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Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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why buy a strop?
- Thread starter bodog
- Start date
Type and thickness, smooth side after light sanding to remove test compound.
Interesting... This is your 'after removing,' yet it looks like my 'after applying.' Actually, a rather bit more compound than I'd apply before I begin to strop.
It obvious from your pictures that you are getting results from your cardboard strops, so why not just stick with that? There is no
requirement that you use leather.
Stitchawl
bodog
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Just trying to figure out if I'm doing something wrong. On the one you referenced I only applied a little bit because it was smooth side up. After letting it sit a couple of days I tried using it and the compound came right off so I sanded it a little bit with about 2000 grit sandpaper. What you see there is basically bare leather (with random coffee/beer stains because I don't have a use for the leather so I stopped caring about keeping it nice and clean).
I don't believe it's latigo. I think it's just bare, untreated leather.
bodog
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I don't know if it shows up well for you but the second strop from the right was the smooth side up, roughed with (300 grit?) sandpaper and with a little bit of heated compound mixed with a little bit of mineral oil. It did the best but the results aren't very good. I used those strops multiple times and for far longer than I really should have needed to. There wasn't any metal being polished nor removed. That's when I went to using the cardboard. I never figured out if it was the leather itself or how I processed it for use or if cardboard was just more efficient. I kind of assumed it was a combination of all three. No matter how I look at it though, cardboard works and was much easier to obtain, really efficient to use, and disposable. I guess I'll stick with it.
OK... First off, if you're happy with the results you are getting with cardboard, stick with it. Nothing wrong with using it.
But... if you want to try a good leather strop, here's what you need to do:
1. You need to process the leather before you do anything. Untreated leather just won't work nearly as well. Wet it under the sink for 10 seconds, let it dry for about 30-45 minutes, then roll it with an ordinary rolling pin for 5-10 minutes, bearing down on it, compressing the leather. Longer is better. Then let it dry for two days.
2. For this one, I'll skip the leather conditioner, but if it were me, I'd rub in 3-4 pea-sized dots of shoe cream (NOT wax shoe polish... shoe cream.)
3. Take your bar compound and LEAVE THE MINERAL OIL IN THE CLOSET. Using the compound like a crayon, pretend you are 3yrs old and just rub a dozen streaks back and forth over the smooth side of the leather. Do NOT try to cover the leather. Wad up a piece of rag and rub the leather for 2-3 minutes, moving the compound around.Do NOT worry about getting an even coat. All you are doing is spreading it around.
4. Brush off the excess compound. A lot will come off. Don't worry about it. There is now MORE THAN ENOUGH compound on the surface to do the job correctly. Yes... I know that to your eyes, you might not 'see' compound, but keep in mind that compound is actually microscopic. You don't need to see it for it to work. It doesn't have to be a layer so thick or even that it looks painted on.
You now have enough compound on a properly processed strop to deal with 20-30-40 knives. After that just repeat the crayon work and the rubbing, and keep stropping on a strop that will last 100 years. No need to sand it. No need to scrap it. If you want to clean it in the future, just wipe it down with lighter fluid, Coleman Fuel, naptha, or mineral spirits (NOT mineral oil... mineral spirits, often sold as Odorless paint thinner.)
Stitchawl
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Hey Stitch,
Do you have a particular favorite brand/type of shoe cream for this? Reason I ask, I recently picked up some 'MELTONIAN Boot & Shoe Cream Polish' in neutral, to experiment with a bit. I've noticed it appears to leave more of a waxy finish on the surface of leather than I'd assumed it would (applied to the smooth side of my leather belt). Not sure yet, whether I like that or not.
David
Actually, there IS wax in 'Meltonian Boot & Shoe Cream.' I usually buy the dirt cheapest versions when I need them. They tend to leave out the waxes.
'Meltonian' is a high-quality cream that I WOULD recommend for treating shoes, boots, leather jackets, even leather-bound books, just not for strops. Save the Meltonian and get some junk from the Dollar Store.
Frankly, the only reason I've been specifying 'shoe cream' for strop use is that since such a small quantity is needed for a strop, a one-dollar container of the stuff will last a lifetime. A strop doesn't get the exposure to the elements that saddlery, boots, etc., get, and so doesn't need the more frequent application of conditioners. Once a year is plenty for a strop, using a quarter of a teaspoon to do it. Shoe cream is a cheap and easy way to buy a very small amount of leather conditioner.
If you already HAVE other leather products that you wish (need!) to treat, buy a pint container of any good leather conditioner that uses natural oils, such as Mink Oil, Lexol, or "PURE" Neatsfoot oil. (Careful as there are a lot of brands that mix natural oil with mineral oil or other synthetics.) Read the labels carefully with any of these. And be aware that once you remove the epidermal layer of the leather exposing the dermis (as with sanding,) it becomes a LOT more difficult NOT to overload the leather with conditioners. With all leather conditioners, a little is better than too much. Think of your own skin and how much you need when applying a skin cream. Tiny bit rubbed in well.
Most people don't realize that you CAN simply wash leather with soap and water. Leather does NOT get ruined when it gets wet. (Neither sheep nor cows shrink in the rain.) It gets ruined if it is dried to quickly and not rejuvenated with leather conditioner. Glycerine soap is the recommend one, but even a bar of Dial will work. If you plan to change compounds and want your strop really free from contamination, first clean it with a good, strong solvent, then wash it with soap and water. Just don't SOAK it with the water. Work up a lather and scrub the leather, towel it a bit, then let it dry naturally. No heat source, not even the sun. Then reapply a conditioner and you're good to go once again.
Now, all that said about being careful to use pure and natural oils to rejuvenate leather, here's a quick surprise... If you have some really DEAD leather... something that was allowed to get completely soaked, and then baked in the sun or stuffed in the attic for 23 years, and you would like to bring it back to life... spray it liberally with... "Armorall." Let is soak in for an hour, wipe off the excess, and let it dry a day or two. It's an amazing transformation. I did this with a sheepskin jacket bought at a year sale for 50 cents (it was wadded into a ball and dried that way,) and wore it for the next several years.
Stitchawl
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Thanks a bunch, Stitch. Great info^, as always. :thumbup:
I DO have a pair of leather work boots that I think will be a good recipient for the Meltonian cream polish, so it won't likely be wasted. Also still have a little bit of Lexol conditioner; might pick up some more.
I have a pair of leather work gloves that I just 'washed' in the sink a while back, using some powdered laundry detergent, and then let them air-dry. I did this, only because the darn things would stain my hands ORANGE every time I used them in wet conditions, with the tanning dye or whatever really bleeding out of the leather. The washing got rid of most of the excess dye(?) in them, and they're otherwise no worse for the wear.
Thanks again.
David
I DO have a pair of leather work boots that I think will be a good recipient for the Meltonian cream polish, so it won't likely be wasted. Also still have a little bit of Lexol conditioner; might pick up some more.
I have a pair of leather work gloves that I just 'washed' in the sink a while back, using some powdered laundry detergent, and then let them air-dry. I did this, only because the darn things would stain my hands ORANGE every time I used them in wet conditions, with the tanning dye or whatever really bleeding out of the leather. The washing got rid of most of the excess dye(?) in them, and they're otherwise no worse for the wear.
Thanks again.
David
I have a pair of leather work gloves that I just 'washed' in the sink a while back, using some powdered laundry detergent, and then let them air-dry. I did this, only because the darn things would stain my hands ORANGE every time I used them in wet conditions, with the tanning dye or whatever really bleeding out of the leather. The washing got rid of most of the excess dye(?) in them, and they're otherwise no worse for the wear.
Thanks again.
David
Here's another surprise for ya... When you send your leather coat to the cleaners who say they 'specialize' in leather cleaning but say that they are NOT RESPONSIBLE for results, they usually send the garments to a centralized leather cleaning 'factory' that dump the coats, jackets, dresses, etc., into huge washing machines. Then they, too, pour in very strong laundry detergent and run the machine. Nothing gentle about it.
The real danger is that when wet, leather gets very heavy. So after the washing, it's easy for the stitching in the garment to break apart! The danger isn't to the leather itself. But because these commercial cleaners get so much business, they are forced to simple hang the garments to dry rather than laying them out flat. Their own weight causes the damages.
Stitchawl
Meltonian Leather Balm, my favorite all around leather conditioner bar none. Use it on all our shoes, boots, belt, wallet, sheaths, etc for 25 years.
Unfortunately, it's no longer available.
Got only half of a 4 oz bottle left.
Does anyone know what the equivalent meltonian (kiwi) product is now?
Oh yeah, great info Stitchawl, thanks.
Unfortunately, it's no longer available.
Got only half of a 4 oz bottle left.
Does anyone know what the equivalent meltonian (kiwi) product is now?
Oh yeah, great info Stitchawl, thanks.
Only modesty and humility keep me from agreeing with you.
The fact is, if you start out with a $20 piece of 8-9oz vegetable tanned cowhide from the 'shoulder' or 'back' cut of the hide, 'case' it, then roll the bloody hell out of it for 20-30 minutes, really compressing the leather, then let it dry, then give it a few dabs of leather conditioner, you will have the very best cowhide leather strop available anywhere, regardless of retail price. For a few bucks worth of leather, you should be able to make 3-4 strops that would (if you made a pretty wood-project base for them,) sell for $75 each... and actually be worth the money!
Right now, there is NOT one single knife-related (vs shaving equipment) company that processes its leather in this fashion (Only the better shaving equipment companies do.)
Stitchawl
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Meltonian is apparently an S.C. Johnson brand (of 'Johnson Wax' fame) now. I'm noticing the S.C. Johnson name & logo on the lid of the Meltonian shoe cream I recently bought. No idea if there's a Kiwi-branded equivalent for it; somehow I doubt it.
(Edit: Looking around the web, it appears S.C. Johnson owns the Kiwi Brand as well...)
David
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