Do strops require cleaning ?

[myright]

Well the title kind of says it all.

I don't normally strop. I would normally use the polishing wheel. I recently began using an old belt (the unfinished side) with rouge. The surface became black pretty quickly just as my polishing wheel did.

My question is - do I need to worry about cleaning/coniditioning the leather going forward at all? Can I just continue to add rouge every so often?

Thanks in advance :thumbup:

 

[Jason B.]

Well the title kind of says it all.

I don't normally strop. I would normally use the polishing wheel. I recently began using an old belt (the unfinished side) with rouge. The surface became black pretty quickly just as my polishing wheel did.

My question is - do I need to worry about cleaning/coniditioning the leather going forward at all? Can I just continue to add rouge every so often?

Thanks in advance :thumbup:

Lighter fluid, hand cleaner, WD-40, will all work to clean your strop. There is even a few threads on the subject.

In short, yes you must clean your strop.

 

[grizzled gizzard]

Yes, strops need to be cleaned. I have very nice strops and some that ain't so great. I clean them all the same way, with a product that is made just for cleaning leather, believe it or not. Why would I go through all the trouble of buying something that cleans leather? Because other stuff isn't good for leather, and even the strops that I made 10 years ago still work perfectly well today, never mind that they were $2 to make. The product you should like to find is called Lexol. Every Tandy leather store, all 40 million of them, sell it. Farm and ranch stores sell it. It's good for leather and wd40 and naphtha (lighter fluid) aren't.

But wait, there's an even easier way. Do you happen to have, or know someone who has a vibratory hand sander? Those things are absolutely perfect. Anything from well used 180 grit to 220 grit (or maybe even a little higher), will have your leather back to better than new in about 10 seconds. Try it, you'll love it, I swear.

 

[myright]

Thanks, Grizz

I also did some quick searches and found some good advice as well. I've got a store near me that sells saddles and such, I'll pick some up and see how it works.

Thanks again

 

[grizzled gizzard]

Right on. A saddle shop will have saddle soap, another good one I didn't mention, mainly because I get better results with Lexol.

Good for you for taking care of your equipment- good sign of inteligence my Auntie would have to say.

 

[rayban]

Just a tid-bit....wipe the blade off after sharpening on stones, or whatever you use.....before going to the strop. There's a lot of metal on that thar blade if you don't...that quickens the strop getting all black and icky looking.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

But wait, there's an even easier way. Do you happen to have, or know someone who has a vibratory hand sander? Those things are absolutely perfect. Anything from well used 180 grit to 220 grit (or maybe even a little higher), will have your leather back to better than new in about 10 seconds. Try it, you'll love it, I swear.

I don't have a vibratory sander, but even without it, sanding a strop is quite easy & quick. I've been sanding mine with just a piece of medium grit paper, wrapped around a piece of 1x2. The leather's very soft, so it doesn't take long at all to clean it up. Also raises a very nice, velvety 'nap', which exerts a nice 'pull' on your edge as you strop. Holds compound better this way, too.

 

[Big_Red]

But wait, there's an even easier way. Do you happen to have, or know someone who has a vibratory hand sander? Those things are absolutely perfect. Anything from well used 180 grit to 220 grit (or maybe even a little higher), will have your leather back to better than new in about 10 seconds. Try it, you'll love it, I swear.

Oh boy was that awesome... We are snowed in here in Atlanta. I broke the electric hand sander out with 100 grit on my KSF two sided strop. Now it's perfectly flat, no funky spots, fresh and clean. Man that was fun!

Awesome tip!!! :thumbup:

 

[Gotsouthern]

Another vote for sanding here. My pressed horsehide stop from HA gets the 220 grit treatment every few months or so, keeps it flat and clean. I wipe it inbetween stroppings with a clean paper towel to keep any foreign objects from gumming up the works.