Thread: Stiff strop, how to soften it up?

Okay guys, I've got a SRD black latigo 3" strop. And it's a very nice strop but it's extremely stiff. It feels like a piece of cardboard.

I was wondering what I can do to soften it up a bit, as when I strop with it, it feels as if the whole blade isn't sitting flat because the strop has next to no give in it, and doesn't conform to the flat edge of the blade. I've been palm rubbing it whenever I walk past it, until it feels warm and before I strop with it, but that doesn't seem to be helping the stiffness of the leather, just helping the draw a bit.

Is there anything I can do or is it just a matter of time and waiting for it to properly break in over the coming weeks?

many lifetimes of stropping should make it softer...
just keep stropping in a few months it should soften up

If you palm rub it a few times a day it should soften up a bit quite fast, but the drag will also increase.

Depends on the strop. Some are stiff by nature and though they work in over time they never become soft and supple. However being on the stiff side doesn't mean stiff like cardboard. That's another story. Just realize quality strops come in all varieties.

Okay thanks, well I'll keep rubbing it down and hopefully it improves a bit.

FWIW, Dr. Chris Moss, SRP member and owner of Shave My Face forum, posted about a vintage strop he has that is like a board IIRC. He uses it in his stropping rotation and it really works well. Just sayin'

I have the same strop, it's been about a year now. I do rub it before stropping ... It's way better than it was. I would say to keep rubbing!

I just recieved a new strop and its quite stiff too. Would leather treatment like neats foot oil help soften it?

I use a light coat of Neatsfoot Oil on my latigo strops. It soaks in and penetrates. Give it a few days between treatments so that it has time to soak into the fibers.

I don't have any neatsfoot oil, so I will just persist with the palm rubbing.