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I got a vintage straight, now what do I need to get started?

Are there any tricks of the trade involving shoe polish? I have plenty of that.

Yes, shoe polish is very useful for making your shoes shiny.:laugh:

I wouldn't bring it anywhere near your strop, though. You don't want a waxy surface - in fact, you want the exact opposite. Neatsfoot oil conditions the leather. I've heard of people using the Williams trick you mentioned earlier (actually any tallow-based soap) for the same purpose. I prefer good ol' hand rubbing, but either of those will work.
 
Yes, shoe polish is very useful for making your shoes shiny.:laugh:

I wouldn't bring it anywhere near your strop, though. You don't want a waxy surface - in fact, you want the exact opposite. Neatsfoot oil conditions the leather. I've heard of people using the Williams trick you mentioned earlier (actually any tallow-based soap) for the same purpose. I prefer good ol' hand rubbing, but either of those will work.

I had a hard time finding neatsfoot oil locally. I wasn't sure even where I would get it - if you're unable to find it you can pick up baseball glove conditioning oil that you can find at sporting good stores. There seem to be quite a few out there - I picked up one for a few bucks that said it contained pretty much only neatsfoot oil. I've used it and find it does well for conditioning my strops.
 
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