At what point is a strop shot?

[other memory]

I made a strop a few weeks ago. I've been using 'Flexcut Gold'. At first I believe I was successfully finishing an edge using my device. As time went on, more and more compound was added to the strop. I've noticed, what I would describe as, edge clogging occurring. It seems the old compound gets caught in the burr instead of gliding over the top of the burr and eventually smoothing it over while metal is being rubbed away. When I first started you could see the yellow Flexcut compound turn grey/black. You knew fine particles of metal were being worn away. Now the strop is just black due to all of the built-up rubbed-off metal. At least I suppose this is what is occurring.

Is this strop shot? What happened?

If old compound and metal-rub-off gets gunked up in a strop, how do clean it?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I made a strop a few weeks ago. I've been using 'Flexcut Gold'. At first I believe I was successfully finishing an edge using my device. As time went on, more and more compound was added to the strop. I've noticed, what I would describe as, edge clogging occurring. It seems the old compound gets caught in the burr instead of gliding over the top of the burr and eventually smoothing it over while metal is being rubbed away. When I first started you could see the yellow Flexcut compound turn grey/black. You knew fine particles of metal were being worn away. Now the strop is just black due to all of the built-up rubbed-off metal. At least I suppose this is what is occurring.

Is this strop shot? What happened?

If old compound and metal-rub-off gets gunked up in a strop, how do clean it?

There's WAY TOO MUCH compound on the strop. Use a paper towel moistened with some WD-40 to wipe the excess compound & metal swarf off of it. All the 'extra' compound, above the thin layer that is actually embedded in the leather, is of no use. The embedded compound will stay embedded, and will be the only stuff doing the real work; all the stuff on top of it just gets pushed around by the blade (and collected on it, like you've found). The strop will work much better when the leather still looks like leather, but just very lightly tinted in the color of the compound.

And down the road, when the strop starts looking black & dirty again, just wipe it lightly with a dry paper towel to remove the worst of the black stuff. The compound will still be there, so you shouldn't have to re-apply it very often. Maybe just a couple times a year or so (and do so very lightly).


David

 

[dalefuller]

There's WAY TOO MUCH compound on the strop. Use a paper towel moistened with some WD-40 to wipe the excess compound & metal swarf off of it. All the 'extra' compound, above the thin layer that is actually embedded in the leather, is of no use. The embedded compound will stay embedded, and will be the only stuff doing the real work; all the stuff on top of it just gets pushed around by the blade (and collected on it, like you've found). The strop will work much better when the leather still looks like leather, but just very lightly tinted in the color of the compound.

And down the road, when the strop starts looking black & dirty again, just wipe it lightly with a dry paper towel to remove the worst of the black stuff. The compound will still be there, so you shouldn't have to re-apply it very often. Maybe just a couple times a year or so (and do so very lightly).


David

:thumbup: Agreed. Sounds like you've got way more compound that you can use on that strop. Properly made and maintained, a strop can last a lifetime.

 

[Macchina]

I use white gas (coleman fuel) to clean mine, it tends to evaporate quickly and cleanly. A light cost of compound is all you need and the strop shouldn't clog until a couple months of use (I use it several times a week).

 

[stitchawl]

Let me add to the above with;
compound collecting on your burr?!? Your edge should be much more refined than that BEFORE you even begin to strop! If you can feel a burr, you haven't finished your stone work yet. If you can actually SEE compound collecting on it, you are probably 2 or 3 stones away from using the strop!


Stitchawl

 

[timbit]

I finish my knives on a 8000 grit ceramic stone, followed by a bare leather strop. This makes my knives very sharp indeed. This way you don't have to muck around with compound.

 

[jwolf90]

I agree with Stichawl, your not ready to strop, try going back to the stones and work the burr off there as much as you can. If the burr keep flipping try lighting the pressure.

 

[Alberta Ed]

I just scrape the old chromium oxide off and apply new.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Let me add to the above with;
compound collecting on your burr?!? Your edge should be much more refined than that BEFORE you even begin to strop! If you can feel a burr, you haven't finished your stone work yet. If you can actually SEE compound collecting on it, you are probably 2 or 3 stones away from using the strop!


Stitchawl

I agree with Stichawl, your not ready to strop, try going back to the stones and work the burr off there as much as you can. If the burr keep flipping try lighting the pressure.

Agreed. The edge could use at least a little more refinement, prior to taking to the strop. On the upside, sometimes the strop does help to 'find' some of those burrs that previously might not have been noticed. Either by scraping compound away (collected on the burr) or sometimes the burrs will also scrape leather from the strop, leaving little 'trails' of scratches on the strop. If the burrs are fine enough, a little more stropping will clean them up, as evidenced by the little 'trails' of scratches suddenly going away, after a few additional passes. Look for this on both sides of the blade, as you strop. Obviously, if the burrs just keep scrubbing leather away from the strop, then more stone work is needed.


David

 

[Bill Hoffman]

Just scrape the excess polish off the strop. +1 Alberta Ed.
I've used the same strop for YEARS and it's still working fine.
About every 6 months I'll scrape it down and then decide if it
needs a touch more compound.

Obsessed is correct about watching for "scratches" on the strop,
it means that you've got a burr that's a little to coarse. Strop a few more times and the
strop should look "smooth" again. If not, back to the stones.

Bill