Any of you guys use your sheath as a strop?

Infi-del

Infi-del

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I was looking at my leather sheath today and wondered if anyone had the idea of loading the back of your sheath with stropping compound to turn your sheath into an emergency strop in the field. Wouldn't hurt the leather. And it would work as a strop in a pinch. Seems like you could keep your edge in razor condition through out the day rather than needing to resharpen after lots of work.
 
I occasionally strop my blades on their own leather sheaths. It's pretty effective in my opinion, although none of mine are loaded with any compound. Good way to touch them up a bit. Since I got a Spyderco pocket stone, stropping on the sheath has fallen by the wayside a bit.
 
I use the hard edges of my leather sheaths as strops all the time and have for many years. Also, the back and sides of leather belts, sides of leather shoe soles, rifle slings, etc. Anything leather will work. I have never put any compound on any of them and they have always worked fine.
 
I strop on my pants, upper thigh. Not as effective as a charged leather strop but if you use the right sharpeners, stropping on your pants is all that's needed while in the field.
Scott
 
I've used my belt for years..and my pants leg too. you would be suprised how much that little bit of stropping helps in the middle of a cutting job.
 
I use a belt often, however never thought of using the sheath. If I remember I might try this next time my blade needs some touching up in the bush.
 
I think I'm gonna load my sheath with a little flitz. I normally finish on diamond paste but I feel as an emergency strop something just a touch more agressive would be in order. I find flitz does an excellent job of stropping. Just diamond paste does a little better. But like I said, we're looking for an all in one so a mirror polished edge will just have to be for home maintenance.
 
The dirt and grit from the steel work just as well as flitz I have found.

Rub some trail dirt on it once in a while and it will work fine.

Carl-
 
Nope, hate ruin a good sheath. I've blown through the side stitching on enough belts by stropping to know the damage it causes.
 
I've never done that, but the bottom of my coffee cup gets used fairly often. OK, so it's not the fancy-shmancy ceramic sticks you pay the big bucks for, but it does work.
 
kgd said:
Nope, hate ruin a good sheath. I've blown through the side stitching on enough belts by stropping to know the damage it causes.
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How in the world did you do that? I was gonna use the back side of the sheath as to avoid the stitches, but I usually only us light pressure with edge trailing so I can't really see cutting the sheath. Now sometimes I have had an edge bite a little when placing it on the strop, but we're talking minor little nicks and scrapes. Something a sheath encounters anyway. Now the flitz will stain it. But I don't consider that ruining it if it serves a purpose.
 
Raisedby wolves said:
The dirt and grit from the steel work just as well as flitz I have found.

Rub some trail dirt on it once in a while and it will work fine.

Carl-
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Cool idea. Any validity to that Bear Grylls stuff about smashing a quartz and using that for sharpening compund?
 
As others have mentioned I've used a belt before too, as well as the bottoms of ceramic mugs, bowls, plates.
 
alex said:
I use the hard edges of my leather sheaths as strops all the time and have for many years. Also, the back and sides of leather belts, sides of leather shoe soles, rifle slings, etc. Anything leather will work. I have never put any compound on any of them and they have always worked fine.
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Same here.
 
alex said:
I use the hard edges of my leather sheaths as strops all the time and have for many years. Also, the back and sides of leather belts, sides of leather shoe soles, rifle slings, etc. Anything leather will work. I have never put any compound on any of them and they have always worked fine.
Click to expand...

Same here.
 
I've used the side of the heel on my boots before. It's something I remember seeing my father and grandfather doing when I was younger. It is not only effective but convenient when sitting with your legs crossed.
 
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