Thread: Should this strop be retired?

Bob, before I did anything to an heirloom strop, I would wait till some of the guys across the pond chime in, it's early over there. Let the thread work a few days before you decide on the path to take.
Just my thoughts.

I wouldn't put any abrasive paste on it at all, once you do it's there to stay and it has a tendency to spread...
The texture/surface on strops can be very different, do as little as possible and try it out first.

Engraver... How I envy you, I've got the tools, only missing the... hmm, skill!

Edit; Late again!

Originally Posted by mdarnton

I see no reason to fix something that's not broken. Nor a reason to take advice to sand it from people who haven't seen it.

Well its got a cut that would be nice to glue down and that might be course for some sanding.

Sorry to keep following up with more comments/information, but as I read everyones' replies I think of more to write.

Presently, to my touch the "SHARPEN" and "FINISH" sides feel exactly the same. I am sure that wasn't the case when it was new. So if the one was to act as the linen side of a new strop is there anything the leather on the "SHARPEN" needs differently?

Thanks as always. reb

I wouldn't retire it, I'd use it as is (apart possibly from fixing the nick if it's causing you grief). How cool to be using your Grandfather's strop! However, it won't last for ever, so maybe use it sparingly, as a 'Sunday' strop? I have a little Dovo strop that was my first, and a really nice Neil Miller strop. The Dovo has a nick or two but I use it most days; I reserve the really nice Miller strop for my Sunday bedroom shaves at my shave stand.

In regards to the two sides, a strop with a linen side is used before the leather to remove 'gunk' prior to using the leather (I do 30/70 linen/leather) and 10/10 after the shave. At least that's how I 'read' the use of the two sides (I think the jury is still out on that point).

I don't really get the 'sharpen' and 'finish' points, but I'd just sort of designate one side as the first side you use and the other as the last side. Maybe do 30 on the 'sharpen' and 70 on the 'finish' if you get my drift.

The proof, of course, is in the pudding, that is, does it work for you?

BTW, can they actually 'plate' with brass? Is it like a gold wash or something? I'd love to see pictures of the razor too :-)

Carl

well sharpen and finish are both technically sharpening terms. excuse my ignorance and I'm kind of thinking out loud. but if the back and front are similar in texture and its obviously been used on both sides, couldn't it have been a maintenance strop pasted on both ends and he did his daily strop on something else

The finish side is bare leather - used for daily stropping. The sharpen side used to have some sort of abrasive on it. Carborundum strops (Carborundum Co) had fine grit embedded in the leather (rolled into it under pressure) but I'm guessing yours is more like the Scorcher type, which had a red paste that was rubbed into it periodically. The old red pastes were more abrasive than modern green chrome oxide.

It looks like a nice strop - a fine heirloom. I would display it as such - a reminder of your Grandpa and days gone by. I don't think I would use it, especially if it had undergone some damage, just enjoy it as it is and get another strop for stropping on.

The only reservation I have about the efficiency of your old strop is that I can see what looks like corrugations in the long pic. Might be a trick of the light, but its not that uncommon with strops that have been stored folded for some time. That can be addressed - at least partially, but more worrying is the design of the strop itself. I take it that the leather flaps at either end are sewn right through both strops? If so, its likely that one side has expanded or contracted more than the other, so one side will never get taut when you pull it. That could undermine the edge of your razor. There is not a lot that can be done about this, short of unpicking one of the tabs, pulling the strops equally and trimming off the longer one then re-attaching the tab.

If it hasn't been used or conditioned in a very long time, than any residual moisture in the leather will have long since departed. Leather needs moisture in it - it stops the long fibres from shrinking. Old barbers used to lather their strops with a tallow-based shaving soap, then let them dry. The oils and fats in the soap sat on the surface of the strop and helped it retain some of the moisture that had just been re-introduced to it. Doing that at intervals helps the fibres elongate again, but there comes a point when they have shrunk too much - then they will never elongate again and the leather is left in a pretty precarious condition.

It might look fine on the surface, but the strength of the underlying layer has gone. If you try to sand it, it might start to powder up. If you expose the more fibrous 'flesh' side it will have a shredding effect - it will just seem to get more and more fibrous. Soaping it up may affect it badly too - it might harden, or it might crack on drying if it has really dried out.

Personally, I wouldn't risk it. Strop on it occasionally if the fancy takes you and the surface is in good condition and can be pulled taut by all means, but a new razor deserves a new strop, even if it is just a piece of decent leather cut to shape with thong passed through one end to attach it to something - you don't have to spend a lot.

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by oddjobbob

I bought a Dovo 98 from a hardware store in Ocean Park, Washington. Of all places....
I have used it a few times now, and I worry that the strop may not be doing all that it should be.....

I doubt the strop is at fault here. Dovo razors are beautiful, and are wonderful shavers, BUT the common wisdom is that more often than not they need a good honing to give a comfy smooth shave, that they are seldom as good as you would wish right out of the box.

For better or worse I spent a couple hours yesterday gently cleaning the strop with saddle soap and a soft brush and towel. Then applied a light coating of neatsfoot oil, maybe 1/2 tsp (about 5 ml) between the two sides. Ithe following pictures are the two sides after an hour or so. I tried to position the strop in the light so you can see the texture.

The following picture is from a bit ago after about 24 hrs dry time. The sides don't appear to be significantly different in length.

grrr... that should be rotated 90 degrees.

I am going to let them dry another day or two and then give it a try.

I do like Neil's and other's suggestion about retiring it, or using it on special occasions, and making a new one from some good quality leather.

The ends are indeed sewn through. They are machine sewn, and not with a great deal of care: the sewing pattern end-to-end is not at all alike. My grandfather was a North Dakota wheat farmer and he valued the money he earned through hard labor more than a bit of fancily sewn leather, so I am guessing this was not an expensive purchase. He would laugh, I am sure, if he knew I was going to maybe put it to use. And he would also be pleased to know I was going to make a replacement rather than buy, if the making was economical and within my skills.

If the new pictures cause anyone to have serious misgivings about any suggestions made above, or cause anyone to have a new idea or concern I would welcome the input. I am sailing in totally new seas without a chart.

One question, however, should the leather be treated with enough neatsfoot oil, or equivalent ( I like Snoseal, a wax-based product for my leather backpacking goods), so water will bead on it, or just enough so you know its there (you can smell it, say)?

There was probably enough glycerin and neatsfoot oil in the saddle soap to do the job, but putting a little extra oil on won't hurt.

You have put it on in the ideal place - it's favourite to put it on the back of strops. If you are tempted to put it on the front its best to very lightly mist the strop with water and then rub briskly and evenly with non-lint dropping rag with a few drops of oil on it.

It will slowly work into the leather. Putting too much on makes it harder to strop, ie the razor clings more to the strop - what we call 'slow draw.' Always give it a day or two to penetrate before assessing the draw (if you want to alter the draw, that is) as it is dead easy to put too much on, and difficult if not impossible to get it all off again.

Don't use wax.

Regards,
Neil