Thread: Misadventure #1 - restoring antique strop.

Neil, surely some of those tannages will not produce a leather suitable for strops.
But I did do a bit of reading on the matter and you are right. My favorite leather is true oak tan- but I suppose there may still be sources for other tans that are done with proper attention

many times I have read some wishful advice on oiling that says "try not to use too much" which sounded a lot to me like it never went well for anyone and it was figured to be theoretically possible.

what about oiling the flesh side if you must oil?

I really just cant imagine the need for using any on a new or well cared for vintage piece.

Boots, tack, stuff like that. I apologize to the OP if he lives out of doors

Originally Posted by kevint

Neil, surely some of those tannages will not produce a leather suitable for strops.
But I did do a bit of reading on the matter and you are right. My favorite leather is true oak tan- but I suppose there may still be sources for other tans that are done with proper attention

many times I have read some wishful advice on oiling that says "try not to use too much" which sounded a lot to me like it never went well for anyone and it was figured to be theoretically possible.

what about oiling the flesh side if you must oil?

I really just cant imagine the need for using any on a new or well cared for vintage piece.

Boots, tack, stuff like that. I apologize to the OP if he lives out of doors

That's correct - some produce very soft leathers like you would use for clothing, gloves, that sort of thing. I was just listing the general details, not concentrating on strop leather (but even that varies wildly from very hard, stiff leathers to very soft leathers from a diversity of animals).

You also have to consider that "tanning" is just one step in the process. It follows the 'bating' (dung covering) step. Originally the tanning process involved using plant material - it contains tannins (hence 'tanning'), of which oak leaves are a particularly rich source. Oils/fats/tallow/lard may have been introduced in steps both prior to and after tanning.

I absolutely agree that oiling the flesh side promotes a more even coverage, but it can be hard to put on just a small amount if the flesh side is very coarse and textured and if the oils have oxidised than something is needed to trap the moisture on both sides, so treatment - even if it is just saddle soaping (which contains oils such as neatsfoot and lanolin) is best carried out on both sides.

Like you, I can't see any reason to use oil on a new strop unless you wanted to alter the draw to suit you (but then a leather of suitable draw should probably have been selected in the first place), but loss of oil leading to loss of moisture and fibre contraction does affect a lot of old strops - you can see that crazed pattern on the dressed/finish side of them. - that cannot be cured by re-oiling.

Regards,
Neil