Thread: Misadventure #1 - restoring antique strop.

Neil. Yes it was B&B and the one I read mentioned pumice and bottle were optional. After seeing the pumice I thought it prudent to garner more expertise before continuing. Thank you to everyone above this post.

Quick update! I've spent time with applying lather, and rubbing it into the strop's face. During the process, froth or foam was not present the entire time as concentrating on rubbing the tallow soap in rather than (imv) caking it on froth upon froth. I gave several applications.

Result thus far; I'm astonished with how different it is in appearance and 'bend'. I did use a LOT of elbow grease over the 100 minutes, and it's now laying flat on cloth with final coat of lather on face and smear on the back. Note, (tabac tallow soap) (NB: elbow grease is a colloquialism)

I did take pictures before. I plan on after pics as well.

Hopefully the bottling will have smoothed the surface of the leather and the tallow in the soap will have increased the suppleness of the leather.

Most changes in leather - drying, splitting, cracking, stiffness - are due to losing moisture. The fibres in the leather contract and lose the ability to 'slide' over each other - the result is a bit of stiff or brittle leather. If it goes too far it is irreversible.

A certain amount of oil will trap the moisture in the leather - when it comes from the tannery leather has between about 15% - 20% oil content on average. Oxidation of the oil over time lets the moisture out of the leather.

So a certain amount of oil is good, but too much is very bad - that is why it is best to lightly dampen the surface of the leather before oiling, and to apply the oil from a bunched-up, lint-free cloth so not too much is absorbed. Strangley, oiling the back often results in a more even distribution of oil.

Regards,
Neil

Neil.... just a question. Do you think that the tallow from the soap is as easily absorbed as neatsfoot oil? To me, the viscosity is very different, that is why I suggested using oil first.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Neil.... just a question. Do you think that the tallow from the soap is as easily absorbed as neatsfoot oil? To me, the viscosity is very different, that is why I suggested using oil first.

I think you are right Randy - the oil would seem to be more appropriate - tallow is quite thick at room temperature.

Regards,
Neil

does tanned leather really have oil in it? I am not so sure. I think the process-choose the one you like best- will take the oil out. Some leathers like latigo have oil wax treatments as part of the finishing process

To me neatsfoot oil is nasty rancid stuff so I was pleased to read in Shaving made Easy not to use oil which I had already concluded. But then again I never had a old dry-rotted, cracked strop either.

Water will evaporate away quickly and any inordinate stiffness will relax in short order especially if you bottle burnish and hand rub. Strops are not footwear or exposed to the rigors of outdoor gear and we now know that mink oil and similar treatments will ultimately shorten the lifespan of such items.

If the pumice has left the surface too nappy then some finer sandpaper will lower that. My leather which was new had its most effective treatment with dry castile soap rubbed on and burnished into the surface - big time draw, very smooth surface.

Originally Posted by kevint

does tanned leather really have oil in it? I am not so sure. I think the process-choose the one you like best- will take the oil out. Some leathers like latigo have oil wax treatments as part of the finishing process

To me neatsfoot oil is nasty rancid stuff so I was pleased to read in Shaving made Easy not to use oil which I had already concluded. But then again I never had a old dry-rotted, cracked strop either.

Water will evaporate away quickly and any inordinate stiffness will relax in short order especially if you bottle burnish and hand rub. Strops are not footwear or exposed to the rigors of outdoor gear and we now know that mink oil and similar treatments will ultimately shorten the lifespan of such items.

If the pumice has left the surface too nappy then some finer sandpaper will lower that. My leather which was new had its most effective treatment with dry castile soap rubbed on and burnished into the surface - big time draw, very smooth surface.

Mostly it does - to what degree depends on the process. without any oils or tallow it would rot and disintegrate in short order. The types of oil vary from animal, fish, egg yolk and brains, etc. The oil impregnation usually precedes the tanning process.

As if that wasn't enough, the end procedures often include replenishing oils that are lost during prep, liming, deliming, fleshing, curing, tanning and colouring.

During tanning the hides are soaked in the tanning solution to strengthen them, then they are often re-tanned and oils are added along with dyes if necessary.

Then there is the dressing stage, where the hides may be waxed and/or injected with oil.

One of the processes is even called 'fatliquoring' and involves suspension in an emulsion - an oil/water suspension. Oils involve olive oil, egg yolk (for fat content), neatsfoot, sulphated fish oils, linseed oil, hemp oil, maize oil, sunflower oil, castor oil, cocnut oil, cod and shark liver oils, beef tallow, sheep tallow, lard, bone fat, and waxes such as carnauba wax, beeswax, lanolin. non-animal or vegetable oils and fats are also used: paraffin wax, mineral oil, fatty alcohols, etc, etc, etc.

So yes, it does have oil in it.

Regards,
Neil

I do thank you guys for responding. I have always wondered what the process was to make a piece of leather but I have never seen a really comprehensive description.

One of the main questions I have is just how long has that piece of leather been sitting on the shelf, drying out? The impetus for that came when I visited Sykes Belting Co. in St. Louis Park, MN. He had stacks of leather laying around and some had been there for years! As a consequence I have been applying a coating of neatsfoot oil to any piece of leather that I purchase.

Just rambling,

After spending my entire life around horses, motorcycles, and rednecks I had no worries about caring for my strop.

Lessons:

1. Do NOT use baseball glove oil. It contains petrol products to break the leather down to soften it. At best it will leave the strop sticky, at worst it will be worse :P

2. Invest in a tin of saddle soap paste. Yes it is used with water but it will not leave the leather cupped, warped, or stiff. Just follow the directions on the tin. I do rinse it off but you don't have to.

3. If you insist on adding more oil to the leather after the saddle soap(it is oily) only use PURE neatsfoot oil.

4. Do not leave the strop in direct sunlight

5. if it gets wet I would dry it with light weight hanging from it. I use 5 or 6 plastic clothes hangers hanging it from a closet rod.

6. Rub it a lot.

If you need to find saddle soap and neatsfoot oil you can order it off the net or find a local tack shop. They are pretty much everywhere.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

I do thank you guys for responding. I have always wondered what the process was to make a piece of leather but I have never seen a really comprehensive description.

One of the main questions I have is just how long has that piece of leather been sitting on the shelf, drying out? The impetus for that came when I visited Sykes Belting Co. in St. Louis Park, MN. He had stacks of leather laying around and some had been there for years! As a consequence I have been applying a coating of neatsfoot oil to any piece of leather that I purchase.

Just rambling,

I left a few of the steps out, Randy, mostly because they are a bit 'indelicate' or at least they used to be in the old days. To break down the leather it can be left to rot for a while - it helps to loosen the hairs and aids in removing the fleshy layer and blood vessels. After this step animal dung was/is used - mainly from dogs and birds (you can still get a whiff of it from leathers sold abroad - I noticed it very much in Cyprus and parts of Spain - the smell is a bit ameliorated but still stays in the leather).

In the old days they had people called 'dung gatherers' who went out in the early hours before everyone was abroad. They had a sack that they scooped dog dirt into. God knows where they kept the sack during the day! In consequence of this tanneries gave off an enormous stench - so they were often situated on the outskirts of town where the smell would be less objectionable. One of the most disagreeable tasks must have been preparing the dung water into which the skins were placed - people trod it into the skins with their bare feet, much like pressing grapes. Or it could be simply daubed all over the skins. Undiluted.

Slightly less disagreeable was the preparation of 'brain soup' - one of the old maxims was that "every animal has enough brains to tan its own hide". Tanning with brains gives a very soft leather. Another contender is urine, which gives a whitish leather. Urine was also sometimes used to aid the de-hairing process.

Not very pleasant to think of when you are stropping a razor on that old vintage strop...

Regards,
Neil

I have a friend that tans his deer hides every year just to get better at being able to do it. He uses the brain meathod then stretchesit and works it from there. He has done both fur on and fur off. The results were more like satin than leather. Amazing stuff.