Thread: Cotton stop is grey...replace?

My Tony Miller cotton is fairly discolored from a year of stropping (pre-leather of course). When is it time to replace these guys? I presume the discoloration is the steel that is being worn off. Thanks jim

I would appreciate it as patina on a carbon steel wok

I've never seen an old barber's strop without ding on the linen.

Personally I would treat it to an ironed in beezwax application like so many used to do.

I too have the Tony Miller Cotton Canvas. It is very durable and has tons of years of use.
Best wishes MikeB

Heck no! Use that hard won oxidized iron embedded in the strop to your advantage.


After all, that's what jewelers rouge is!!

Jeweler's Rouge (Fe2O3) from READE

If anything, the tiny steel particles will act as a "dry slurry." Can't hurt the linen's performance at all.

mine got pritty grey and kinda glased i just gave it a brush over with some left over lather left it for a min a scrubed it off with a clean cloth came up shiney and new and is working great

I seem to recall Glen telling me once that every couple of years
on his Illinois linen he would use a nylon brush to get some of
the buildup out of it.

Is the strop still performing well?

- Scott

Scott has a great memory

I brush them out with a stiff nylon floor brush...

When I read this thread last night I was thinking of this thread too


Chalk - Straight Razor Place Forums

I used that routine for years on a Illinois linen strop...then I found SRP and learned about so many neat new toys hehehehe

Thank you all! I do take some pride in the aging of this strop.