Thread: Well I cut my new strop !

I put a cut near the bottom ( near the "D" ring) of my strop. The cut is in the center about 1/2" across. Will this affect the blade if I strop over this area when stroping?

Welcome to the club. I'm been doing some reading recently on nick repair as I'm on strop number 2 and don't feel like going to number 3 yet.

As to your question, I'm sorry I can't answer that.

What I can share however is just buying replacement leather from a vendor is a much cheaper soloution then purchasing a new strop.

In the past I've sliced two different strops in multiple places. Some more nicks than cuts and a couple where really cut! Ouch - once nearly all the way through on one of the strop edges. In all cases I was able to fix them. The cleaner/bigger cuts were a bit easier to repair than the small nicks. I used contact cement. Open the cut up or flap it back or what have you. Carefully put contact cement on both surfaces of cut with toothpick or some such thing and let dry about 5 minutes or so. Firmly press cut back together. You can then use the strop with no ill effects to your razors. If a bunch of small nicks that actually removed bits of leather (nothing to glue back) then I've actually taken sand paper and sanded down the nicks starting with about a 200 grit and going down to about 600 grit. Apply a little neats foot oil or other leather conditioner and strop is like new. BTW, as noted you can opt to just replace the leather and it is much less expensive than a whole new strop.

+1, on the fix LouG said IME. After awhile strop nicks or cuts will be few to none. Hang in there, we've all done it and will probably do it again.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Hang in there, we've all done it and will probably do it again.

Speak for yourself!

I have to agee with the others, if you can, glue the flap down and make sure its smooth and let that be a lesson to ya!

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Speak for yourself!

I have to agee with the others, if you can, glue the flap down and make sure its smooth and let that be a lesson to ya!

Some of us have cut strops so bad, we had other members make them into paddles for us......

+1 on the glue, if you can glue the flap down, go for it...I was able to do that on an old paddle, and you can't even tell where it's fixed anymore...

The more you strop, the better you get. Never, ever strop distracted....

+1 on the steps to fix a nick.

I recently had an experience documented here in which because of my procrastination tendencies, I wound up stropping on my leather travel strop laid flat on the counter top for about a month. What I noticed when I went back to my hanging strop was a big improvement in my stropping technique. I found that I had to strop more slowly with the strop laid on a hard surface. This time spent on what I guess essentially amounted to a paddle strop really helped me cement the muscle memory, timing, and the flip. In retrospect, I think if I had started stropping this way back in May when I was brand-new to this, I probably wouldn't have dinged that strop up like I have. Maybe we ought to advise newbies to go this route starting out. Thoughts?

I am two months in and haven't nicked or cut my strop in about a month (knock on wood). I put about three nicks and a bad cut in mine during the first month. After reading several of the threads here I used rubber cement to repair the cut and a whet stone (for knives) to smooth out the nicks.

I have not had a problem with the smoothed nicks and repaired cut hurting my blade. I am that I can go six months without hurting my strop and then maybe I will by the SRD paddle strop for travel and paste.

+1, on the fix LouG posted. I spent my weekend sanding two deep cuts on a strop. Lessons learned to be sure. Take your time practicing with a strop. The best advice I got from this site was to practice with a butter knife. That way I wont hurt either myself or, better yet, the strop.

Thanks for the replies guys, no this cut is not very deep, I am going to try some neatsfoot oil and a lot of rubbing. Thanks again.