using Williams Mug soap for conditioning strops?

**Cutthroat Bill** · 11-29-2011, 05:33 PM

So, Iv read brushing a Williams lather onto your strop and letting it dry for the day, then wipping it off is a good conditioner for your strop.
So whats the big idea here? Have you done this? Is it good, or just a cheap alternative to a strop conditioning product that might cost more than $2.00?
I just got an Illinios 127 brandnew. Should I lather it up before first time use?

**Legion** · 11-29-2011, 07:17 PM

Better than shaving with it.

You can use soap to condition strops, barbers did it in the old days. You'd want to use a soap with tallow probably, and from my experiments it increases draw. Also make sure the lather is quite "dry". You dont really want to soak the leather. I would probably not with a new strop. Just rub it with your hand and then see what it is like.

Personally I don't condition my strop with anything more than palm rubbing. If you are doing that every other day it should stay fine.

**Kentos** · 11-29-2011, 07:49 PM

I don't think its a common thing to condition a brand new strop. I would use it as Legion suggested, and go from there. The one time I conditioned a strop it made it almost unusable due to the increased draw....YMMV. If you had a dried out 60 year old piece of leather, than I think conditioning would be more warranted....

**Seraphim** · 11-30-2011, 05:03 AM

I "lather" my strops, works great. Use a nice tallow shave soap, and enjoy.

Due to the waxy, plasticky feel of a Williams puck, I would imagine it may impart that feel also to your strop. But I haven't tried it myself.

**Brent** · 11-30-2011, 06:45 AM

I like my strops really conditioned. I guess one of those YMMV sort of things. I used baseball glove conditioner that I found at a local sports store. Don't remember the price - I don't think it was more than 4 bucks.

Not sure if anyone else has used this - I think it's mostly neatsfoot oil. Seems to work fine for me - I've been getting good results on the relatively new strop I conditioned.

**Kentos** · 11-30-2011, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by Brent

I like my strops really conditioned. I guess one of those YMMV sort of things. I used baseball glove conditioner that I found at a local sports store. Don't remember the price - I don't think it was more than 4 bucks.

Not sure if anyone else has used this - I think it's mostly neatsfoot oil. Seems to work fine for me - I've been getting good results on the relatively new strop I conditioned.

Did you notice increase in draw? What kind of leather is it? Amazing how EVERYTHING is YMMV huh? :)

**Brent** · 11-30-2011, 08:54 PM

It's a horsehide strop that is homemade (not by me). I tried it at first and it seemed to have almost no draw. I had seen somewhere online that horsehide can be "thirsty" so I added a bit of the conditioning oil and it sucked it in immediately. I condition my latigo every once in a while I condition a bit when it looks a bit dry; I think my place must have low humidity. One or two drops. But this really sucked up the conditioning oil.it had a very noticeable increase in draw and in all honesty puts an amazing edge on the leather. Seems a bit finicky, but those days I dial it in its like "wow".