Thread: Paste on new leather strop

I have a new leather (canvas backed) strop, it came with a little box containing blue and red foil wrapped pastes. My question is can the strop be used dry, or does the paste have to be applied?

Generally, strops are sufficient in and of themselves AS strops. A PASTED strop is slightly more abrasive, and is used periodically to touch up the edge.

If this is your only strop to date, I'd refrain from pasting it, use it as is, and apply the pastes, (should you decide to use them) on a peice of balsa or felt for occasional touch ups.

It depends on the paste. Some pastes have no abrasive ingredients, and are only for making the leather more smooth and supple. Such a paste would be fine to apply to the new strop. My guess is that one of the pastes you have is abrasive and the other is not.