Scorcher of a Strop!

This came today in an eBay purchase in which my prize was a nice Robeson. The strop is 2.25" wide and the stropping area is a bit shorter than usual, maybe 14". The leathers loop through the top and bottom D ring and seem to be identical. The front label reads "The Scorcher, No. 215" and on the back "Super Sharpening Leather." Both sides, which seem identical, have a faint stamp "Genuine Shell Horse."

I plan to clean it with saddle soap and condition it with Neet's Foot Oil and see what it can do!

Any information anyone might have about this strop I'd love to receive, with gratitude!

That's a cool hook on top. How does that work? Is it common?

I suspect you already know this, but I'll say it anyway for anyone else thinking of re-conditioning a strop...

Go very light on the neatsfoot oil and be careful to distribute it uniformly. I prefer to rub a little on my hands and then rub the strop. You can always apply more but it's a lot more trouble to remove too much.

Those hooks on top are very versatile ... I have it on a vintage Dubl Duck, and love it. Unlike some attaching hardware, you can use it with an eye bolt, and not just a hook. It also is fairly flexible in the size hook you put it on ... for instance, you can actually put it around a towel rack, whereas most new hardware won't accomodate that size.

As to the Scorcher, I've heard very good things about them, and the fact that they are genuine "shell" horsehide separates them from other generically labeled vintage strops. You don't see them on ebay very often, but when you do, they command a premium. I know because I have bid on about 3 different "Scorchers" unsuccessfully, and they usually go for upwards of $100+ . As long as the strop is in good condition, I think you should be very happy. The only thing about vintage shell strops is that unfortunately, you can't get them in 3" widths :-) . Otherwise, my Dubl Duck is an awesome strop ... and already broken in which can be an issue with shell horse. To by a shell horse today (when they are available) is fairly expensive, and again, you have to break it in. I can definitely recommend, however, Neil Miller's (not related to Tony Miller) cordovan shell horse, and Tony Miller's (unfortunately Tony may not produce any more, but they show up from time to time as a resale).

I'd be interested to hear your impressions of the strop once you get it going. Also, if it is a little dry (it may not be), try a little glycerin on it ... that stuff works wonders, without making the strop oily or pasty. While you may not want to use glycerin as a regular conditioner, it's great for an initial restoration.

Good luck!
Vic

I bought a NOS Scorcher still wrapped in tissue paper for £3.75, in a bric-a-brac shop last year.The shop had two, I probably should have bought both. Mine's cowhide/linen though, not horse.

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Originally Posted by Shoki

That's a cool hook on top. How does that work? Is it common?

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The two hooks just open and close on each other. Works very well.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

I suspect you already know this, but I'll say it anyway for anyone else thinking of re-conditioning a strop...

Go very light on the neatsfoot oil and be careful to distribute it uniformly. I prefer to rub a little on my hands and then rub the strop. You can always apply more but it's a lot more trouble to remove too much.

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Roger that. I've made holsters for guns and cartridge-looped "money belts" to hang them on, and the oil propagates through the leather with amazing thoroughness!

I over-oiled an old saddle once and it took weeks to dry out enough to use!

Thanks for the reminder, I've been out of leather working for some years.