Thread: Porpoise strop cleaning

So I just received a porpoise strop I got really cheaply off Ebay!

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item

I'll get some better pics later

It's in good shape but is a little funky and I'd like to get it pristine again. Is there any particularly special way to clean a porpoise strop or just saddle soap and such?


I've got a few strops but never had to clean one up, so this will be my first refurbish and I don't want to screw it up.

Don't know if the link comes up or not since it's from my ebay app on my phone.

Whatever you do, don't do it unintentionally; instead, make every action on porpoise, and you'll be OK.

Originally Posted by maddafinga

Don't know if the link comes up or not since it's from my ebay app on my phone.

NOPE, the link isn't to your auction

Well, it won't be like leather, they're "hide" is more like rubber; "it's gotta be as water tight as a frogs ass" Unless they use some type of conditioner to soften it...Oh hey, you could try a mild conditioner (for you hair) on a piece on the back then remove the excess with a damp rag. If it's safe for your skin, should be safe for flippers

It doesn't feel quite like leather, though close, and it's very thin. Luckily it's not too dirty or funky really. It's got out one little scuff area that should lightly sand out with no issues I can forsee. Looks like it should clean up pretty easy.

I'm still thinking about saddle soap.

Definitely an interesting specimen. Yeah, if you have never touched a dolphin before, it's like really really slick rubber w/ a silky feel to it almost....it's weird. The saddle soap does sound like it could work. They use it on cow, horse, pig, roo, and others...hell why not free willy lol!

I have never seen porpoise or whale leather, it could be that the inscription is a brand mark rather than the original source of the leather. I once touched a dead whale on a beach which felt like a very thick rubber inner tube. People have reported that vintage strops that are not horse leather sometimes bear labels implying that the strop is horse leather.

I suggest going slow to insure that the leather is flexable and clean before use. Surface defects often can be corrected by sanding with fine sandpaper. Anything embedded in the leather or defects that stand up above the surface may damage a razor edge. There are many threads where it has been discussed how to do strop restoration.

Anything that you do to the surface of the strop affects the draw and feel while stropping. I try to keep my strops clean and their surface consistent by keeping the strop surface and my blades clean. Anything that you put on the strop or on your blade can change the feel while stropping.

You're shaving on "Flipper"!☹

The brand mark is Rubin, somewhat visible in the pic of the handle. It's always possible that it's not what it says, of course, but it doesn't feel like the leather of my other strops, and it's very thin. But there are tons of leathers that I've never felt too.

The abrasion isn't as bad as it looks in the pic, I think it's just from the hardware rubbing during shipping. It's only the surface glaze broken.

It does feel supple enough, it's not rigid or cracked at all and its plenty flexible, no real issues that I can see besides being a mite dirty.

Now I wonder if it is in fact porpoise after all. Interesting.