What should I know about my vintage strop?

[danstar250]

I have a vintage Russian made strop obtained from a very old Barber shop. Is there anything I should know or do before using it? Any help is welcomed. Thanks in advance for helping. BTW, it doesn't have any cracks in the leather, and is definitely not rotten. It does look a little dry.

[Thebigspendur]

Without a picture its hard to advise however in general I would first use some leather cleaner like lexol or bick followed by some good leather conditioner. You might need several applications of conditioner if the leather is very dry. As long as there are no cracks, cuts or irregular areas in the leather it should serve.

[danstar250]

I'll use those suggestions. Other than looking a little dry, the leather does look good. Thanks. Still open to any special strop conditioning tips--this is my first strop.