Thread: Strop care

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As some of you probably know from prior postings, I am in the process of learning to strop properly with keeping the wrist straight, never letting the razor leave the strop, etc.

I found a less expensive than usual leather strop on ebay (referenced above) and decided to use that one to practice technique and care before I start using one I ordered from SRD earlier this week and a TM strop I acquired last year. Due to the difficulty I've had, I don't want to use my new ones until I become competent at stropping because I'll just nick them up.

I asked the seller how to care for the ebay strop and this was his answer: "A couple of time per week use your lather soap with brush, then every 3-5 months use a couple of coats of neatsfoot oil to keep from drying."

The question I am throwing out to the group is, do you think that is excessive maintenance? Instinctively, it strikes me that I might ruin the strop or shorten its life span if I do everything suggested.

I lather my strop about every month or two, and that is all it seems to require. It helps wonderfully with increasing the draw.

Originally Posted by ace

I lather my strop about every month or two, and that is all it seems to require. It helps wonderfully with increasing the draw.

Does "draw" mean the same as "drag?"

Does the strop have to dry before use, or does it matter?

Draw is drag, or the pulling effect one gets as one strops.

I lather mine heavily, allow it to dry overnight, then remove the residual lather. I then take a slightly moistened paper towel and remove any residual soap. If you find as you strop that you get white streaks on the strop and residue on the blade, you need to remove more of it. You'll find that the lather has the effect of moistening the strop and the additional draw results from that moistening effect. It does make the leather more supple.

Personally, I don't think strops need much in the way of care. I live in a single digit humidity area and use some neatsfoot maybe 2x a year and that's it. None of my strops seem to be the worse from wear doing that. Keep in mind the draw varies depending on the type of leather and the finishing. Horse has little and latigo which is cow tends to have loads for example. My Kanayamara has never been treated with anything and after a few years is just fine.

Your instincts are correct. That is excessive maintenance. I'm with the thebigspendur on this one. I live in a high humidity enviorment. My home is of course climate controlled. I've never applied any type of soap or lather to any of my strops and they're all fine. I only rub them with the palm of my hand. I think less is more in this case. Once you treat your strop with soap or oil, it cannot be undone. If you really have to condition your strop, use something suited for the job, like leather conditioner.

I suggest you only use those treatments on a vintage strop. I use both Williams soap and neatsfoot oil both sparingly. If you look in the wiki you will find out this and much much more.

I use the SRD Modular Paddle with the Bridle leather pad. My experience with lathering it has not been that it "maintained" it. What it did was improve it mightily. It made it softer, far more pliable and has made the stropping experience much more enjoyable. If you like draw and draw works for you in your stropping, then I highly recommend it. I like plenty of draw so my paddle strop sees lots of lather.

Most of us have read the old barber manuals about using soap on a strop. I think that the fact that so many of them are still around after so many years speaks for itself. It must have some effect or they would have dried out long ago. Just my opinion.

My Latigo takes 0 maintenance, while my walking horse needs Neatsfoot every month or two. That horse butt really does dry out and take any draw with it