Clean a leather strop

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rifon2

Joined
Oct 9, 2005
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I've done some research and seen a whole slew of suggestions, ranging from WD-40 to GOOP (or similar car mechanics' hand cleaner).
And now, in a thread here on BF, I've just seen lighter fluid recommended as well.

Anyone have a method they really like and would recommend?

I'm looking for something fast, simple, & effective, and which doesn't harm the strop in the slightest.

(This is for cleaning a leather strop glued to a piece of wood; it's got plenty of green compound and steel on it by now and really seems to need a cleaning.)

Thanks.
 
As long as you don't use water just about anything will work. Orange cleaners seem to be the best because they help to replenish the leather.
 
Best I've found so far is saddle soap.

As a specific leather cleaner, I've used in one handed-down strops I could not bear to harm, it's always worked great.
 
I'm thinking of trying GOOP on a clean rag - it's designed to clean greasy stuff, while not being greasy itself.

Orange cleaner sounds good too, though I'm concerned about the water content. Seems that leather doesn't do well with water.

Mineral oil, I don't know, it just seems too...oily. :P

Maybe I should just keep loading fresh compound on top of the old and just
bag the cleaning idea entirely?

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.:thumbup:
 
I think Goop is some sort of orange cleaning (just not concentrated like Goo-Gone) and it's definitely helped me clean my strop down to bare leather quickly while leaving the leather supple. Mineral oil works, too, as it dissolves the waxy compounds, but I've found it to be messier and slower than pumice-free Goop.
 
To my mind you want something to remove the old compound but add NOTHING back to the leather. You can then add whatever you want. Sooo, I'd avoid Goop, Orange cleaners, mineral oil, wd-40, etc and everything that doesn't go away entirely...that leaves water and naphtha (lighter fluid). Since water doesn't play well with the waxes that typically hold the compound sticks together, that leaves lighter fluid. It evaporates completely, cuts the wax/old-compound, and leaves no residue. You can then add more compound to the lighter-fluid dampened leather and let it dry, knowing that there's nothing on the strop but the compound you want.
 
Goop, Goo-Gone, WD-40. I've had the same strop for over 10 years and those things make it clean as new and no damage to the strop so far.
 
I just use a rag with pure acetone on it and usually in less than 30 seconds aftewards it's clean. The acetone evaporates completely and doesn't hurt the leather. I recommend only pure acetone, like the stuff that you get at a beauty supply store, not the stuff for nails (it has all sorts of other chemicals in it).
 
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