Thread: strop "shine"

evening gents,
so i found a barely used old certifyd strop for a song. the reason it was barely used was because it appears after being pretty much never used, the original owner nicked his strop.

I sanded out the nick and it's a great strop...i'm just curious, when you hand sand, it is obvious what part was sanded as the color changes a little from different angles. it's lighter and it looks a little more suede-y than the rest of the strop which has more of a shine to the surface.

so just curious...why do new strops have a little more shine to them and what gets them that way? is it pressed? is it the tanning process?

also, why does the linen on a lot of old strops have a extra thick feel to them...like they were soaked in some kind of paste?

New strops are, well, new and come processed from the tannery finished. When you sand a strop you are removing layers and with it the finishing which goes only so many microns down. Also sandpaper will leave a rougher surface. I don't know what they use to finish leather but it's mighty fine.

Hmmm, looks like my hand re-finish of a strop is timely... Shall pull the photos up and post a new thread. =)

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

New strops are, well, new and come processed from the tannery finished. When you sand a strop you are removing layers and with it the finishing which goes only so many microns down. Also sandpaper will leave a rougher surface. I don't know what they use to finish leather but it's mighty fine.

This might be old news now, but I think most good strops are 'full grain leather', which means the top layer of a good quality hide. The fine finish isn't a finish, it is the actual skin of the cow/calf, which means if you take that layer off, it is gone forever, and you will never get as good a finish again.

Originally Posted by ryanjewell

evening gents,
so i found a barely used old certifyd strop for a song. the reason it was barely used was because it appears after being pretty much never used, the original owner nicked his strop.

I sanded out the nick and it's a great strop...i'm just curious, when you hand sand, it is obvious what part was sanded as the color changes a little from different angles. it's lighter and it looks a little more suede-y than the rest of the strop which has more of a shine to the surface.

so just curious...why do new strops have a little more shine to them and what gets them that way? is it pressed? is it the tanning process?

also, why does the linen on a lot of old strops have a extra thick feel to them...like they were soaked in some kind of paste?

Yeah, some of the old strops had a linen component that was apparently impregnated with a very heavy chalk-like substance (seems like I read it may have actually been chalk? I'm sure there was method to their madness; no doubt it polished edges a bit before the leather. But some of us modern users aren't fans, as it makes for a much stiffer strop with less "feel" for lack of a better word. And we've got so many more choices for touch-ups on our secondaries nowadays (multiple grades of diamonds, CrOx, CBN, even lead for a few renegades on here).

I've had a couple of vintage strops that I soaked/cleaned it out of, as some others on here have also done. The upside is that you will end up with a more limber secondary, with more feedback from the blade zipping across the linen weave (which I like). The downside if you're a collector and want to preserve everything original is that you will lose any painted logos in the embossed parts-your strop, your choice.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Yeah, some of the old strops had a linen component that was apparently impregnated with a very heavy chalk-like substance (seems like I read it may have actually been chalk? I'm sure there was method to their madness; no doubt it polished edges a bit before the leather. But some of us modern users aren't fans, as it makes for a much stiffer strop with less "feel" for lack of a better word. And we've got so many more choices for touch-ups on our secondaries nowadays (multiple grades of diamonds, CrOx, CBN, even lead for a few renegades on here). …….
.

HA! Renegades Indeed!

Get through the outer skin, it is rough cow/horse hide. May as well use the backside.
The stropping media is the thin shell, or skin. The rest is simply a base for it.

No grit here, so sanding with sandpaper is out.
I found that block-sanding with diamond fabric pads and micromesh on a foam block through the grits helps. Monitor the thing as you go. Leave some scars, but don't go through before hitting the fine stuff. Do your sanding before any oils/conditioners or a mess will ensue.

You might not like it so much as-done, but the oil/water regimen works to make them look better.
An old horsehair shoe shine brush will buff it up

Exceptions are things which are milled plain hide. Some done well. Some not?

I often see those vintage strops on fleabay and want to get one but don't know if I'd pick a good one.
As far as the worn spot on the strop goes, I wonder if there is a product that can be applied and dry, conditioned into a surface that has similar characteristics as the original surface..?
Perhaps applied and conditioned in layers..?

Would be a shame to lose a good strop.

It's like a cracked blade at that point, I think.

Short-strop it, cut it for paddles, smaller strop.

JMO

Originally Posted by MikeT

I wonder if there is a product that can be applied and dry, conditioned into a surface that has similar characteristics as the original surface..?
Perhaps applied and conditioned in layers..?

Would be a shame to lose a good strop.

I've had luck with a block of pure carnuba wax. Actually turned the flesh side of an old leather belt into a very serviceable travel strop.