You've all seen the black, usage marks on old strops. Most likely steel, blood and lather. I've done a few restores on vintage shell and have found the black staining to be heavier at the top and the bottom. Most puzzling of all is, that when I start sanding the strop, these spots show up as lower than the surrounding shell. Has steel, blood and lather shrunken the leather in these areas? Was this staining at one time a high point in the strop caused by cupping or the way the strop has held? Why is it heavier at the top and the bottom?
I've found these low spots and stains to be almost impossible to get out of the shell. Straight forward thinking got me nowhere. The spots laugh at 400 grit W/D, trying to sand them out is not economically feasible or prudent. Using a furniture type scraper, I gave it my best shot. Pealed away material like crazy but would not reduce the 2 persistent stains. I decided to go ahead and finish the strop thinking they seem to be permanent.
Well... that was disappointing. A wonderful draw spoiled by a totally different draw over the black areas. Not pleasant at all, not what I'm looking for. These spots were so sticky on the draw, I thought I had somehow over hydrated it. I rubbed the strop with a cloth with rubbing alk on it...a few times...and electrical contact cleaner a few times (think dry cleaning fluid). No dice, no difference. Sticky black stains. This is not the first shell strop I've fought this on, I usually just admit defeat and use the strop anyway. I've had enough of so-so restores... I want it right and just the way I like it. Time to rethink my strategy.
I had wiped the strop down with a damp cloth before starting and got the usual amount of crud off of it. I thought I'd give it a go again but wetter this time. I surmised this may show me if I had over oiled and I wanted to bear down and rub on the black parts to see what I could get off of it. Lo and behold the next day when I got back to it, the black, sticky crud now presented itself as dry, raised nap. Thank you Lord. A quick run through a sanding progression and the sticky, black, crud is gone. I'm tickled pink!
So after months of frustration, I found a solution to a problem I don't really understand to begin with.
Why do these areas show as low when refinishing? Has the leather actually shrunk here?
How on earth can these spots be so resistant to abrasives?
Why are they so pronounced where you'd be doing a flip?
Any ideas?
I've found these low spots and stains to be almost impossible to get out of the shell. Straight forward thinking got me nowhere. The spots laugh at 400 grit W/D, trying to sand them out is not economically feasible or prudent. Using a furniture type scraper, I gave it my best shot. Pealed away material like crazy but would not reduce the 2 persistent stains. I decided to go ahead and finish the strop thinking they seem to be permanent.
Well... that was disappointing. A wonderful draw spoiled by a totally different draw over the black areas. Not pleasant at all, not what I'm looking for. These spots were so sticky on the draw, I thought I had somehow over hydrated it. I rubbed the strop with a cloth with rubbing alk on it...a few times...and electrical contact cleaner a few times (think dry cleaning fluid). No dice, no difference. Sticky black stains. This is not the first shell strop I've fought this on, I usually just admit defeat and use the strop anyway. I've had enough of so-so restores... I want it right and just the way I like it. Time to rethink my strategy.
I had wiped the strop down with a damp cloth before starting and got the usual amount of crud off of it. I thought I'd give it a go again but wetter this time. I surmised this may show me if I had over oiled and I wanted to bear down and rub on the black parts to see what I could get off of it. Lo and behold the next day when I got back to it, the black, sticky crud now presented itself as dry, raised nap. Thank you Lord. A quick run through a sanding progression and the sticky, black, crud is gone. I'm tickled pink!
So after months of frustration, I found a solution to a problem I don't really understand to begin with.
Why do these areas show as low when refinishing? Has the leather actually shrunk here?
How on earth can these spots be so resistant to abrasives?
Why are they so pronounced where you'd be doing a flip?
Any ideas?