Thread: day 2 and nicked my strop...

hi all
new to straight razor. was happy with 1st 2 days-- actually able to get 2 shaves in without mutilating myself. perhaps overconfident with my stropping, must have moved the blade unevenly and nicked by stop today. I've read about gluing, sanding, leaving alone, etc. mind looking at this and giving me an opinion on which/any/nothing to do? Do stops get nicked and still ok to use? I assume because they're not a grinding/sharpening surface it's ok to have some irregularity unlike a hone? Please tell me I didn't just ruin a brand new strop. Because that would in fact be something that I am quite capable of.

advice to the newbie? thanks.

brad

It doesn't have to be cut, It can be fixed easily with a very small drop of super glue. Two part expoxy is better because it takes longer to set up and is easier to transfer. Be careful, use a new tube, and make the opening as small as possible. Do a "test drop" on something else first. You probably can use a toothpick to re apply the glue or an acid brush. ( I used an acid brush and two part expoxy) Put a drop on a paper plate, stick the toothpick in it, and transfer it to the backside of the tear. Hold pressure on it for about a minute. It'll set up fast. Remember, less is more. You don't want glue everywhere. Just enough to hold it down. If done correctly, it should be hard to see the repair.....

Almost any type of glue will work. That is definitley a good tear to glue back down.

It's definitely not ruined. If it were mine, I'd cut the flap off and then use my DMT325 to sand it down so the spot is smooth. If you can find one, some people recommend using a pumice stone to sand out nicks. I'd be wary of using glue to fix it. Now's as good a time as any to learn how to fix it; since you're just starting out, you'll have more. I nicked the crud out of my first strop.

I've used contact cement to successfully glue a flap something like that. If it is not too deep you might also cut it off and do a daily routine of palm rubbing for a time. If you go the glue route contact cement is what we used when I was a professional carpet installer. You put a light coat .... very light .... on both surfaces and give it 5 or 10 minutes to dry. When you put the surfaces together they are not adjustable. Instant bond. From my carpet laying days .... immediately after joining the two surfaces take a hammer, or some substitute and lightly tap the glued area to really mate the two surfaces. You may or may not need to hit the area with a bit of fine sandpaper to remove any residual glue or leather from the top of the strop.

Here's a pic of the paddle I repaired. You really can't tell where the cut was. it looked exactly like yours. It's the spot about two inches down from the top, near the right. If you have a steady hand, it's an easy fix, and you'll never see it. The drop needs to be about 1/4 the size of the tear for expansion. You don't want glue everywhere. I hate to see you cut a chunck out of a strop that's so easily repairable.
If you were close, I'd fix it for you. Daily rubbing with your palm after the repair also helps blend it in, and makes it harder to see....

The other's are correct too, You can definitely cut it out, and sand it with a pumice stone, or dmt or sandpaper...

Thanks all- appreciate the quick and helpful responses. After seeing the 1st response I did crazy glue it and it fit back perfectly- a little stuff on the leather from the thing I used to compress/flatten after the glue. Maybe I'll lightly sand it when dry. Thanks so much

Btw it worked great- can barely see it and can't detect at all while stropping. Unfortunately i created a similar nick on my chin this evening... Maybe I'll try crazy glue/sanding?? (kidding). (chin is hard!! Can get eveything else ok- chin is rough terrain for me)

It's just a rite of passage. I used rubber cement & a glass bottle (as a roller) to repair the nicks on my first strop.

Continue to rub your strop everyday with the palm of your hand.
Namaste.
Morty -_-

A strop is not broken in until it looks like you threw a cat at it....

It's part of the learning process. I am sure almost all of newbies damage their strops in the beginning, I know I did. I sanded out the damage.