El Zipster Report post Posted June 5, 2013 Hi All I've just taken delivery of some 100% Neatsfooot Oil that I want to use to supple up a Razor Strop project that i'm working on. I'm a little confused as to where in the process I apply the Neatsfoot. Can anybody enlighten me please? I'm using Veg Tan shoulder for the project. Many thanks Cheers Zip Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dangerous Beans Report post Posted June 5, 2013 It's just me but I don't use oil on my strops, I dampen the leather then rub the compound in to get it even. The compound acts as an abrasive polishing the edge, I'd imagine oil would just make it slide over. I'm not an expert on this so ill stand by to be educated by those that know better. Nige Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harag Report post Posted June 5, 2013 I don't even use leather to make a strop, some plain smooth cardboard, like the inside of cornflake boxes (not the outside), I simply rub my rough on there and strop away. Seems to work for me. Though like Nigel, I'm no expert in this area, just trying what I've read about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PcCowboy Report post Posted June 5, 2013 I would think you would apply the oil to the back of the strop. That way the leather stays flexable and none would get on the top of the rough. But that's just me, I don't use a strop. I have a motor with rough wheels. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tex Shooter Report post Posted June 5, 2013 Blue jean material mounted on a board makes a pretty good strop also. I use two strops the blue jean then a leather. I keep a little rubbing compound on the blue jean material and find it still leaves a microscopic wire that I remove with the leather. -- Tex Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted June 5, 2013 Something tells me this isn't about making a strop for leather tools since he said it's for a strop project. If your goal is to make the leather softer and more supple, I would apply it before any other dye or finish is put on. If you don't want to darken the leather at all, be sure to apply it from the flesh side. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Zipster Report post Posted June 5, 2013 Thanks for all your comments, and to Cyberthrasher for spotting where i'm coming from and giving me the information I was after. What i'm making is a hanging strop for a Straight (Cut-Throat) Razor which is a completely different animal to what is used for leather tools. Cheers Zip Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted June 5, 2013 What i'm making is a hanging strop for a Straight (Cut-Throat) Razor which is a completely different animal to what is used for leather tools. I figured that's where you were going with it, but didn't want to make any assumptions What weight of leather are you using for it, and don't they normally make those things 2-sided for two different levels of abrasion? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Zipster Report post Posted June 5, 2013 I figured that's where you were going with it, but didn't want to make any assumptions What weight of leather are you using for it, and don't they normally make those things 2-sided for two different levels of abrasion? I'm using 3mm veg tan for the stropping area and adding two 2mm pieces to form the handle section, so the handle will be 7mm total and 3mm for the main strop (dunno what that is in ounces i'm afraid). With regards to 2-sided, they can come with a linen/cotton strop also attached, but I have found that the flesh side of veg tan works well for this operation, so i'm building this one with just the leather. Cheers Zip Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tex Shooter Report post Posted June 6, 2013 I am no expert, but I was a wholesale knife salesman for several years and set up in stores and hunting camps to teach how to get a good edge on a knife. The razor strop that my dad used had 3 parts and one was a hard finished linen. A strop is meant to be used to remove the wire formed by sharpening. How sharp one get the edge is determined by how fine of a wire that is formed. That is why a little rubbing compound on on the last sharping operation and before the stropping operation is important. There are several ways to get there and I like the rubbing compound on a tightly woven cloth mounted to a board myself for the finial sharping and before the leather stropping. I have been sharping edges for many years and even took cross sections of edges to exam under a microscope. But I will say that I have met a few that just had the knack for putting a super edge on. There is one thing that one has to be very careful of and that is not to remove the temper by heat from the microscopic edge or the best steel will not hold a edge very long. -- Tex Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
