Alternative to strop for sharpening

Nosmo

Nosmo

Joined
Jul 12, 2003
Messages
346
Strop use is great for burr removal but there are other interesting solutions.

For the last six months I have been using different micro abrasives as a substitute.

I have found they work very well and have advantages over strops.

Main plus is that if ordered with 'Peel and stick' backing it is possible to make up all sorts of specialty hones to fit any sharpening situation.

When used as a strop replacement, you get no indentation and subsequent rounding of the edge. If used with an EdgePro system , one can get a mirror finish that looks great. Also as one goes finer in grit, the burr is not formed and this is a real plus with steels that insist on flopping the burr from side to side.

Well worth spending $20 and experimenting.

These are available from many sources and I enclose one link as an example of what is out there

Link to Abrasives page
 
Another neat alternative (very cheap)
is to strop on a piece of cardboard....

Ken Warner (editor of Knives 'XX books until 2000, and of Blackjack Knives) hands out a small piece how to maintain a convex edge using the cardboard method.
[Edit: cardboard strop method added Sept/16/2004, 19:47 EDT]
Warner_convex_S.jpg



--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net/
 
hey nosmo,
any abrasive is a fixed particle, like a micro chisel...as steel has some plasticity, it will form the burr...the size of the burr is directly related to the size of the particle, among a few other things..... a buffing compound, as used on wheels and strops, contains a particle that is loose in a wax/grease matrix...this allows the particle to roll or tumble, creating very, very little cutting, but alot of burnishing action....if you're having problems w/ the strop rolling around the edge, use a stiffer material or backing for it, or improve your technique...also, strops loaded w/ progressively finer compounds will allow you to remove the burr, w/o removing the teeth and irregularities on the edge created by the grit of the stone....these teeth are a great benefit when using a sliceing cut rather than a push cut like a chisel....

this is the best explination i can give you based on 4 generations of cutlery mfg experience in my family, and my personal experience as a cutler w/ 30+ yrs experience....

skintback
"cookin Q...Kickin A"
 
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