Valet Auto Strop Strop reconditioning

[misterelie]

After years of sitting in my closet neglected, I finally decided with determination that I want to get my Valet Autostrop razor working. And I am pleased to say it is now a beautiful shaving piece of technology. On to my next hurdle: the strop. Came with this strop. Looks like it has never been used. Absolutely no nicks or cuts. But decidedly warped due to most likely being folded in a case for nearly a full century. I'd like to get this strop working again. I've never worked on a strop before. Brand new.

I ordered some saddle soap, and some mink oil. Is this all I need? For both sides? Is there something I can/should do to flatten it out and strengthen it for work? Since this is the strop that was sized for the razor, I figured getting it usable would be the right thing to do for the stropping function. Any further tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[LJS]

Oils will not likely help with that unfortunately and often have some other negative consequences. If you do oil it, just keep in mind that you want it to not seem oiled at all when you are done. Easy to use too much.

Those little strops are notorious for permanent folds. Some never come out. Best option is to just hang it and let it relax. You can pull the leather taught to use it even with the folds.

I’m pretty sure those are pigskin and I have a few and keep one by where I hone for quick stropping of straights.

Good luck

 

[FarmerTan]

Very beautiful though!

 

[misterelie]

If that is the case then alternate question: does anyone, to your knowledge make a replacement strop that fits the valets perfectly?

 

[Tanuki]

I have never heard of any modern strops made for Valets. I have used my AutoStrop strop, just to see the stropping action. If the strop is reasonably supple, just pull it taut and the folds won't matter. If it is not supple, a very light application of a strop dressing will probably be superior to saddle soap, neatsfoot or mink oil.

If you want to reduce the folds, press it between boards under a heavy weight whenever it is not in use. I imagine that AutoStrop owners have always had to deal with folds. The full set razor cases presumed that the strops would be stored folded:

Here are the stropping instructions:

 

[FarmerTan]

I have never heard of any modern strops made for Valets. I have used my AutoStrop strop, just to see the stropping action. If the strop is reasonably supple, just pull it taut and the folds won't matter. If it is not supple, a very light application of a strop dressing will probably be superior to saddle soap, neatsfoot or mink oil.

If you want to reduce the folds, press it between boards under a heavy weight whenever it is not in use. I imagine that AutoStrop owners have always had to deal with folds. The full set razor cases presumed that the strops would be stored folded:

View attachment 1196627


Here are the stropping instructions:
View attachment 1196625

Very good point. That IS how it was stored, after all.

 

[razorboi]

Be careful. They can get brittle and fragile.
I remember a YouTube video where such a strop broke in two while the guy was running it through the razor.

There are plenty of threads and advice on this forum about reviving, restoring or renourishing old strops.

Another possibility is to find a replacement strop. Valet Auto-strop sold them and they turn up from time to time, and they are rolled, not folded.

Your real problem, though, will be finding blades suitable for stropping.

The original (proprietary-pin) replacement blades made by Valet (and third-parties manufacturers such as Eastmor), are now so old that most are no longer keen enough to use, or revivable by stropping.
The modern blades by Feather are not really meant for stropping, though the FAS version is at least stiff enough to benefit from it. They're just made for the niche market...to allow these razors to be used. One is not expected to strop the blade, just to throw it away when it dulls.
The earlier Auto-Strops will take a modern (modified) GEM blade, but I've not heard whether stropping is effective on them. The original blades for them had a lower profile, are impossible to find nowadays, and they wouldn't be usable anyway.

ps. The boxed sets were sold with a folded strop stowed in the metal holder, but it was only intended to be returned there for travelling. At home, the strop would be hung out.

 

[misterelie]

Why can you not strop the stainless FHS 10? There's people stropping stainless straight razors all over the place.

I ask out of ignorance, btw. I genuinely do not know the answer.

 

[razorboi]

I didn't mean to imply that one cannot strop the stainless variety. I've only used the carbon-steel (FAS) blades and so cannot speak to the qualities of the stainless. They're made by the same company, probably on the same machines, only differing by composition, so the stainless should respond similarly to the carbon-steel variety when stropped. I just can't say from experience.

The self-stropping systems of the early 20th century were all designed to extend the life of essentially disposable blades and thus, beat Gillette at his own game. Gillette boasted of "no stropping" necessary, but his blades didn't last long, even though users were advised to wipe the blade dry after every use and return it to its tuck. They were steel and prone to rust.

The devices, whether Auto-strop, Rolls, Ingersoll or others, were designed to strop the blades of their time, which were much thicker and stiffer than to-day's super-thin DE blades. Try to bend a Gillette "Old Style" or other contemporary blade and you get the picture.
Importantly, those old blades also had a longer, more graduated edge, amenable to stropping. As blades gradually became thinner and the cutting edge more diminutive, the efficacy of universal stroppers began to correspondingly decline.
The end of the road for stroppers came with the advent of the super-thin blue blades of the 1950's. Their "micro" cutting edge couldn't be revived by stropping and the same holds true for most all disposable blades since that time.

Auto-Strop needed this older, thicker style of blade for their stropping system to work, and they continued to make these blades themselves into the 1950's. However, industry advances had lowered the price of blades so much that stropping became an anachronism. Auto-strop blades couldn't compete on price, they'd lost their monopoly on the proprietary cut-outs years ago anyway, so it became a lost cause. Even the third-party copy-cat blades were discontinued as the market for stroppable blades crashed in the late 1950's.

Correction: I regret I made an incorrect assumption about the Feather blades, even after having used them. I was wrong to state that they were made simply to fill the razor and weren't for stropping. I just made a side-by-side examination of the original Auto-strop and Feather (FAS) blades and found that Feather had indeed made them about the same thickness as the originals, and most importantly, had set a long, graduated bevel to the cutting edge, like the original, that would allow it to benefit from stropping.

Side-note: The Ingersoll universal stropper (shown) could work on virtually any blade made at that time, double or single edge. The strop had a smooth (finish) side and a rough (honing) side. The instructions called for daily finish stropping, then honing on the rough side about once every ten days. It also warned that some brands would require more stropping than others.

I mounted a Gillette old-style in the Ingersoll but have never used it yet. I reckon I need advice on reviving my strop too!

 

[misterelie]

Thank you. I have a OneBlade (nice razor) so I'm stocked up with FHS-10's. That was why I decided to get the Valet working again and file the notch out to try it. I did a search on this forum and other talked about stropping the FAS-10 Carbons. I actually have a pack here. Only used two; used them on the Oneblade and was one of the worst shaves ever. I thought the first blade was manufactured dull. But got the same results from the second as well. But maybe putting it in the Valet and then pre-stropping before a first shave will help. But it was genuine curiosity from my question, because older posts talk about stropping the FAS, then you mentioned it, and I'd not found anyone talking with any experience about stropping the FHS stainless ones.

I put the FHS next to a vintage Gillette (one of the "new types" but still had holes instead of slots, and they indeed appear to be pretty close in thickness, so I'd assume if the strop can hold together, it will be interesting to try. My strop reconditioning materials didn't come today, so I'll have to wait until next week for it to show.

Never seen one of those universals before. I did a little searching and found someone who makes custom strops. Worst scenario: if I really want to strop an autostrop razor I can probably send him this one and ask to recreate it with more durable material

 

[Legion]

Thank you. I have a OneBlade (nice razor) so I'm stocked up with FHS-10's. That was why I decided to get the Valet working again and file the notch out to try it. I did a search on this forum and other talked about stropping the FAS-10 Carbons. I actually have a pack here. Only used two; used them on the Oneblade and was one of the worst shaves ever. I thought the first blade was manufactured dull. But got the same results from the second as well. But maybe putting it in the Valet and then pre-stropping before a first shave will help. But it was genuine curiosity from my question, because older posts talk about stropping the FAS, then you mentioned it, and I'd not found anyone talking with any experience about stropping the FHS stainless ones.

I put the FHS next to a vintage Gillette (one of the "new types" but still had holes instead of slots, and they indeed appear to be pretty close in thickness, so I'd assume if the strop can hold together, it will be interesting to try. My strop reconditioning materials didn't come today, so I'll have to wait until next week for it to show.

Never seen one of those universals before. I did a little searching and found someone who makes custom strops. Worst scenario: if I really want to strop an autostrop razor I can probably send him this one and ask to recreate it with more durable material

If possible, try to make it out of kangaroo leather. Thin enough to fit in the contraption, but a lot stronger than pigskin.

 

[ouchyfoot]

I have one that was still in its original tissue wrapping. It was in perfect shape, but because of its age I moisturizer it with mink oil and a hair dryer. The hair dryer helped melt the mink oil deep into the leather. (Autostrops are horse hide). it came out nice and supple. Like new.
I have another that was only slightly used. I leaned it with saddle soap and used mink oil and hair dryer again.

 

[misterelie]

Thank you. Never thought of the hair dryer trick. When it comes early next week I'll give it a shot.

 

[misterelie]

If possible, try to make it out of kangaroo leather. Thin enough to fit in the contraption, but a lot stronger than pigskin.

If it turns out this is the way to go, I shall ask. Kangaroo leather has intrigued me. As has the horse buttox muscle leather.

 

[Tanuki]

I didn't mean to imply that one cannot strop the stainless variety. I've only used the carbon-steel (FAS) blades and so cannot speak to the qualities of the stainless. They're made by the same company, probably on the same machines, only differing by composition, so the stainless should respond similarly to the carbon-steel variety when stropped. I just can't say from experience.

The self-stropping systems of the early 20th century were all designed to extend the life of essentially disposable blades and thus, beat Gillette at his own game. Gillette boasted of "no stropping" necessary, but his blades didn't last long, even though users were advised to wipe the blade dry after every use and return it to its tuck. They were steel and prone to rust.

The devices, whether Auto-strop, Rolls, Ingersoll or others, were designed to strop the blades of their time, which were much thicker and stiffer than to-day's super-thin DE blades. Try to bend a Gillette "Old Style" or other contemporary blade and you get the picture.
Importantly, those old blades also had a longer, more graduated edge, amenable to stropping. As blades gradually became thinner and the cutting edge more diminutive, the efficacy of universal stroppers began to correspondingly decline.
The end of the road for stroppers came with the advent of the super-thin blue blades of the 1950's. Their "micro" cutting edge couldn't be revived by stropping and the same holds true for most all disposable blades since that time.

Auto-Strop needed this older, thicker style of blade for their stropping system to work, and they continued to make these blades themselves into the 1950's. However, industry advances had lowered the price of blades so much that stropping became an anachronism. Auto-strop blades couldn't compete on price, they'd lost their monopoly on the proprietary cut-outs years ago anyway, so it became a lost cause. Even the third-party copy-cat blades were discontinued as the market for stroppable blades crashed in the late 1950's.

Correction: I regret I made an incorrect assumption about the Feather blades, even after having used them. I was wrong to state that they were made simply to fill the razor and weren't for stropping. I just made a side-by-side examination of the original Auto-strop and Feather (FAS) blades and found that Feather had indeed made them about the same thickness as the originals, and most importantly, had set a long, graduated bevel to the cutting edge, like the original, that would allow it to benefit from stropping.

Side-note: The Ingersoll universal stropper (shown) could work on virtually any blade made at that time, double or single edge. The strop had a smooth (finish) side and a rough (honing) side. The instructions called for daily finish stropping, then honing on the rough side about once every ten days. It also warned that some brands would require more stropping than others.

I mounted a Gillette old-style in the Ingersoll but have never used it yet. I reckon I need advice on reviving my strop too!
View attachment 1196817View attachment 1196818View attachment 1196821

Thanks for posting the Ingersoll information! I just stumbled across a wild Ingersoll strop a couple weeks back. Now I have a context for its use (but not the blade holder).

 

[razorboi]

The Valet Auto-Strop razor can easily sever a strop, new or old, if one is not particularly careful and observant. At the end of each pass, one reverses course and the blade flips over, or at least it is supposed to. You may witness the inherent design flaw at work here, at 4 minutes in:

Another presenter demonstrates stropping technique with an Auto-Strop, but his strop is shorter due to a similar tragic incident:

Thus, I should be reticent to spend considerable money on a custom strop, as one certainly would with cordovan or 'Roo.
But, if you do have a custom strop made, the thickness is just as important as the width. I remember a YouTube video where the presenter commented that even among original Valet strops, the thickness seemed to vary with the models. The strop that came with each razor seemed to fit it perfectly, but try to use one with another model and it could be tight.
This is that video and also covers every aspect of the Auto-Strop razor, strop, and blades:

He not only demonstrates stropping (to excess) but also reports his experience with N.O.S. Valet blades, and draws comparisons between the Feather carbon and stainless blades.

I hope you are mistaken about having to file a notch out of the blade. Of all the pin combinations Valet deployed to confound competitors, only one is incompatible with the new Feather blades. Unfortunately, that one seemed to be produced in large numbers as many others complain of this problem. It has a pin at the top of the "E" I believe. There are two solutions. One can snip, cut, or file every blade to be used, or, just snap off the pin! The earliest models will work with a de-spined GEM Personna with the back-corners taken off.

A great primer on the many models is to be found here: AutoStrop/Valet Razors: A Typology in 13 Parts - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/autostrop-valet-razors-a-typology-in-13-parts.521932/

You're not the only one to deplore to FAS blades. I've heard many echo your sentiments that they are dull, even tuggy.
Try stropping them and let us hear your results.

 

[FarmerTan]

The Valet Auto-Strop razor can easily sever a strop, new or old, if one is not particularly careful and observant. At the end of each pass, one reverses course and the blade flips over, or at least it is supposed to. You may witness the inherent design flaw at work here, at 4 minutes in:

Another presenter demonstrates stropping technique with an Auto-Strop, but his strop is shorter due to a similar tragic incident:

Thus, I should be reticent to spend considerable money on a custom strop, as one certainly would with cordovan or 'Roo.
But, if you do have a custom strop made, the thickness is just as important as the width. I remember a YouTube video where the presenter commented that even among original Valet strops, the thickness seemed to vary with the models. The strop that came with each razor seemed to fit it perfectly, but try to use one with another model and it could be tight.
This is that video and also covers every aspect of the Auto-Strop razor, strop, and blades:

He not only demonstrates stropping (to excess) but also reports his experience with N.O.S. Valet blades, and draws comparisons between the Feather carbon and stainless blades.

I hope you are mistaken about having to file a notch out of the blade. Of all the pin combinations Valet deployed to confound competitors, only one is incompatible with the new Feather blades. Unfortunately, that one seemed to be produced in large numbers as many others complain of this problem. It has a pin at the top of the "E" I believe. There are two solutions. One can snip, cut, or file every blade to be used, or, just snap off the pin! The earliest models will work with a de-spined GEM Personna with the back-corners taken off.

A great primer on the many models is to be found here: AutoStrop/Valet Razors: A Typology in 13 Parts - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/autostrop-valet-razors-a-typology-in-13-parts.521932/

You're not the only one to deplore to FAS blades. I've heard many echo your sentiments that they are dull, even tuggy.
Try stropping them and let us hear your results.

Thanks for doing the legwork here my friend! Lots of stuff I never knew.

 

[misterelie]

Thank you, razorboi. I had seen most of those vids, but the final one where he shows how he safely stops was new to me. And the primer link was helpful as well. I thought I had the VC 2, for some reason, but I think it is the VB2 instead (still have original box -- it is "Million Dollar Razor" but in gold plate).

 

[misterelie]

To update: my strop dressing stuff came today (mink oil). I worked it in really well, and it mostly flattened this out. Cleaning it, it appears there are a couple very small nicks in the strop. Have not tried sanding it yet, but was planning on trying the newly finished strop this evening with the razor. Not sure sanding will even work with such a thin strop. Either way, take a look at the before and after pics from the original post. Major difference.

Oh, for the record: the dressing brought out the imprint on it. It says it is for "Model "C" Razors.

 

[razorboi]

To update: my strop dressing stuff came today (mink oil). I worked it in really well, and it mostly flattened this out. Cleaning it, it appears there are a couple very small nicks in the strop. Have not tried sanding it yet, but was planning on trying the newly finished strop this evening with the razor. Not sure sanding will even work with such a thin strop. Either way, take a look at the before and after pics from the original post. Major difference.

Oh, for the record: the dressing brought out the imprint on it. It says it is for "Model "C" Razors.

View attachment 1198126View attachment 1198127

It looks great!
You may be able to use it as it is.
The greatest danger is from cutting it with the razor-blade when changing directions.
Just make sure the blade flips before starting the next pass.
If you need it flatter, you might try using some heavy books, or just roll it round a tube inside out for a while.
There remains the lesser danger of the strop breaking off at the end, where it's pinched by the clamp, but that's usually due to leather rot.
Let us know how it performs.