Re-tasking a board strop

[MajorSights]

So I picked up my first razor early December (well ok, my wife got it for me as an early Christmas Gift), and have been enjoying my shaves ever since. SO much more relaxing, and smoother.

I received my gift from Classic Edge Shaving in Toronto, however due to the holiday season they were out of hanging strop and I was substituted a board strop. In my early use of this strop my zeal led to a few nicks and cuts. I counted up all the nick and have been minding them, and since then I have learned to not make any new ones.


I am in the process of ordering a premium 3'' wide hanging strop from C.E.S. and am considering a paste to re-task my board to a "refresher" tool. I was leaning towards a Thiers Issard Strop Paste (10,000grit). Would this be fine to use on a mildly damaged strop board?

[Lemur]

If you got deep cuts you better glue them, rubber cement or any glue that wont go hard, sand down if anything is sticking up.
TIs stop paste is really nice, some mix of AlO and diamond.
If the leather is to shiny for the paste to stick you can lightly sand down the whole surface, I use 600 grit abrasive paper and run the vacuum cleaner over it after that.

[Hirlau]

I'm no expert, but based on the photos, that does not look bad. I would not glue, but lightly use a 2000 3M wet/dry paper on it, or better, if you can find in a wood shop , a 4000 grit disc.

I have used this on a few of my small nicks also, from Sally's Beauty Supply.

[Lemur]

Hirlau; you actually go that high in grits?
I've never found any reason to.

Pumice stone would be the classic strop grinder!

[Hirlau]

Yes, I do, you can always go down to a lower grit on your leather when working on it, but starting rough (lower grit) might produce an instant abrasion, that needs a lot of high grit work to finish it out.

Plus I have worked a lot of strop nicks in my short shaving career.
I am also the only owner of the;
Exotic Leopard Strop

.........and no, it's not for sale.

[Lemur]

Hmm, now you got me wanna go nick my strop!
Maybe that didn't come out right...

[MajorSights]

Great. I have most of the supplies on hand to do that minor fix, and I have ordered the strop, the paste, and a new razor as well (Couldn't help myself, it is a red scaled Wapi).

[10Pups]

You know you could dye those spots back to the other color. Of course then it wouldn't be you. Or go with black spots :<0) Glue is good for flaps if you clamp them until they dry and then sand them down. 4000k disk, as in dremmel or ? I use 500 or 600 and go light. I got a new horse hide and sanded it smooth with 500 to get the grain bumps out. I hate speed bumps on my strop. (not that I go that fast) And no your not the only guy with the exotic leather mine is an Appaloosa until I match the dye.
There is a technique called burnishing. I do it on edges of leather but I think you could do the flat surface also. As long as it's not fuzzy. Basically you get the leather wet(not soaking) put some gum tragacanth and you rub with something smooth like a dowel or pipe. Makes edges slick and smooth so it should do the same to a flat surface. I use edge coat but it comes in pre dyed colors. Heck I sometimes get it wet and hammer down the cuts if they are small enough.

[Lemur]

Yes, I forgot that, I use to rub mine with a glass bottle!
I'm baffled, grain bumps on a new strop, did you buy it or make it?

[Hirlau]

You know you could dye those spots back to the other color. Of course then it wouldn't be you. Or go with black spots :<0) .............. And no your not the only guy with the exotic leather mine is an Appaloosa until I match the dye.
...........................

Exotic Leather?? That's Exotic Leopard & your just jealous I have the only one.