I have acquired a great old strop. While it is basically nick free it has gotten a bit stiff and not so supple. My plan is to scrub it clean with saddle soap and let air dry. I heard tallow based soaps also work well for this. My real question is what to do with the canvas side of the strop? It seems real stiff and hasn't much weave showing like it's caked with some sort of crud. I'm not sure if or how is the best way to clean it. I'm leaning toward saddle soap and elbow grease.
Strop Restoration?
- Thread starter Icemanxxxv
- Start date
I have an old Illinois strop that was very much in the same condition, plus it seemed to have a bit of a permanent warp on one side. I tried Fromm paste to soften it up and it just got really gummy and then stiffer, which I don't get. It was at the point where I couldn't strop on it any more so I took more drastic action.
First, I disassembled it and pumiced the leather down. The pumice stone got really full of absolute crud, but it did wear down the couple nicks I had in the leather somewhat. I took some 300 grit wet/dry sandpaper to it then, and got more of the nicks out. Use quality sandpaper that won't shed grit into your strop.
This wasn't going very well, though, because the leather was still gummy. So I broke out a puck of Williams and a plastic pan scraper from Pampered Chef, wet the puck really well and scrubbed the leather down. A nasty brown sludge quickly developed, which I washed off and then went back at it with the puck. I scraped after soaping, washed it off, and repeated. The leather got wetter, but noticeably softer. Eventually sludge production dropped off precipitously, so I went at it with the wet/dry 300 grit again. Once I had the nicks to where I wanted them I went back to soaping and scraping. I think at this point the leather was supple enough that the scraping actually stretched it out a bit and realigned it, so it dried flat and stayed flat (no more warp!).
I turned my attention to the linen side, and basically just soap/scraped it and rinsed the hell out of it. I let both linen and leather dry flat and reassembled the strop the next day. I rubbed in some strop paste (not the Fromm stuff) on the leather side that was more grease than liquid-y, and let that sit overnight. Vigorous palm-rubbing the next day. It was noticeably more supple and smooth. The next time I stropped my blade it was almost perfect.
First, I disassembled it and pumiced the leather down. The pumice stone got really full of absolute crud, but it did wear down the couple nicks I had in the leather somewhat. I took some 300 grit wet/dry sandpaper to it then, and got more of the nicks out. Use quality sandpaper that won't shed grit into your strop.
This wasn't going very well, though, because the leather was still gummy. So I broke out a puck of Williams and a plastic pan scraper from Pampered Chef, wet the puck really well and scrubbed the leather down. A nasty brown sludge quickly developed, which I washed off and then went back at it with the puck. I scraped after soaping, washed it off, and repeated. The leather got wetter, but noticeably softer. Eventually sludge production dropped off precipitously, so I went at it with the wet/dry 300 grit again. Once I had the nicks to where I wanted them I went back to soaping and scraping. I think at this point the leather was supple enough that the scraping actually stretched it out a bit and realigned it, so it dried flat and stayed flat (no more warp!).
I turned my attention to the linen side, and basically just soap/scraped it and rinsed the hell out of it. I let both linen and leather dry flat and reassembled the strop the next day. I rubbed in some strop paste (not the Fromm stuff) on the leather side that was more grease than liquid-y, and let that sit overnight. Vigorous palm-rubbing the next day. It was noticeably more supple and smooth. The next time I stropped my blade it was almost perfect.
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I recently cleaned my filly strop with lather, whipped up a large batch and rubbed it into the strop until it wouldn't take any more and then let it air dry.
Next day I cleaned off the excess lather and good as new.
But as always YMMV.
Next day I cleaned off the excess lather and good as new.
But as always YMMV.
I'd suggest washing it with a glycerine soap, saddle soap preferred but anybodys clear glycerine soap is adequate.
Use warm water, green pads, and elbow grease. Get it CLEAN. Let it half dry and wipe it down with neatsfoot oil.
Let it dry/soak in a few days, 3-4, and as the water dries it pulls the neatsfoot in behind it, and it won't completely dry. Leather needs a small moisture content to be supple.
You can seal it with lanolin and beeswax, 4-1 mix, hot, apply with a little dauber or brush, doesn't take much.
Natural oils and waxes are the least destructive, and don't truly seal the leather like varnish or shellac. Those you can skip, and NEVER use anything referred to as neatsfoot oil 'compound'. It either says 100% neatsfoot oil, or do NOT use it.
Fake neatsfoot is bad.
Use warm water, green pads, and elbow grease. Get it CLEAN. Let it half dry and wipe it down with neatsfoot oil.
Let it dry/soak in a few days, 3-4, and as the water dries it pulls the neatsfoot in behind it, and it won't completely dry. Leather needs a small moisture content to be supple.
You can seal it with lanolin and beeswax, 4-1 mix, hot, apply with a little dauber or brush, doesn't take much.
Natural oils and waxes are the least destructive, and don't truly seal the leather like varnish or shellac. Those you can skip, and NEVER use anything referred to as neatsfoot oil 'compound'. It either says 100% neatsfoot oil, or do NOT use it.
Fake neatsfoot is bad.
