Thread: Hope I didn't ruin it

Awhile back I got a really nice RR horsehide strop. While it was a nice piece of leather, it was extremely slick and smooth with no draw.

At first I tried some neatsfoot oil, which made the leather look a little richer, but didn't add much to the draw. So, after reading a lot on the subject I finally used some shaving soap, let it soak in and followed up with a glass, rubbing it up and down the strop for about ten minutes.

Beautiful color and added draw. Not sure if it's shaving any better. Hope I didn't ruin it.

Yeah, I know I should have done nothing and just stropped on it, but at my age I would have been dead before I saw any improvements.

It's most likely fine. The jury is out whether soap is good or bad for strops. I personally feel that once a strop is broken in (from repeated use) the draw will continue to improve until it reaches its potential. But if you got your desired result then congrats

Shaved with it for the first time tonight. Used my favorite Dovo razor. Shave was good, except where I rushed it under my neck and nicked myself (ouch), but the added draw on the strop made stropping a very pleasurable experience. Before, the razor would just zing across the leather with little feedback.

I'm not going to do anything else to it now except rub my palm across it when passing by.

Funny. My old Filly had a perfect draw right out of the box.