Its Me Again Margaret! Uh, I mean Maint, Tink and Embelishment... Anyway, I have another couple questions in a long line of crazy questions. I know if I have a bare leather strop I need to apply a SMALL amount of dressing (such as Lexol) once or twice a year. But I am getting ready to apply compound to my first two strops. Should I apply compound to them before applying compound? This is leather I have already cased per Stichawl's instructions. The compound is the crayon stick type. And what if the compound was a paste? Would I apply Lexol before DMT Diapaste? Like I said, crazy questions. Or maybe it is the poster?
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Do I need to apply strop dressing to a strop before applying compound?
- Thread starter Squashfan
- Start date
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- Feb 10, 2013
- Messages
- 3,236
Crayon it on there! You'll be fine!! I've never dressed a strop I have bought yet and I get great results 
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 13,418
You're probably OK without it, but apply the dressing if you want to; it won't hurt anything. The dressing is basically for keeping leather from drying out too much, and would likely be more beneficial after cleaning the strop with soaps or solvents that might strip moisture or natural oils from the leather. On new/fresh leather that's in good shape, you might not notice much benefit/change anyway (this is what I saw, when using Lexol on a new leather belt). If you do apply the dressing/Lexol, you might give the strop some time to dry completely before applying compound (give it a day), so the wet(ish) surface won't interfere with adhesion of the compound. That's what I'd do.
David
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2012
- Messages
- 939
I just applied the green compound to the leather strip and have had good results.
100% :thumbup: wut 'e said!
Strop dressings and leather conditioners are for rejuvenating old leather and/or preventing newer leather from drying out. Brand new leather is like a baby's skin; it's fresh and supple with lots of natural oils. As it ages those oils evaporate, dry out, get washed out, etc., and need to be replaced. Obviously if there is a thick layer of waxy compound on the top surface of the leather, the conditioner will have a harder time getting through to the interior of the hide. Not a problem... scrap it off, put on the conditioner, and put the compound back on. You're only losing a miniscule amount of compound when doing this. And you don't have to be fanatical about getting the leather absolutely clean first. Just scrape off most of the junk. People seem to put too much on anyway. Use the edge of a plastic ruler or the back spine of a hacksaw blade and just give a couple of scrapes. Actually, what you'll be left with is about the correct amount of compound you should have been using in the first place...
...Then put on your leather conditioner, rub it in well with your thumb using a good bit of pressure, and let it 'rest' for a few hours so it can really sink into the pores of the leather. Then put back just a bit of compound and you're good to go for another 6-12 months. If you should happen to forget one year to re-apply, no big deal. We are not talking about critical oxygen supply in outer space. The leather will show no difference that you will notice. It would be a problem if you were talking about leather items used outdoors in all types of weather. That needs regular protection every few months. Strops don't fall into that category.
Stitchawl