picked up a straight and a strop today. can someone help me?

**72plymsatellite** · 05-25-2012, 04:23 PM

ok well what im not sure about mostly, is if i paid too much. i got it cuz i think its awesome. it was $40 with the strop. the palmolive and gillette blades were $5. i know that there is hone wear but its an older blade to there is going to be wear. it doesnt look too uneven or anything but i dont have the trained eye that u guys have. hope u guys like it.

**72plymsatellite** · 05-25-2012, 04:23 PM

more

**smalltank** · 05-25-2012, 04:27 PM

nice blade..honewear is only if it bothers you to have some or any if that..thats more cosmetic..its the edge that matters and if you should get some #0000 woolpads and some Flitz (all I could find) which will polish that razor up much better IMO..also, try some leather conditioner on that strop...should help smooth it out so its useable

**72plymsatellite** · 05-25-2012, 04:59 PM

ok cool. yea ill try polishing it up a bit and take more pictures.

another question is what is the best way to get the nasty stink out of the strop??? i didnt realize i got it home. prob cuz i had it in a more confined space and could actually smell it. will the leather conditioner also help wiht that?

**Prof. Moriarty** · 05-25-2012, 05:09 PM

It looks like the blade has a chip at the front? Or is that just the picture? It is right below the yellow spot near the front of the blade.

**Wid** · 05-25-2012, 05:18 PM

The edge is OK, the towel (rug) is up over the edge. Nice razor.

**Prof. Moriarty** · 05-25-2012, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Wid

The edge is OK, the towel (rug) is up over the edge. Nice razor.

So it is, nice to hear. The other pictures didn't show it so I was getting confused. Then again it is 1:20 in the mornin over here... so I have an excuse.

**tomjr** · 05-25-2012, 05:32 PM

very nice blade! what a great score! that should make a great shaver once cleaned up and properly honed. the strop needs a little work from what i see (maybe). u made a great deal! honing is something best done by an experienced honer with the needed stones.

**mdunn** · 05-25-2012, 05:38 PM

Nice score. Good money goes for those Masonic blades

**hig789** · 05-25-2012, 08:56 PM

Yeah that's a nice big ole blade. I think you did well on the razor, I dig the thumb notch. On the strop I myself won't buy a vintage uses it is mint. But I am sure someone here can give you some advice on cleaning her up.

**72plymsatellite** · 05-26-2012, 07:29 PM

a few pictures from after i did a bit of polishing. it wasnt much but u can see the design a lot better. i also have pics showing the difference in size to some of my other straights. the torrey is 4/8 the harvard is 5/8 and the wilton is 9/8. it looks like a freakin meat cleaver. that is just so awesome.

**72plymsatellite** · 05-26-2012, 07:31 PM

more pics

**72plymsatellite** · 05-26-2012, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by hig789

Yeah that's a nice big ole blade. I think you did well on the razor, I dig the thumb notch. On the strop I myself won't buy a vintage uses it is mint. But I am sure someone here can give you some advice on cleaning her up.

why dont u use older strops?? i assume u dont use used brushes either? i feel that way about brushes but i didnt think that about a strops. this is the first time buying a used strop tho or any strop for that matter.

**CorCat87** · 05-26-2012, 07:34 PM

nice straights man, ill be getting mine as soon as i get the balls to try it lol

**Slash McCoy** · 05-27-2012, 02:10 AM

Some classic razors you got. I like the spine on the Harvard, and the scales. Very nice. Your Wilton Masonic chopper and strop for $40 was not a bad deal.

As for the vintage strop, if it isn't nicked up or cracked, if the leather is still supple, and it it can be pulled nice and tight without cupping, go ahead and use it. Otherwise, buy a new one or at least a lightly used one. Can't go wrong with the "Big Daddy" from star shaving. You should apply a few drops of neats foot oil to your old strop by rubbing it in with the palm of your hand, and reapply a drop or two every week or two until it feels pliable and hangs straight down. Lots of rubbing. If there are nicks, try sanding them out. Any hangnail-like bits should be trimmed back, first. Your razor needs a smooth stropping surfaceif it is to sweeten your edge instead of damage it.

**hig789** · 05-28-2012, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by 72plymsatellite

why dont u use older strops?? i assume u dont use used brushes either? i feel that way about brushes but i didnt think that about a strops. this is the first time buying a used strop tho or any strop for that matter.

I didn't say I don't use old strops I said I wouldn't buy them uses they are close to mint because most of the ones I find are cracked and dried out beyond recovery. The only brushes I own are vintage and the vintage knots are by far my favorire and they are softer than any other knot I have ever used. I am sure it from the years and years of daily use. Like slash said if that strop isn't cracked up and doesn't cup, have at it.

**72plymsatellite** · 05-31-2012, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by hig789

I didn't say I don't use old strops I said I wouldn't buy them uses they are close to mint because most of the ones I find are cracked and dried out beyond recovery. The only brushes I own are vintage and the vintage knots are by far my favorire and they are softer than any other knot I have ever used. I am sure it from the years and years of daily use. Like slash said if that strop isn't cracked up and doesn't cup, have at it.

oh ok i guess i just misunderstood. i havent tried it out yet to see if it cups. the other side says sharpen or something like that on it. im not sure exactly what that side is used for? do u strop on both sides??? that side has a few spots that need to be sanded out tho.

**Slash McCoy** · 06-01-2012, 08:24 AM

More detailed pics of the strop?

The one you need to be concerned with the most is the smooth leather side. That is the outer, or hair side of the skin. The rough flesh side is seldom used though it could be useful. I can't tell if your strop has a separate piece of linen or not. Some shavers like to hit the linen a few laps before the leather, or use the linen after honing, and a few even paste the linen with an abrasive like CrOx or diamond. But the essential surface is the hair side of the leather. As long as it is usable, you have a strop worth keeping and using, at least until you think it's time to upgrade.

**Rob72** · 06-01-2012, 08:47 AM

A can of Saddle Soap and a sponge is a good start, along with a bottle of Neetsfoot oil. Wet the sponge & lather it up in the soap (sound familiar?)

, then work it into the strop. Rinse the sponge, and use it to damp-sponge off the soaped strop. Let it dry(room temp) for a few hours to a day.

You're king of at the same place with the strop as with the razor- it could use a re-hab. If it stinks, it may have just been left sitting where the cat/dog/Lil' Billy could pee on it, in which case, saddle-soap will probably take care of the issue, with a couple of applications. If it smells mildew-ey, the best solution would be slitting the stitching, cleaning every piece individually, oiling, then re-stitching.

Barring that, you may get by just applying WD-40. WD's lubrication is fish-oil based, so it won't harm the leather. The oil is carried in a fast-evaporating petroleum carrier that isn't half-bad at killing small amounts of mildew, and laying the freshly WD'd strop on the windowsill, in sunlight, will help.

**72plymsatellite** · 06-01-2012, 10:15 AM

u guys are very useful... i dont care what ur significant others say.

i will be training for the next few weeks so unfortunately i wont be home to do any of the things mentioned but it helps me to figure out what i need to do.