my illinois 127 has what looks like a raised line of leather going diagonally across the strop about a quarter up the strop. i can just barely feel it. whatdo i do. it doesnt seem to be dulling the blade any. its a brand new strop
Slightly dampen the strop, lay it down on a countertop, and rub hard with a glass bottle. Try that before sanding. I am not a big fan of sanding strops unless it is most painfully needed. After any sanding I like to rub the area with a piece of beeswax and then do the bottle trick, and buff well, with a soft cloth like a piece of an old tshirt. Then I simply use the strop, with a lot of hand rubbing before each use.