Im making my own paddle strop and I bought horse leather and it is very thick and dry. Is it alright if I add some Leather conditioner? I use Obenaufs Heavy Duty LP. Its basically just bees wax and other natural ingredients
Can I condition a strop?
- Thread starter RobsForge
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Try it out on a scrap and see what happens.
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- #3
what would be the problem though?
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Conditioning a strop changes the draw. If you're OK with the change, it's fine.
Cheers, Steve
Cheers, Steve
I rub down my strop with my hands each time I use it. The oils from your skin will make is more supple with time.
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- #6
Steve-
It changes the draw but does it change the effectiveness of the strop in general?
-Rob
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
It can vary according to the leather and conditioner being used. I've used Meltonian leather balm on an old barber-shop shell piece and this has improved slickness, and sparing amounts of neat's-foot oil on horse butt and this has increased the draw to the latter's detriment in my opinion. I haven't tried the stuff you mention, but I did check the ingredients out of curiosity and it seems innocuous enough. Since you mention making your own paddle strop, I assume you have some spare scraps to practice on. Again, I would do this by way of experimentation, to see how it goes and get things down, before committing to the piece that's actually going to be used.
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If the leather is very dry and you fear it might start to crack. I would start slowly adding a few drops of Neatsfoot oil sparingly applied rubbed in by hand through out the strop. Now you need to wait until the oil migrates into the leather and spreads itself out. This may take a few days or more depending. You may repeat this a few times until the leather regains its suppleness just don't over do it. You don't want oil weeping out of the leather. Once the leather is restored you can maintain it with just daily palm rubbing and if you like a little more draw possibly just add a few drops more every year or so. Many methods out there for leather care, this is just one that I have used to restore some dry old strops and it worked out pretty well. Good Luck.
Some strops take well to conditioners and oils and some don't, I have a beater strop that is oil tanned and I primarily use it for coming off the stones and i used neatsfoot oil on it and the draw became very heavy and the strop became almost impossible to use so cleaned it with saddle soap and then used Bic 4 conditioner and it alot better then I took the same neatsfoot oil and used it on a fast bridle strop and it soaked right in and the draw is super nice so it really depends, test in a small area and a little goes along way
I actually did this with my Westholme latigo strop. Brand new, this particular latigo had a somewhat dry and lighter draw than I prefer, so upon Alastair's recommendation, I applied some Neetsfoot oil to the back of the strop, let it hang for about a week to let it soak in completely, then palm rubbed. Now it's silky smooth with a nice medium draw - perfect for me.
If the leather is dry, put a couple of drops of Neatsfoot Oil on your hand and rub it in. Or you can just use your hand and your natural oils to condition the strop. I do this with my hanging strop and with my board strop. Both are nicely broken in. Just don't overdo the oil...sometimes "less is more."
This issue ofconditioning strops is complex I think. Like many, I've had a fair few different types from Juchten Russian style strops, heavier draw Latigo strops, and in recent times, say a year, I've become Manic about the brilliant Kanayama strops. On one of them, the 80 cm wide single sided Dovo Russian strop, to be truthful I ruined it by conditioning too much. I outlay too much 'stuff' on it, so I ended up sanding it down and making it into a suede type thing.
Then I discovered Kanayama strops. To cut a long story short I began with a #10000 and now I have a #70000 which is nearly a year old and is broken in and magnificent as my everyday strop. I also have another couple of #70000's and an #80000 just to be sure. I put absolutely nothing on these Kanayama's. All I do for them is a palm rub every couple of razors. For the new ones I have, I take them out and rub them with my palm, with a little oil from you forehead, that's it.
My everyday #70000 is a beautiful thing, my experience now allows me to strop without fear of cutting any of my strops so it is shiny, subtle, just perfect. I do say though, that the Kanayama's do benefit from a break in period, they do appear to be at their best after six months use. Happy honing
Then I discovered Kanayama strops. To cut a long story short I began with a #10000 and now I have a #70000 which is nearly a year old and is broken in and magnificent as my everyday strop. I also have another couple of #70000's and an #80000 just to be sure. I put absolutely nothing on these Kanayama's. All I do for them is a palm rub every couple of razors. For the new ones I have, I take them out and rub them with my palm, with a little oil from you forehead, that's it.
My everyday #70000 is a beautiful thing, my experience now allows me to strop without fear of cutting any of my strops so it is shiny, subtle, just perfect. I do say though, that the Kanayama's do benefit from a break in period, they do appear to be at their best after six months use. Happy honing
The leather conditioner you have chosen is excellent and Rusty Blade is correct as well. The Obenaufs is mostly neatsfoot oil with a bit of beeswax and propolis mixed in. Just remember the old saying that less is more. Start with a tiny amount and give it a few days of sitting after to see if you have used enough. I like to rub a couple drops between my hands and then palm rub the strop with one hand. With most strops that is only an annual occurrence, but I do have a couple that want more than that.
I'm a proponent of adding a tiny bit of conditioner to the back side if the strop needs it. I dampen the back side with a water damp cloth before applying a tiny bit of conditioner with my hand. In a day or two the conditioner migrates all the way to the strop surface IME. The dampness helps spread small amounts more easily. Every strop behaves a bit different. Less is more.
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