Resurrecting an old strop

Use a straight. You know it makes sense.
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drmoss_ca
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Resurrecting an old strop

Post by drmoss_ca »

This last few days I've been revivifying my Old Dog strop. I don't think HandAmerican operates any more, which is a shame as Keith D'Grau had some lovely products, such as his liquid chrome (CrO2, oil, detergent) and his leather bench strops. The Old Dog he sent me was a beauty, long, broad and thick horsehide, smooth latigo one side and the same impressed with a pattern on the other (something I've never found very useful, but I'm only concerned with the smooth side here). You know I love my Dovo Red Russian strops, but there's one drawback and that's the narrow width. So I looked through my strops and decided to give the Old Dog a whirl. I wiped the dust off it, and decided the leather needed feeding to make it supple and increase the draw. Looking out my neat's foot oil I found I didn't have very much, so I rubbed that into the outer surfaces, and rubbed liberal amounts of jojoba oil into the back of each side, simply because I had a bottle lying around. It drank it up and asked for more, and after two applications the smooth stropping surface is gleaming and shiny and the whole thing is very flexible. Flexibility is good if you like to strop on a slack strop, but you don't want it so floppy that there is any side to side curvature. Here they are:

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Seems to be working well so far. I'm still using the canvas back of the Dovo for the after shaving strop.

Chris
"Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse."
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EL Alamein
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Re: Resurrecting an old strop

Post by EL Alamein »

Dr. Moss, great post. I, too, love my Dovo Red Russian strop.

Similarly I find that using it in conjunction with another strop to be optimum. I use my Dovo Red Russian in conjunction with my Magic Strop from decades past (probably the 1950's or 1960's). The sequence I employ is Magic Strop linen followed by Dovo linen then Dovo leather. I finish on Magic Strop's leather which is glass smooth and shiny from a half century or more of stropping.

I've been stropping taut for the passed year.

The result is fantastic and very edge prolonging. The blade I'm using now was last honed October 5th, 2016. It is as smooth and keen as it ever was. Can't wait to see how long this lasts.

Chris
EL Alamein
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Re: Resurrecting an old strop

Post by EL Alamein »

And this blade is still going, filleting hairs when tested.

The only touch up was about a month ago and the touch-up was only ten round-trip strokes on the crox strop.

Now approaching nine months of excellent shaves without honing. I'm flabbergasted and extremely pleased at the same time.

Chris
EL Alamein
Posts: 3101
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:55 pm

Re: Resurrecting an old strop

Post by EL Alamein »

This blade finally needed to go to the hones on September 27th. It lasted nearly a year which is fantastic.

I hope this next edge will do the same.

Chris
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