Vintage dubl duck ??

I picked up a vintage dubl duck strop and it looks like its in good shape but it is very hard. I have been rubbing it with my hand to try and work the leather but dose not seem to help. It is not so dry it wants to crack when I fold it, it's just no were near as soft as a big daddy I have. Is it just to old or can I bring it back? Should I use it like it is? I didn't spend a lot of dough but I like vintage better than new. Dont get me wrong ther is nothing wrong with the big daddy it's just I am using a razor that is 60 years old I would like all of the stuff in my bathroom to be from the same ara. I just dont want to damage my razor just to be able to say "this strop is older than i am" lol. For me it's the history that got me in to this hobby.

You will get suggested by some to put Neatfoot Oil on it, but i would be carful ehen applying it to a strop... It is easy to over do and end up with oily piece of leather.

I've got a Certifyd Russian like that. A vintage piece. I've hand rubbed it and used it as is once in awhile. No harm to it or the razor so far. I recall Dr. Chris Moss posting that he has an old vintage strop that is quite stiff and IIRC he said "like glass." He uses it sometimes and AFAIK hasn't done anything to soften it up. Neil Miller might be able to advise you and thebigspendur has had quite a few vintage strops in the past. Maybe he has run into the same situation.

You absolutely need to be careful applying anything to a strop, especially a vintage one, in most cases, it can't be undone. I have a Vintage Dubl Duck Cordovan shell strop myself. It's in mint condition. I'm not sure what they sealed them with, but I know what you mean. They seem to have a coating on them. Mine is the slickest strop I've come across. I've been rubbing it with my hand for years, and it hasn't changed at all.

I completely understand about wanting to stay "in the period"....But maybe you can keep your DD strop hanging there, and get another to use. I'm not sure what your budget is, but SRD's premium 1 has awesome draw, not too much, not too little. Not sure what your preference's are.

P.S. Jimmy's "Like Glass" analogy is right on. That pretty much describes the surface of my Vintage Duck Strop.

P.S. Jimmy's "Like Glass" analogy is right on. That pretty much describes the surface of my Vintage Duck Strop.[/QUOTE]

Maybe it is just the way this strop is. Mine is "like glass" it is only the second strop I've owned and I wasn't sure about the stiffness of it. I just was compairing it to my new one. So I'm going to rub it down for a few days and give it a try thanks for all of the advice. I was more worried about damaging my razor than anything but so far no one else is worred so here it goes I'll use it a few times see what happens

With many of these old strops if they have been extensively used they in effect become polished and the surface is like glass but the strop should not be hard. If the leather is really stiff something has happened to it over the years.Maybe heat or sunlight or chemicals. It's hard to say. I know of no way to bring one of those back to life once the leather gets like that. Maybe the water treatment if you're ready to chuck it anyway.

I picked a vintage (not dbl duck) strop. Bought it mainly because it had ivory handle and top hardware. The leather is so stiff it actually doesn't flex hen hold it horizontally lol. I tried some neatsfoot (actually allot when I noticed things weren't progressing), now it just hangs on the wall next to my razor display.

No telling what it went through before getting to me, but is beyond my skill set to bring back to life.

Good luck.