Thread: Pros and cons of using lather to treat strop

I understand that some people use extra lather to treat their strops instead of oil.

Pros? Cons?

Thanks

If it is a new strop or one that is used but in excellent condition, not an old dried out or dirty strop, most 'experts' recommend simply rubbing your palm across it a dozen times before stropping. The natural oils from your hand will benefit the leather and won't overdo it. Neatsfoot oil will increase the draw and darken the leather. If you want to increase the draw that is the stuff. A little goes a long way so go easy. As for lather, the old barbers used to do it and it is written about in some barber manuals. Do an advanced search for keyword lather and user name honedright for some good info on how to treat your strop with lather if that is what you want to do.

A+ on JimmyHAD's recommendation about rubbing with palm of hand.

I recently acquired a vintage strop that was pretty dirty but good overall condition. I used lather to clean and condition the strop. Since it was pretty dirty I had to treat it twice. Now it is one of my better strops with very good draw.

I have used lather to clean and condition a couple of vintage strops with very good results. I have used saddle soap and Neatsfoot oil in the past but like the results better using lather and rubbing with palm of hand.

Some people swear by it, but having tried it myself on an old strop I was less than impressed. I only use the palm of my hand.

I have read that the bottom line is that it depends upon how the leather was originally tanned. Lather can complement or be of detriment to it.

After I finish shaving I use the left over lather upon the leather strop and it seems to give it quite a bit of draw and it sounds good too as if I can hear the edge coming into its own.

I cut up my first strop being a beginner so I replaced the leather from a local leather warehouse and I did not pay much for it even though it is an excellent thick piece of undyed hide so I tried the lather as I could easily replace the leather again if it all went wrong.

My lather consists of quality shaving soap, shaving cream, liquid lanolin and glycerin.

I brush it on with my shaving brush and palm it in; I also have lathered the leather up and let it dry.

I use an SRD Modular Paddle with the English Bridle pad. I lather it up every two weeks or so with great results. I lather it up and let the lather dry overnight. The only "con" I've seen is that the blade receives some buildup on its surface while stropping. It has been easy to remove, and the increase in draw is worth any trouble it causes.

Check out this archived thread here on the topic. Particularly posts by honedright and by Neil Miller.

I have a very nice vintage strop which I have played around with quite a bit, as it arrived with some surface dings requiring it to be sanded smooth. It was certainly a fun way to try out all the stuff you read in those old barber manuals. When I did shaving soap (I used Williams), I found that it raised a very slight grain/nap in the leather, and did increase the draw a bit, while at the same time drying out the strop a bit. I found that it seemed to leave a slightly less smooth edge. I found saddle soap, if rubbed in and left to dry, will have a similar effect, but with less nap, more draw, and not as dry. I wound up lightly sanding it back to butter smooth, giving it an overnight coating in lanolin, and then quickly lathering with saddle soap and immediately wiping it off/drying to remove the excess (I probably could have just been more judicious with the lanolin ). I use the lanolin on this strop because it gives slightly more draw than mink oil, and it's sitting in a tub in the bathroom anyway. I don't have neatsfoot so can't compare to that. It is important to not use too much lanolin, or alternatively to remove the excess, because if there is a build up on the surface the draw will be insanely high.

Now, if only I could figure out how to get the cloth component on the strop to act right.

I would NOT recommend doing any of this on a newer strop (high end or low). You don't want to ruin a good thing. It is about making something work for you, that might otherwise not. I sincerely doubt most of this stuff would work well on those leathers that have a sort of treated looking surface, but are more natural looking underneath

PS, the mixture of dried Williams on a vintage strop (smells like old leather and decomposing canvas), is quite a smell to behold.

You know, the old lather/soap thing was used back in "the day" by old Barber's, probably because that's what they hand handy. Some guys still do it today. Keep in mind soap/lather back then was different than today's. Leather is Leather, If it's a nice strop, I wouldn't do anything other than rub it down with my oily unwashed hand.

If you have an old/vintage strop that needs tlc, Again, it's leather, I'd clean it with saddle soap, and retreat with neetsfoot oil or mink oil, very sparingly, a little goes a long way, and it will, more than likely, change the draw.

The linen can be cleaned up as well with some woolite, in the sink, and layed out flat to dry.

Steveorocks,

+1 on Zib's observation that soaps were different back in the day; IIRC they were more 'over-fatted' than the majority of modern formulations.

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ