Shave Soap On Strop - leaving marks on blade

[temjeito]

I just got a 2" Burgundy #1 English Bridle strop from Star Shaving. At $20 shipped I figured this would be a good next step up from the poor man's strop I've been using, and not the end of the world if I nicked or cut it. Holy, moly, the Star strop is on a whole other level! The metal D-ring makes it so easy to pull it taut, and the thickness and smoothness of the leather keep it straight and even and soooo smooth. I expect my shaves will improve noticeably going forward as I start stropping the blades on this new strop.

After today's shave I wiped some of the remaining lather from my brush onto the strop, as suggested in the little pamphlet that came with it, and as I have read others suggest as well. I let it sit for a few minutes while I cleaned up the den, then wiped down the strop and used it to strop the razor. When I was done, the razor had burgundy lines on both sides where the spine had run along the strop. Here' a pic where I tried to capture it with my phone camera:
View attachment 345985
This did not happen when I stropped the razor before the shave, so I'm assuming it happened because of the soap, and was either soapy residue that picked up the stain of the leather, or leather that got scraped off because of something the water or the soap did to the leather.

My question is: what is the proper way to "condition" the strop with shaving soap? Do I just paint it on? Do I wipe it off? How long do I let it sit before wiping it off? Should I avoid using it for a few hours after I "paint" it with soap? I'm sure the red marks will come off fairly easily, but I'd rather not be dealing with them at all, and I'm a bit worried it will affect the strop.

Thanks,

Michael

 

[u2u]

I would not apply soap in any form to any of my strops. Stick to any of the readily available strop conditioners that restore the oils/fats to the leather. A couple of dollars worth will last forever. It takes very little. Rub it in thoroughly. I usually use the palm of one hand while supporting the strop in the other. The heat from your hands and the friction helps the leather absorb the conditioner. Results in good conditioning and adds to the development of a nice patina. If you end up with too much draw a rub down with a soft clean cloth usually does the trick. If I need to clean a strop I use a conditioner such as Saphir Renovateur. The material on your blade would be residual soap and dye. You followed the advice from your supplier and this thread will probably give you some other direction. Regardless, enjoy your strop and the improved shaves.

I would be curious if when using soap in this manner, should it be tallow based?

 

[rockviper]

I lathered my paddle strop yesterday. Just painted the lather on, not working it in. Wiped it off after about 5 minutes and then the strop dry. It was pretty dry and after a minute of so of heel-o-the-hand rubbing on it, I stopped without any issue. Yes, it was Star leather on the strop as well. Did you fully wipe off the lather and let it dry afterwards, or did you try stropping right away?

 

[temjeito]

I lathered my paddle strop yesterday. Just painted the lather on, not working it in. Wiped it off after about 5 minutes and then the strop dry. It was pretty dry and after a minute of so of heel-o-the-hand rubbing on it, I stopped without any issue. Yes, it was Star leather on the strop as well. Did you fully wipe off the lather and let it dry afterwards, or did you try stropping right away?

I wiped it off but did not give it much time to dry. I think that was the issue.