I have some nicks on my Roo tail. What grit sandpaper should I use to sand them out? I also have quality leather conditioner I will put on after sanding it. Any tips I would appreciate.
How to sand out nicks?
- Thread starter BBS Kirk
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rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
A pic of your current strop nicks would help.
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- #3
At work. I’ll have to post tomorrow. It is minor in certain areas. Small scuffs.
If they are small you can pretty much ignore them if there is nothing flopping loose that you can feel while using the strop. That being said . . . pictures would help us give our 2 cents.
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- #5
Here she is. It is minor and barely can feel it. Just keep as is Gents?
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- #6
There is no single answer - kind of depends on the situation. My suggestion if you do this is to start as fine as you can and only go more coarse if needed. Yours, I might start with some 600 or 400 and see how it goes. In the pics it kind of looks more like scrapes than nicks, so since you have in hand I’ll assume they are nicks. If it is not, maybe just run it down or put a drop of neatsfoot in you palm and rub to blend.
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- #8
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- #9
Better pic. It is minor now I see it better.
Well, first disclaimer is adding any product to leather can be quickly over done and just ruin things.
Second, I’m not sure what’s in your leather conditioner. My guess is oils, thinners, and maybe waxes. Wax can really change the surface and feel, so be careful and maybe read up on the ingredients. Seriously, start with tiny drops already rubbed into your skin and work it in for a while, mostly just to blend. You might just want to rub it with your hands and natural oils which can work just fine for mild issues.
Fact is, the true outer grain of the leather is often a relatively thin layer and beneath is slightly different structure and continues to differ the deeper you go. So once grain is gone or broken, it doesn’t come back and deeper is simply different. Maybe not bad but not the same top grain. So removing as little as possible is the key. The more you remove the more different it will be and harder to blend.
Also, aesthetics and efficacy are not really the same here. As long as you can’t feel it when stropping, then you are only dealing with an aesthetic issue.
Good luck
Second, I’m not sure what’s in your leather conditioner. My guess is oils, thinners, and maybe waxes. Wax can really change the surface and feel, so be careful and maybe read up on the ingredients. Seriously, start with tiny drops already rubbed into your skin and work it in for a while, mostly just to blend. You might just want to rub it with your hands and natural oils which can work just fine for mild issues.
Fact is, the true outer grain of the leather is often a relatively thin layer and beneath is slightly different structure and continues to differ the deeper you go. So once grain is gone or broken, it doesn’t come back and deeper is simply different. Maybe not bad but not the same top grain. So removing as little as possible is the key. The more you remove the more different it will be and harder to blend.
Also, aesthetics and efficacy are not really the same here. As long as you can’t feel it when stropping, then you are only dealing with an aesthetic issue.
Good luck
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
After studying your second picture, I would just leave it as is.
- Thread starter
- #12
Great! Thanks!
I appreciate your detailed reply. I will leave her as is. It is not bad. Just aesthetic issue.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
A while ago I applied some Kiwi "Premium Instant Polish" to one of my chrome-tanned calf-hide Kyrgyzstan strops to darken the colour. It worked well and during many uses after the colour change, I noticed no difference in the draw or edge quality from my other strops of the same.
I am not saying the same will work for you. If you decide to try similar with your "damaged" strop, don't be surprised if it changes the strop's draw.
I am not saying the same will work for you. If you decide to try similar with your "damaged" strop, don't be surprised if it changes the strop's draw.
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- #14
I had to sand out those nicks. I used 600 grit and then cleaned the strop with saddle soap. I applied a thin layer of leather conditioner then. It looks great again. This is my Roo tail.
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- #15
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
I did and you did a good job. Glad that it work out so well for you.
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- #17
Thank you so much. I’m stropping differently now. I lift the razor off the strop and then flip. It is unconventional but it works best for me. I do X strokes on a 3” too.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
If lifting the razor from the strop, it is important to ensure that when returning it to the strop, the spine is on the strop before the edge touches the strop.
Personally I feel that in the long run, you would be better to work on your stropping technique such that you rotate the blade while leaving the blade's spine on the strop. If you do this slowly at first, you will subconsciously develop the muscle memory such that it becomes automatic.
Personally I feel that in the long run, you would be better to work on your stropping technique such that you rotate the blade while leaving the blade's spine on the strop. If you do this slowly at first, you will subconsciously develop the muscle memory such that it becomes automatic.
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- #19
I’ve tried it the conventional way and it continues to not work for me. I go slowly and just make sure the spine hits first.
