled room with no humidity.

My strop is no longer 2.5 in wide across the entire length. Is this normal?
I guess my main concern is if this will effect my stropping

In defene of the strop, were I stored in a room with no humidity, I'd probably get wierd(er) too.

I recommend contacting the vendor as well. The changes in the leather should be minimal and uniform as its packed with waxes and oils when it's tanned.

Thanks guys, I contacted the vendor about it. I haven't heard a reply back yet though.

Are the parts that are shrinking towards the ends or towards the middle? I noticed that when I was first starting to strop, I would pull the strop too tight and it started too change the shape of the strop. Luckily I noticed it soon enough and after letting it hang for a bit, rubbing with my palm and adjusting my pull strength it went back to its original shape. My strop had more of a bend in it though than getting skinnier. Good luck with the vendor.

If the room in which it is stored is truly humidity free, I would suspect that to be the problem in that it would lead to premature drying/aging of the leather.

Its shrinking in a few different places. I don't think its anything Im doing wrong because new places keep forming every week.

The vendor said he would give me my money back