Valet autostrop strop advice

[CelticFox]

Hey guys, a while back I acquired an autostrop set that still has the strop, and I just got some NOS valet blades the other day. I'd like to try them out along with the strop, but the strop has a couple of nicks and some other damage that appears to have been sanded out. Do you think it's still useable if I sand down the damage left, or should I just leave it be and look for a new one? I'd like to use it if possible, but I also don't want to make it worse. Thanks

I took a few pics of the strop:

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

If it was pristine/just from the factory new, I don't think it would be able to revive a carbon blade from 80+ years ago. Now if you want to try to use it with the Feather FHS-5 carbon blades, or the KAI carbon blades that fit the AutoStrop, that might be a worthy project. I've tried the Feather carbon blades and found them wanting.

Can't advise you on the strop reconditioning.

 

[brandaves]

You can revive an old strop. Wrap a glass bottle in fine grain sand paper and gently bring it back down to flush while it's resting on a flat surface or strung. Revive the newly flattened leather with Neetsfoot oil.

Might be worth posting to the SR forums for strop revives...those guys are wizards at restoration.

 

[razorboi]

A strop can be very fragile and brittle when it gets that old. I should oil it first if I were you. Be very gentle sanding it or pulling it taut, and realise that it might just break anyway. You might have better luck with a new old-stock strop.
There out there. I found one.

 

[CelticFox]

Thanks for the replies guys. I conditioned it a couple of times and sanded down the nicks and it's useable now.

If it was pristine/just from the factory new, I don't think it would be able to revive a carbon blade from 80+ years ago. Now if you want to try to use it with the Feather FHS-5 carbon blades, or the KAI carbon blades that fit the AutoStrop, that might be a worthy project. I've tried the Feather carbon blades and found them wanting.

Can't advise you on the strop reconditioning.

I'm doing it more for fun/as an experiment than anything. I may get some modern blades in the future but for now I'm just curious to see how good of a shave I can get from such old blades. I tried one of the blades already and while it did ok on my patchy areas it couldn't cut it (pun intended) on my chin area. I'll probably try again for fun (I do realize that I have an odd sense of fun) after stropping it a bunch or something. Thanks for the advice though, I didn't know there were blades other than Feather that could fit the Valet cutout.

 

[razorboi]

Thanks for the replies guys. I conditioned it a couple of times and sanded down the nicks and it's useable now.


I'm doing it more for fun/as an experiment than anything. I may get some modern blades in the future but for now I'm just curious to see how good of a shave I can get from such old blades. I tried one of the blades already and while it did ok on my patchy areas it couldn't cut it (pun intended) on my chin area. I'll probably try again for fun (I do realize that I have an odd sense of fun) after stropping it a bunch or something. Thanks for the advice though, I didn't know there were blades other than Feather that could fit the Valet cutout.

I believe Salty has it backward with Feather. The FAS series is carbon-steel, the FHS series is stainless-steel. Now, if you're considering N.O.S. blades, there were other manufacturers copying the Valet pattern, known then as an Autostrop type of blade. Here is one I came across called Eastmor. A hallmark of the Eastmor and original Valet blades is their thickness. They are so stiff and rigid that it is difficult to bend one. Unlike the modern Feathers (and others), these were blades that were meant to be stropped.

That you will achieve a keen edge by stropping these old blades, however, is rather doubtful, especially as others before you have expressed disappointment with this endeavour.