I have a Col. Conk/Dovo hanging strop which has both a leather and a linen side. This little strop is simple and efficient, but because it's so small it can take a lot of abuse fairly quickly. A few days ago I noticed that the linen side seemed to be getting pretty grungy looking after just a short time and I began to wonder if having a linen component was really worth it if it was just going to end up ugly looking. I did some research and found a few folks recommending that you lather shaving soap, brush it into the linen, and then use a nail/cuticle brush and warm water to remove the lather. It seemed simple enough, so I laid out my strop, slid a towel between the linen and the leather, and lathered up my sample of Klar Kabinett. The results were amazing. The linen looked brand new and had not lost any of its stiffness. After cleaning the linen I took a look at the leather side. It had a few water stains, and a small nick. I took some high grit sand paper and carefully sanded the leather until it was smooth and relatively uniform, I then took a small amount of Tanner's baseball glove oil and worked it into the leather until it felt just as supple and smooth as it did on the day I received it. A quick pat down with a paper towel to remove excess oil and I was good to go. This whole process took maybe 15 minutes and resulted in a strop that looked brand new. The strop may not be as highly valued as the razors it services, but it is an integral part of straight razor shaving. With just a little maintenance a strop can provide years of service and look good doing it. I just thought that I would share a little bit of my, admittedly limited, experience in regards to the care and cleaning of a strop in the hopes that more folks out there will give that little piece of leather that hangs on a hook a little attention and love. Take care of your strops and they will take care of you.
Sounds great. For old leather rehab (strop, shoes, bags etc), I like Feibings saddle soap & neatsfoot or mink oil. If using water (sparingly) on leather, wrap in towel & lay/press flat to dry.
Jabber I think you are using a traditional leather strop treatment pioneered by barbers on your linen component. Barbers used tallow based soap lather to condition there leather strops by applying it to the leather , letting it sit and wiping it off . With linen you can wash it in warm water and use a fabric cleaner and soft brush to clean it up. I guess whatever works to clean fabric will work with linen. Ohpaos is right from what I have experienced, strops can be treated with saddle soap to clean the leather and neatsfoot oil to condition. If you want a nice strop for little money I would look under " strop" on ebay literally hundreds of old vintage horsehide strops will come up , with patience to sort through them you can find a nice one for $30 or under , simple reconditioning and you could have end up with a nice serviceable strop.
Thanks for the info, guys! As for timing, how often do you have to clean the strop (linen and/or leather)?
jabberwock on the success of your cleanng efforts...Many times it seem "strops" don't get the love or mention they deserve and I.M.O. without some type of strop, shaving with a steel blade wouldn't be as possible or comfortable as it is...
My understanding is that with your daily strop(s), cleaning is "as needed," which ends up being very rarely for the average shaver (unless you're a honemeister). The linen/canvas tends to get a little gray from the steel over time. Some people go years before cleaning the leather, but dressing/conditioning is needed more often to keep the leather supple. You'll already know this, but I'll keep going for my fellow newbies... Conditioning can be done from rubbing the natural oil from your palms into the leather occasionally. Neatsfoot oil is also very good. Rub a teeny tiny amount in your palms & then onto the strop. Oil increases the draw of the leather. (I use the palm-rub method instead of applying oil directly b/c there are many threads from people wanting to remove oil after applying too much.)
