Thread: Strop conditioners

Hi Guys,
Yes I have searched through the wiki and found the names of several brands to use, but they are all expensive here in the UK, I cant pick up a bottle of Neatsfoot oil for under £5, Bickmore and Mink Oil has to be imported from the US for an extortionate amount, saddle soap I read was gunky and not so good on strops.


My Grandfather, bless his soul, was a Gamekeeper and so I have several tins of dubbin in the gun room: my question is' Can I use this on my strops? Ive used it on boots, gun straps and two old leather travel kits and it seems to be soaked up well and has a lasting effect.

I have an old vintage strop, the leather is in good condition but needs a bit of life put back into it, hence the question.

If Dubbin cant be used, what other cheap alternatives are there?


As always many thanks.

Byronicus

You need look no further than the palm of your hand.

A few good rubs in your palm will supply all the conditioning you need. If at some point it looks like its drying some neatsfoot is good to use I've never heard of the stuff you mentioned.

No don't use the dubbin. It has a waterproofing affect which will really gum up the strop mink oil will do the same thing in my experience.

The hand rubbing is a good idea. I have used gun oil ( hoppes #9) with good results and what I use most is kiwi leather conditioner. Don't know if kiwi products are in the uk but you should be able to find a similar product in the shoe care isle of a store. Just make sure it doesn't waterproof.

I've used Dubbin on some of my strops. There have been no ill-effects yet.

James.

Hand rubbing is the very best suggestion, next to that I have found a few drops of ballistol a perfect solution to soften dried leather. Go easy with the ballistol, Good luck!

I've never used anything other than palm rubbing, but then I've also never had to deal with a vintage strop If you do end up using neartsfoot oil, use it sparingly as it will increase your draw. I've never heard of Dubbin.

Originally Posted by Sherborne

I have an old vintage strop, the leather is in good condition but needs a bit of life put back into it, hence the question.

I've never put Dubbin on a strop but it certainly made my kodiak boots nice & soft
If the stropping surface is ok leave it alone. If the strop needs conditioning apply to the flesh side & see if that is enough.
The reason most recommend palm rubbing is that it takes very little oil to affect the stropping surface. A rice grain sized amount of Dubbin rubbed well into your hands & then rubbed well into the work side would be all I risk at first.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

I've used Dubbin on some of my strops. There have been no ill-effects yet.

James.

Me either.

I used Dubbin on my first strop - it increased the draw a bit, but seemed to do the job just fine. I couldn't tell you what it would do in the long-run as I cut that one in half... : (.

I have used it very lightly on the parts I have sanded after slicing on another strop I own - seems to be ok, but I generally just "palm treat" my strops now. The Dubbin even when used lightly will affect draw I find.

I love Dubbin, but I never thought about the water proofing aspect. What I was wondering is if I could treat my strops back-sides with it to keep the leather nice and subtle?

For those who have never seen the stuff:



Mine doesn't say what's in it..

I'm not sure about treating the backs - perhaps. The thing is, the waterproofing component in Dubbin is beeswax. I agree with Oz - never apply a lot. When I have put Dubbin on a strop in the past, it is a tiny amount rubbed into my palms so it is warm, and then a palm rub on the strop.

To be honest though, I have not "treated" a strop for a long time now (beyond a palm rub). I generally reserve treating a strop for when I have cut it or sanded it or whatever.

James.