Cleaning a strop?

S

Sword and Shield

Joined
Apr 3, 2004
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I've been using a strop for a few years, and it's finally starting to show wear, some grit and dirt. How would be best to clean this up to re-dress it?
 
Use a good waterless hand cleaner and a soft bristle brush. Spread some on, brush gently so as not to damage the dermal layer, then wipe off. Repeat as needed until you have some really clean looking leather. THEN... use a good quality saddle soap and a damp sponge, work up a lather and scrub the leather until clean. Wipe off and let dry completely. (This all assumes that you have a high quality leather strop to begin with. If not, spray it with WD40 and wipe off the crud. The Stoddard's Solution in the WD40 will dissolve the old compound and then evaporate, but it will leave behind the machine oil coating the leather. If you want to remove that, use waterless hand cleaner.)

Stitchawl
 
Is there a method for cleaning HA's scrubbed bull leather?
 
I wipe it clean with paper towels and then use 320 grit sand paper and it is better than new.
 
stitchawl said:
Use a good waterless hand cleaner and a soft bristle brush. Spread some on, brush gently so as not to damage the dermal layer, then wipe off. Repeat as needed until you have some really clean looking leather. THEN... use a good quality saddle soap and a damp sponge, work up a lather and scrub the leather until clean. Wipe off and let dry completely. (This all assumes that you have a high quality leather strop to begin with. If not, spray it with WD40 and wipe off the crud. The Stoddard's Solution in the WD40 will dissolve the old compound and then evaporate, but it will leave behind the machine oil coating the leather. If you want to remove that, use waterless hand cleaner.)

Stitchawl
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Ended up doing pretty close to this. Saddle soap and a toothbrush, then a sock for a little abrasion. It's hanging to dry, then to reload and use.
 
Sword and Shield said:
Ended up doing pretty close to this. Saddle soap and a toothbrush, then a sock for a little abrasion. It's hanging to dry, then to reload and use.
Click to expand...

Ever think of NOT loading the strop? Try it for a while as bare leather and see if you like the results. You can always go back to the compounds if you don't. But there are a few million men who kept their razors properly sharp using just bare strops. A properly sharpened knife doesn't take a lot of care, just regular care.

Saddle soap used correctly is a pretty good leather cleaner. (That's probably why they call it soap. :p ) I used to use a brand called 'Belvoir's Glycerin Soap' back in the day when I worked horses. Nothing cleaned up tack like that stuff. Using a natural sponge and warm water, you could work up a good lather that would penetrate the gunkiest bridle, cinches, or breast collars, and leave them clean as new! A little bit of neatsfoot oil afterwords and they were good for another month!

If you really want to melt your brain cells, visit a commercial leather cleaning facility. The sort that your local dry cleaner sends their leather coats to for cleaning (when they say 'we are not responsible...etc.') Huge washing machines, really strong soap (stronger than dish soap and that's pretty strong grease cutting stuff!) and plain ol' water! So much for 'never get your leather wet...' Who knew?!?

Stitchawl
 
I do normally leave a small section bare. It's about half black rouge, a third green, then the last sixth is clear for the final pop.
 
This method has worked for me(Sorry for the thread resurrection.I was searching for something & came across this)

[video=youtube;uEGktTgrDD0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEGktTgrDD0[/video]
 
Looks like it works very well, so long as you continue to use the same grit compound on it. But if you're going to use the same grit compound on it, why bother to clean it? Just because it gets glazed doesn't mean it's no longer working properly. Any metal removed and deposited on the strop is going to be the same size as the grit.



Stitchawl
 
65535 said:
Sand it 220 grit is a good level.
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^That. Dead on. Been doing it for 25 years, haven't found anything better.

Don't wipe it clean, don't do jack. just sand it with 220 until it looks like fresh leather. The nap is perfect at 220. It'll fuzz at tiny bit at first, but it'll settle in perfect.
When applying compound, you don't want to color it really, that's too much. You just want to lay it flat and froth it up a bit.

If you can't find new leather with some sandpaper it's time to get a new strop. There are plenty of wonderful ones for under $30
 
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Barkeepers Friend works wonderfully on ceramic. I idly wonder what it would do to leather. (and stones, and whatever)
 
Scrape it with the back of a knife and wipe it off with paper towels. Nothing else required.
 
Lee48 said:
Scrape it with the back of a knife and wipe it off with paper towels. Nothing else required.
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Fact is, even THAT might not be necessary. Does make it look nicer. Keeps things cleaner. But if you are using compound, just add another few lines on top of the glaze and you're good to go. What is under the layer of compound (other than the substrate itself) isn't going to make any difference so long as it holds the compound.

Although I've often given suggestions for cleaning a strop, I don't think I ever cleaned any of my own other than for an experiment to see if it worked better. Just added a bit more compound. In fact, although I've been using strops for about 50+ years, it wasn't until I joined this forum 7 years ago that I ever HEARD of cleaning a strop, and that's when I decided to find out if it could be beneficial and gave it a try!



Stitchawl
 
I'm making a strop I have a piece of leather one side is smooth the other fuzzish lol what side do I put up?
 
davek14 said:
Barkeepers Friend works wonderfully on ceramic. I idly wonder what it would do to leather. (and stones, and whatever)
Click to expand...

I think I'd not do that. I'd worry the acid (oxalic acid) in BKF might be difficult to fully clean out of the leather without thoroughly washing/rinsing it, and subsequently might contribute to corrosion issues on blades (BKF will even etch stainless steel, if unknowingly left in contact too long). Long-term, I don't think it'd do much good for the leather, and would likely be a lot more trouble than necessary, for a very small/insignificant benefit.

The only time anymore, when I feel a strop must be cleaned somewhat, is if the 'grime' from the strop starts coming off excessively onto the blade or other things touching it (hands, clothes). Otherwise, it seldom gets in the way of stropping. If the strop gets a bit 'slow' or loses effectiveness, I just wipe it down with a dry paper towel and re-apply some new compound. If I decide to apply a different compound, especially if it's finer in grit, then a more thorough wipedown with a WD-40-moistened rag or paper towel will remove much/most of the old compound, after which I'd let it dry and sand it to get back down to 'clean' leather and reapply new compound. I've 're-purposed' several strops that way, when switching to different compounds.


David
 
gonebad395 said:
I'm making a strop I have a piece of leather one side is smooth the other fuzzish lol what side do I put up?
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Most will suggest the 'smooth' side. BUT, if the fuzzy side is still nicely consistent in firmness & texture, it can also work very well (I even prefer it for compounded strops, if the leather is 'right' for it). Some 'rough' leather will be very lumpy/bumpy or variable in firmness; I don't like using it for stropping in those cases, as the feedback will be lousy for developing the 'touch' for stropping, at the very least.


David
 
I have a ton of different strops , with a ton of different compounds on them. So cross contamination is a big concern.



I use these disposable cotton gun cleaning swaps and have been happy with the results from this leather magic cleaner/conditioner. They have two separate formulations , one for treated and one for untreated leathers. This is the stuff for untreated leathers. (as my roo strops are all untreated.)

I wouldn't use any solvents or alcohols myself. That kind of stuff would probably dry the leather out and make it more susceptible to wear.

Also when working with multiple strops and abrasives in these type of situations always start working with your finest strop/compound down to your coarsest. That way if there is any cross contamination its a moot point. And keep a clean working area.
 
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