I am at the point where I want to try restoring an old strop. I have found a couple of strops at antique stores and I have been reading whatever I can find on how to restore. There have been some great restoration projects posted in this forum. I watched the Razor Emporium Youtube video on how to restore a strop, but I am left with some questions (great video by the way).
I thought it would be a good idea to consolidate all the great advice from others on B&B in one thread that brings together all the tips and tricks of the strop restoration game. So post your answers or post your questions and remember, pictures are worth a thousand words.
Let me start off with a few questions:
1. how do you do home restoration of the hardware on a strop? (I don't know how to re-plate metal)
2. what grits of sandpaper (and type of sandpaper) do you use?
3. do you use saddle soap as a way to clean and condition the leather?
4. what type of oils or polish do you use to finish the leather?
5. how do you wash and condition the linen strop (if yours came with one)?
6. How do you assess your stop in the antique store...before you buy it? (What do you look for in a possible restoration project?)
7. How do you preserve or restore the gold lettering on strops?
8. Are there some absolute do's and don'ts?
I have many more questions but let's start with those. I look forward to your answers and other questions you may have.
I thought it would be a good idea to consolidate all the great advice from others on B&B in one thread that brings together all the tips and tricks of the strop restoration game. So post your answers or post your questions and remember, pictures are worth a thousand words.
Let me start off with a few questions:
1. how do you do home restoration of the hardware on a strop? (I don't know how to re-plate metal)
2. what grits of sandpaper (and type of sandpaper) do you use?
3. do you use saddle soap as a way to clean and condition the leather?
4. what type of oils or polish do you use to finish the leather?
5. how do you wash and condition the linen strop (if yours came with one)?
6. How do you assess your stop in the antique store...before you buy it? (What do you look for in a possible restoration project?)
7. How do you preserve or restore the gold lettering on strops?
8. Are there some absolute do's and don'ts?
I have many more questions but let's start with those. I look forward to your answers and other questions you may have.