Alternative Strops

D

dragonist2

Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
226
Looking around, the most common strops seem to be leathers whether it be cow, horse, kangaroo or loaded/unloaded. However, what I am really curious about are the other materials people use such as newspaper, denim, and wood.

Do you all use these just because they're convenient, or do they offer some advantage over traditional leather?
I like the idea of stropping on jeans; it seems so simple. What other alternative stropping surfaces do you guys use?
 
I strop my shaving razor blades on my arm before using, adds several shaves before needing replacing.
For my knives, I also use balsa wood bare. Would like to try some denim. Have used thin cardboard backing from packaging and newsprint.
They all work in their own way, but not as aggressive as a leather strop.

Omar
:rolleyes:
 
I had been experimenting with cork and battleship linoleum, the kind used for linocut printmaking and like the results
 
I occasionally use jeans. For some reason, dirty old jeans work really well. Not filthy (covered in oil and stains), but just unwashed and a bit worn. Maybe more silicates, but I'm not sure. But I don't do it as much now that I've got a routine down. Newspaper is good, too. Basically, these things have some silicates in them. I like the 'roo leather a lot, and I speculate that that is partly because it's so thin and strong.
 
The more and more refined an edge becomes, the easier it is to strop on almost anything. Different materials will have different stropping characteristics. Materials with abrasive content (such as silicates, found in leather, some woods and many heavy cardboards, and the abrasive pigments found in newsprint) will actually abrade & polish to some extent, by removing metal. Other materials, like fabrics (denim, canvas, etc.) work more by cleaning loosely-hanging debris and burrs from an edge, and also realigning a very fine wire edge. Not as much significant abrasion there, though.

I view it as very good sign, when an edge does respond noticeably and positively to stropping on fabrics and other relatively non-abrasive material. That's an indicator the edge was already in very good shape (fully apexed), and was truly 'ready' for stropping.

Edited to add:
Much of the advantage in using other materials, can be seen when trying a compound of a fixed type & size, but on various backing materials. A given compound can be made more aggressive, or less, just by using it on harder backing (glass, hardwood; more agressive) or softer backing (leather, fabric, stacked paper, balsa wood; less agressive), or anywhere in between.


David
 
Last edited:
I do like stretched denim on a hardwood backing loaded with 3u alox and wd 40, thats the one i use mainly on my convexed edges, im also a balsa fan with diamond pastes. Before that i used cardboard loaded with car body polish paste. I have yet to test the endgrain loaded paper strop and i might try cork soon aswell.
I tried paint stirring sticks but i disliked the lack of feedback.
 
I still like the idea of stropping on the thigh of a Virgin...
Unfortunately, I can't find any who are old enough.


Stitchawl
 
I usually finish on denim with 0.5 micron paste, then on bare denim....it works very well for me.
 
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