Thread: Recycle of damaged strop

I don't know about everyone else, but my first strop has seen it's days from the nicks I put in it when I started. I guess I could still use it, but prefer not.
I'd like to know what the best way would be to put the back of the strop into use. It is a 3 inch wide latigo from SRD.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Make it into a paddle strop.

Use it to administer corporal punishment to the kids.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Use it to administer corporal punishment to the kids.

my kids are away at college......Besides I still have my Lignum Vitae night stick

Is the back of the leather useful for anything?

Hey Mvcrash the back side if it is rough leather can be used like the linen or canvas side of other strops. It can also be used as a pasted strop, I like using rough leather for my paste as i think it holds better, or you can sand it smooth to use as an everyday strop

Originally Posted by Castel33

Hey Mvcrash the back side if it is rough leather can be used like the linen or canvas side of other strops. It can also be used as a pasted strop, I like using rough leather for my paste as i think it holds better, or you can sand it smooth to use as an everyday strop

If I choose to sand it, what should I use? Using it for paste is high on my list right now. I guess I can make it into a pasted Paddle strop!!

To sand it smooth you would just use ever increasing fine sand paper till you got the texture you wanted on the strop. I have only done it once and really didn't keep track of what I did. I know some guys like to get their strops to were its like suede or velvet like texture and that they do that by sanding it but I don't know how exactly they go about it. But if you already have another strop I say go with the pasted paddle strop idea.

Originally Posted by Mvcrash

If I choose to sand it, what should I use? Using it for paste is high on my list right now. I guess I can make it into a pasted Paddle strop!!

If you decide to sand it I would try a small area first, perhaps under one of the attachment flaps. Some latigo leathers are quite soft and break up fast into a lot of fibres when sanded. Also, don't use too coarse a paper - I'd see what 600 grit did first. Wet-and-dry paper would be better than glasspaper - it is far less likely to embed small particles of grit in the leather.

If the nicks are mostly confined to the edges, you could always trim the long edges with a metal straight edge and a sharp knife - losing 1/4 inch of each side would still give you a generous 2 1/2 inch wide strop.

Regards,
Neil

If the nicks cluster at the ends, you could cut it shorter and use it as a travel strop. I'm doing that with one I have. I can salvage about 12-13" of very nice stropping space, so I"m using a Tony Miller DIY kit (strop hardware) to turn it into a shorter, 3" travel strop.