Cleaning/Storing JRE Strop Bat

[solidorange]

Just got a JRE strop bat as a birthday gift, and love it so far. Unfortunately, it did not come with any instructions for cleaning or storage. That leads me to the obvious questions... (1)What is the best way to remove steel build up from the stops without removing the compound and (2) how should I store it? Saran wrapped (the way it came)? In an air-tight box (if i can find one the right size)? Stash it on the workbench unprotected (that doesn't seem like the best idea)?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :thumbup:

 

[OHALLUM]

Not sure about how to remove the steel residue, but I just keep mine on my workbench covered up with a clean rag to avoid any major contamination. You could just brush it with an old hairbrush or something to remove any rough spots. I have never been concerned about the black steel residue and have never tried to clean mine. YMMV

Omar

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Most times, strops can just be wiped down with a dry paper towel. Don't worry too much about steel residue making the surface black or 'dirty looking'. The strop will still do it's job. I would recommend getting some extra compound, if you don't already have it. If there comes a day when you do feel the need to really clean it up, a paper towel moistened with WD-40 usually works pretty well (don't soak the leather in WD-40, just moisten a paper towel and wipe the leather with that). If you have additional compound on hand, you won't have to worry anymore about scrubbing the old stuff off. That's part of the normal 'life cycle' of a working strop anyways; use it, clean it, and occasionally strip old compound off and renew it. Shouldn't have to strip it very often though. Most 'occasional use' strops can go a very long time, before needing any major cleaning up.

For storage, there's no need to get really fastidious about it. Just wipe it down with the dry paper towel, and store it inside a plastic bag or something similar. Doesn't have to be airtight; no harm will come to it, if it's allowed to breathe a little. The main goal is just to keep other dust/dirt/debris from settling on it. When sharpening your knives, make sure to wipe the blade down after the stones, so none of the coarser grit from them gets transferred to your strop. And if using your strop on a bench, make sure the work surface is clean, so the 'down' side of the strop bat won't pick up dirt/grit from the benchtop.