I picked a couple of vintage strops at a flea market about a week ago. Are they ok to use? If they are, do I need to do anything to them?
Are these ok?
- Thread starter Mlee
- Start date
Wipe it down with a damp rag. Not to hard at first until you know how dry it is. If it dries fast, wipe it down again but before it completely dries apply a few drops of neetsfoot oil or something of the like(I use leather therepy) on the palm of your hands or a cloth(your choice). Let it obsorb a day or two and see where you are it might be good or you may need to add a little more. Take it slow and do not rush to add more oil.
- Thread starter
- #3
Great, I have some neetsfoot oil. Thanks
Less oil is best. Keep in mind that you can always use more, but you can never go back to using less.
- Thread starter
- #5
If you go a little overboard with the oil(not slathered in oil) and notice the draw to be a little heavy or you want to lighten the draw you can do the damp rag trick.
Use a lint free cotton or microfiber rag and soak it in water and ring it out untill on a few drops come out if you sqweeze it. Simply wipe the damp rag on the over oiled surface and let dry. To make whole strop look even you must moisten the logo sections on top and bottom but must use caution as the gold leaf is fragile and can be wiped off. So on those areas I dap with the rag instead of wipeing. Do this 2-10(depending on how much you over oiled) and you will notice the draw will lighten up a bit each time. What the water is actually doing is pushing the oil deeper inside the material and not sitting on the surface. Causing the draw to to be less and less. I was taught this trick by a sadle maker to restore old valuable sadles. I Applied it to a old hard strop that I noticed the oil not penatrating like I would like it to. Used heat at first, that did not work but the damp rag trick did two noticeable things. First the draw would be less and it made the leather a little more plyable. To good things for a strop. Hope this helps!
Use a lint free cotton or microfiber rag and soak it in water and ring it out untill on a few drops come out if you sqweeze it. Simply wipe the damp rag on the over oiled surface and let dry. To make whole strop look even you must moisten the logo sections on top and bottom but must use caution as the gold leaf is fragile and can be wiped off. So on those areas I dap with the rag instead of wipeing. Do this 2-10(depending on how much you over oiled) and you will notice the draw will lighten up a bit each time. What the water is actually doing is pushing the oil deeper inside the material and not sitting on the surface. Causing the draw to to be less and less. I was taught this trick by a sadle maker to restore old valuable sadles. I Applied it to a old hard strop that I noticed the oil not penatrating like I would like it to. Used heat at first, that did not work but the damp rag trick did two noticeable things. First the draw would be less and it made the leather a little more plyable. To good things for a strop. Hope this helps!
