Strop Resurfacing (pictures)

This was my first "real" strop, and frankly, it was a cheapy and never felt right to me. Early on, I nicked it, which you can see about 2 inches below the finish circle. I decided to try and refinish it, just to see if I could. the initial sanding revealed the difference between a cheap strop, and a quality one!


High spots, low spots, a little of each spots even SPOTTY spots! To get the surfaces smooth and flat(ter) I decided a sanding block was needed. I opted to use a soft ark stone simply because it was a good size and handy. I first used 1500 grit paper, but it clogged up so fast and the leather was so uneven, I dropped way back to 220 grit and started over.

sanding of leather makes a horrible dust, like all other dusty things, wear your respirator!
You can see in the following photo how the fresh layers of leather are drastically lighter in color and a course texture.


Here is where I got my surprise. When I moved up to 600 grit, the paper clogged up quickly as before. HOWEVER, when rubbed briskly, it also started to burnish the leather! the color began getting darker again!




Here is the strop, after being rubbed down with 1500 grit paper. Smoother than it was, and certainly more evenly finished. It took me about 2 hours total time. a coating of mink oil is soaking into it as we speak, and I will put it to test sometime tomorrow.

If it fails to work, nothing terrible has been lost. If it does work, I have a few nicer strops I can return to active service!

The last 3 photos are in reversed order, and I cant figure out how to change them!

not sure if I would be using my precious razors on something like that. To me, It looks kind of like it is still uneven. Pics arnt always that good though. If it is working for you, thats great. Do let us know how it works for you after the mink oil sets in. You may also be able to get some more colour back by using a product called "dubbin"

Looks like it turned out great! I wonder the mink oil will seal the pores and give an even better surface for the razor?

Am sort of reticent to use sandpaper on strops,I worry about any loose particles of grit getting imbedded in the leather.
I use my DMTs instead.Maybe not an issue tho.

Sleek, it is another show of the differences in leather quality! Even though the leather has been sanded smooth and a somewhat even surface, the leather itself has spots that the "grain" differs. some spots seem a bit softer perhaps? it was really challenging to find the correct amount of pressure that would burnish the leather without cutting into it all over again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Am sort of reticent to use sandpaper on strops,I worry about any loose particles of grit getting imbedded in the leather.
I use my DMTs instead.Maybe not an issue tho.

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I must admit, that thought had not occurred to me. However, I DID wipe the stop down with a soft cloth every so often, just to get the gathering dust off of it. Perhaps frequent wipe downs with a tac rag would be in order?

First follow up...

Mink oil tends to sit on the top of the strop, and not soak in. 15 minutes in the sun on the dashboard of my van solved that problem right away! Do NOT leave it there while shopping of some such. It would be all too easy for the leather to become cooked and hard. A hair dryer would probably have achieved the same results.

Wouldn't worry too much about loose particles, your fingers are quite sufficient to detect any unevenness. I sanded my first strop (nicked and cut) down with only 1500 grit paper. I had to repeat it once because I didn't wipe of the dirt (loose particles) enough before I put neat’s-foot oil on.

One Idea I haven't tried yet with that strop, but have with the replacement piece I cut from veg-tanned tooling leather, is to wet the leather (dipping in water) and pressing it for a few days. For my replacement piece the surface became much smoother, and the draw became much better, was quite heavy to begin with. Note here that tooling leather is more susceptible to molding when wet than treated leathers. But generally water does make leather malleable. Just remember to let it dry naturally.