Thread: I'm an Idiot

OK, I was stropping the other morning after my shave and wife started talking to me, like an idiot I kept going but got into the conversation. I ended up not really paying attention to what I was doing and put a big slice on my strop about 2" from the top. How do I fix the strop? Super glue and sand paper? If so what grit sand paper should be used?

Strop treatment and repair - Straight Razor Place Wiki has the answer, and I'm amending the FAQ as we speak.

Dont use superglue, its not flexible enough to be used on leather. You want to use rubber cement as it will flex with the strop and not pull apart as you strop.

What you do is get some glue into the cut and glue it shut. Once the glue has dried, then take some fine sandpaper (1000 grit or something) and give the area a light sanding to remove any leather thats poking up and clear off any glue that may have seeped out of the gap.

You can then apply a little strop dressing to the area and work that in and it'll be good as new..!

Make sure the area feels smooth and that there is nothing that the razor will catch on. You can check this by running the back of a knife gently and lightly over the area and seeing if it snags on anything. If it does, then you need to sand a little more to get things smooth.

Dont worry too much about it, we've all been there and done that! My first strop got sliced loads of times and I did this repair on it at least half a dozen times..!

Good luck!

I don't know if others would agree with this but I would put a thin patch on the back of the leather to strengthen it with contact cement.

You are NOT an idiot.This is quite common for the newer guys until you get the repetition of the stropping motion down to muscle memory.It is generally recommended that newer guys get a starter or inexpensive strop to get going on for just this reason.You don't say what kind of strop you nicked,I hope it wasn't an expensive one.

Look at the bright side; that strop will always take you seriously.

Thanks guys, lucky for me it was a strop I got with the starter kit. That's what I get for finally paying attention to what my wife was saying

Originally Posted by cmontgomery

That's what I get for finally paying attention to what my wife was saying

One thing I've learned during all these years of straight shaving, Everyone out of the bathroom until I'm completely done. No cell phone, kids, pet, wife, girlfriend,... It's another variable that only spells trouble.

But don't worry we all nicked our strop.

Pumice works best for me.