Anyone try to strop on bare wood loaded with compound?

E

eccvets

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I got a nice flat peice of poplar wood 1/8"X4"X24" as well as some nice green compound CrO 0.5 micron today and decided to attempt to strop on the bare peice of wood after loading it with the green compound CrO as I have heard/read that you could get a pretty good edge via this method. I used my Mora classic #3 for this test and though the scandi grind would make it pretty easy to keep an angle. Turns out it just ended up scratching the shit out of the blade. Not sure if it did anything really to sharpen the edge to be honest. If anything it dulled the edge I think. I use my slotted wheel to get back a mirror shine to the blade with the white compound I have which is 5 micron. Either way, anyone know what I did wrong? Is this method only good for diamond compounds? I did for fun strop with the wood alone before applying the compound and it didn't scratch the blade/edge so I know it wasn't that which caused the scratchs or anything else which was contaminating the wood before hand like old grit from the sandpaper used to flatten the wood before hand. I wouldn't have though the green compound would have caused scratchs you could actually see. Could the compound I have be contaminated? I pretty much applied it by rubbing it on like a bit crayon to get a nice and even consistancy across the wood.
 
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I use a piece of basswood loaded with HA diamond slurry. I find that it works well.

basswood002.jpg


Never tried loading green compound. I have done that with thick cardboard edges. I would take a piece of thick cardboard, turn it to where I would load the compound in the corrugated edge and then use that as a narrow strop.
 
I think I got the hang of it now. I took a straight razor and scraped as much of it off as I could. then I used some mineral oil and a paper towel to spread it out and wipe off as much as I could. Tried it again and after about 20 times it did make my Mora a bit sharper, to the point where it will just pop hair off when it comes into contact with the hair instead of just wittling it into strands when its free hanging. No scratchs either this time around. good stuff :D


I guess more isn't always better.
 
I could see the day when I'll strop almost exclusively on compound-loaded wood, of one type or another. I'll still always keep a bare leather strop handy, but use the compound on wood. You can put one particular compound on multiple different surfaces, and they'll all perform differently. Softer backing will yield a gentler polishing effect, and harder/stiffer backing will be more aggressive & work quicker. If you don't want to spend extra money on multiple grit sizes of compound, just use one compound on a couple (or three or four) different backings, and use them in sequence, from hard-to-medium-to-softer backing. Just for example, maybe something like oak or maple, to pine, to balsa, to bare leather.
 
I loaded green compound on some dowel sticks and use it in place of ceramic rods. The holder has two different angles a 15 and a 30. After I get the knife as sharp as I can on the 15s I put the loaded wood rods in the 30s and strop backwards. It works. The rods turn black because steel is being removed.

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I just read about stropping on newsprint as its suppose to be a supposed 0.1 micron and the edge I have now is quite amazing. Sharpest edge I have ever gotten from any knife. I'm able to slice costco TP easily and it sorta push cuts for about an inch or so before stopping and making me saw a bit more before it will push cut again. Not sure if this is really considered push cutting but I'm quite pleased with this edge. I wonder if i could actually pushcut the red charmin TP now. Can't seem to find it anywhere near me though. Oh well.

I didn't really think stropping on newsprint would make that much of a difference comming of the Green compound as it was pretty darn sharp already but apparently it works. Plus its free!

Now im wondering about the .05 .025 .01 micron diamond sprays...
 
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