Thread: latigo cupping

I have a latigo 3" hanging strop that's about four years old. High quality. however, it has cupped a little and now middle parts of the razor don't make contact. Any advice? Though I neglected it for a few years, I condition it daily with my palm grease. Any advice?
Tnx

instant

Similar problem on mine too . What I did was do x-strokes when stropping , seems to do the trick .

Cheers,

Scott

The usual recommendation for cupping is either hang weights from the strop or try rolling a bottle or rolling pin on it or place a pile of books on it. Usually one of those seem to almost always work. As long as the leather hasn't deteriorated over time of course.

You can also try bending it in the opposite direction to see if that helps.

Truing your strop requires compression and moisture. If you are able to do so remove the center piece from all the hardware. Coil your strop in warm water (distilled is optional). Leave it long enough to get soft and pliable - could be minutes to an hour. I know, normally you would never wet a piece of leather, but this is necessary before applying pressure while it is drying. Lay flat on a concrete surface like your garage floor, place a two by four on top and load it evenly with weights, as much as you can. Uniform pressure is important. Leave it until completely dry. This may take a few days in some climates. Hang it, recharge with your favorite stropping lotion and be amazed at how flat and true your old strop is after this treatment. Regards.

I rub on my strop everytime I go into the bathroom (at my age quite often)Cup your hand the oppisite way of the cup,sort of trying to form it in a convex manner,will all equalize in short order.

Thanks for the great tips. I will try and let you know how it goes.
instant

Be careful with the wetting. That's the nuclear option to correct strop issues. It usually works where other methods fail but often times leaves all kinds of marking and stains on the leather and isn't really the best thing for the leather itself.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Be careful with the wetting. That's the nuclear option to correct strop issues. It usually works where other methods fail but often times leaves all kinds of marking and stains on the leather and isn't really the best thing for the leather itself.

Thebigspendur is right. Definitely start with the other methods.

However, my experience is that they only correct for minor irregularities; major ones may only correct temporarily.

My latigo 3" came shipped with other gear coiled up and squashed on one side. I was not amused by the no return policy. After trying everything else mentioned here I reluctantly yielded to the "nuclear option" as a last resort. Perhaps your cupping does not require it.

Also use some microfiber cloth to cover the finished side during the drying process. This will protect against marking or stains from the board. It worked for me. I have done several since then for some knife and razor friends. Good luck.

I find that using shaving lather as a conditioner helps to even out even big irregularities in my strops. works for me.