Straightening a deformed / not-flat strop

[Corsair]

I bought my first strop a few weeks ago - a very nicely made (and not cheap) extra-wide Boker item.

Upon arrival I was really impressed by the quality, however having used it I've found that the razor is only coming into hard contact with it near its edges - I think because it was folded in transit and the edge have curled. If you look along its length you can also see some ripples.

I've contacted the seller who, to their credit have suggested that they might replace it; however (assuming they let me keep this one) I'm wondering if there's any way I could straighten it - steaming / soaking and leaving under a heavy weight for example?

Replacement or no, it's otherwise a really nicely made piece and it'd be a shame to just write it off if it could be avoided.

You can see the issue in the image below - note the scuffs along the edge of the stripe while its centre remains matt / untouched..

Thanks

 

[stone and strop]

Strops can cup either way.
Prior to use you can run your hand up and down it to camber it in the other direction several times to control the shape.
Not an issue and not a defect.

 

[rbscebu]

My Strops are between 2¼" and 2½" wide (my preference). Fortunately I have never experienced cupping. I'm not saying that thinner (in width) leather Strops don't cup. Maybe I've just been lucky.

I am interested to read the results of your enquiry, just for the knowledge.

 

[Tony Miller]

You can bend and force it to be flat or slightly cambered with the hands. Most materials need to be forced beyond the shape you want as they will spring back to some extent. You can lay it along the edge of a table and force the outer edges, maybe 1/2" to 3/4" wide downward beyond the edge of the table a few times and it should spring back to flat of slightly cambered.

 

[Corsair]

Thanks guys

Today I've assessed it further by hanging it, pulling it out straight with reasonable tension and placing a straight edge across its width.

On the whole the centre was around 1-1.5mm below the edges; which I attempted to correct by gripping / pulling down the edges on either side with my thumb and middle finger from underneath while pushing my index finger into the middle and running my hand along the length of the strop. This definitely corrected it to an extent, however in some places this formed a middle-peak level with the outsides with a couple of shallower channels on either side. I managed to correct these to an extent using the same method and while not perfect it seemed a lot better than it was.

I've since stropped the razor and got more even witness marks across the width of the strop (and I guess forcing the razor into contact with the strop will help flatten out imperfections to a point). Checking the strop just now it seems that it's returned to its previous form somewhat (although it's not as bad as it was).

I guess for now I'll persevere with this method and keep an eye on the flatness / contact areas as I continue to use the strop - hopefully with repeated tweaks and use it might continue to improve..