Thread: paste, taking it off?

I understand that once you put paste on a strop there is no way to get ALL of it off again but can you get most of it off?
I had a moment of stupid when I started and put dovo red and black on either side of a black beauty strop.
ok so after asking and not really asking, how do I get it off or am I stuffed?
oh, and does anyone know what grits the red and black are?

There is a comment on this short thread that seems reasonable although I have no experience with this topic myself.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...green-red.html

Kalgoorlieboi,

I have had reasonable results using lighter fluid (Ronson) on a microfibre cloth to remove these types of paste.

After the leather has dried, rub a couple of drops of neatsfoot oil into the leather to re-condition.

Good luck !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Red paste is 3 micron and the Black paste is 1 micron if memory serves. You can wash the paste off with liquid dish detergent and water, then saddle soap it and wipe clean with a wet sponge or rag. Lay it flat to dry thoroughly and apply neatsfoot oil. Should come back like new.

Be sure to get all the detergent and saddle soap off the surface before it dries.

You'll never get it all off because the abrasive becomes embedded into the strop. You can get most off and it might look clean but I'll bet with some serious magnification you can still see the abrasive. Does the stuff you can't get off matter? I don't know.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Does the stuff you can't get off matter? I don't know.

thats the big question isn't it, I was pretty confident I could use something to break down the paste but getting rid of sufficient amount of the grit is where it's really at.
I'll have a go with te saddle soap and see how I go.
Thank you for the help Gentlemen

How about wiping off the excess and then not worrying about it. Please do not use a detergent on leather, a mild soap is better. Detergent and soap are not the same thing.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

You'll never get it all off because the abrasive becomes embedded into the strop. You can get most off and it might look clean but I'll bet with some serious magnification you can still see the abrasive. Does the stuff you can't get off matter? I don't know.

+2 on what he said. You will never clean that strop. Best bet is to wipe off as much excess as you can with a cotton rag and let that be your 1st Red/Black. It's usually your 1st pasted setup anyway. The red is 8k, and really works well off the rough side of a stop. The Black is 12k and works best on smooth leather from my applications. YMMV. I still use my 1st R/B from a loooong time gone by. Illinois 127.

So while you're not "stuffed", you are definitely committed.

Originally Posted by Bladerunner

So while you're not "stuffed", you are definitely committed.

quite poetically put that lol

Seriously, why does anyone paste anything? that is the one thing I read about that just doesn't make sense to me. If you hone or have it done it seems to me all you need is a dry piece of leather to strop with. What am I missing?............JR