Thanks. I always keep a big can of lighter fluid on hand. Bill DeShivs posted about using it to clean the actions of gunky pivots and re-lubing. I've done it a 100 times over the yrs. I'll ponder it and maybe have a go at it.
I use lighter fluid as a general cleaning agent. It removes adhesive residue quickly and easily, washes away hardened oil and grease, removes wax buildup, etc. I've even used it on paper products without any difficulty. Besides its great solvent qualities, its strength is that is leaves absolutely no residue. I find its only drawback to be its flammability.
I've sande these strops before. They stay hard - unless the lighter fluid changes their texture.
I've used lighter fluid on leather many, many times with no change to the leather texture. However... I've never used it on sanded leather. Why not take a small piece of scrap leather, same type as your strop, sand it, and give it a squirt of lighter fluid? I don't imagine you'll see any change, but this way you'll be sure. Let me know the re.... wait a sec.... I probably have a lot more scraps of leather right at hand, and lighter fluid...
OK... I just took a piece of veg tanned cowhide, then sanded half of it with some 600 grit wet/dry... Two minutes later... no change to the texture and the leather looks almost completely dry. I'd say that in another 2-3 minutes it will be the same color as before I squirted it, and there is no textural difference at all.
Why would I want to put a leather conditioner on them??
Because it's leather. It has natural oils in it. Not enough so you can feel them, but enough to keep the cells lubricated so they don't begin to crack when something touches them. Using any solvent on the leather will break down a lot of these natural oils, allowing the leather to dry out. You don't want to use a petroleum-based oil for this. A natural oil (neatsfoot oil, genuine mink oil [not the silicon and wax stuff] even lard would work!) is great, but even a small can of shoe cream will do the trick.
In human skin, you don't notice the lack of oils until your hands begin to chap, then you rub in some lotion. Rubbing a knife back and forth over the leather does actually put pressure on the cell structure. Not as much as folding the leather would, but enough so that over time the leather will begin to break down. If your strop is a hanging strop it will get a lot more physical flexing than a bench strop and require some conditioner every few years to keep it young and beautiful. A bench strop needs it about every 5 years depending upon the heat, humidity, etc. of its environment. Of course a strop 'can' last 20-30 years without any conditioner, but it will not be in as good condition as one that has been properly cared for. Any good quality razor strop is shipped with a little tube of leather conditioner for this reason. My grandfather's old strop looks almost brand new (about a peanut-sized gob of conditioner rubbed in every year) and the leather is as flexible as the new horsehide I got a few months ago.
BTW... the leather is completely back to its natural color now, and still no textural differences.
Stitchawl
