Can stropping cause micro chips?

K

kimberfan

Joined
Feb 8, 2011
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I just started using green compound on a leather strop and it seem to make pretty good size chips if i use more tahn very light pressure in vg10 and sr-101? Its strange, i had to work some deep vhip out of my brothers rmd b/c of it and my rmd+endura4 its fine if i just strop with the pressure of the knife blade tho just want to know if this is normal
 
I wouldn't think so, the green compound I use only smooths out the edge, it's from Bark River. I don't own any VG10 steel, but if the green compound causes chipping, then what happens when you cut with it?

Pics might help, and can you see the chips? Or just feel them?

Did the edge have a burr? The strop could be removing part of that weak metal, maybe that's whats happening?
 
A chip is a structural failure where the metal fractures, probably not what your seeing.

A deformation is the bending and compression of metal, this is not a chip but is mistakenly referred to as one very often.

No, stropping will not cause chips or deformations.
 
foxx said:
I wouldn't think so, the green compound I use only smooths out the edge, it's from Bark River. I don't own any VG10 steel, but if the green compound causes chipping, then what happens when you cut with it?

Pics might help, and can you see the chips? Or just feel them?

Did the edge have a burr? The strop could be removing part of that weak metal, maybe that's whats happening?
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No burr that i can see, the factory edge i tried stropping on my brothers rmd looked and felt perfect tell stropping and i've only had problems since i've been using this compound all my stones are perfectly flat the compound is from amazon.com and sold by woodworks i'll post a link in a few its the only thing i've done to all knives that is different than normal besides taking them to my arkansas and i know its flat as the other dozen knives i sharpend on it are perfect
 
knifenut1013 said:
A chip is a structural failure where the metal fractures, probably not what your seeing.

A deformation is the bending and compression of metal, this is not a chip but is mistakenly referred to as one very often.

No, stropping will not cause chips or deformations.
Click to expand...
its the only thing i'm doing thats different tho
 
Do you feel any hard spots on your strops like running over a piece of dirt?
Is your strops exposed in storage so dust can settle on it?
Have you inspected your strops for foreign objects?


If you do not feel the point on the strops that's causing the damage then its not your strops. The damage is likely their prior to stropping you just didn't notice it, polishing makes any flaws jump out.
 
knifenut1013 said:
Do you feel any hard spots on your strops like running over a piece of dirt?
Is your strops exposed in storage so dust can settle on it?
Have you inspected your strops for foreign objects?


If you do not feel the point on the strops that's causing the damage then its not your strops. The damage is likely their prior to stropping you just didn't notice it, polishing makes any flaws jump out.
Click to expand...

could too much compound + too mush pressure cause it by chance? i tried with less compound and pressure and everything was fine
 
Leather is soft, the compound is so fine it polishes metal, unless the compound is "dirty" and has large "contaminants" neither would be able to chip or deform steel. You would also feel it, it would feel like rocks on the surface to cause visible damage.

Too much pressure will simply round and dull your edge.
 
Technically this is stropping, and yes, it would seem plausible that it could chip an edge.

Happy Friday folks!
[video=youtube;0bosp4-pyTM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bosp4-pyTM[/video]

To answer the question in a useful manner. No, Stropping properly with a good strop that is properly charged with a reasonable compound and no contaminants should not result in edge chips or deformation.
 
A strop will not cause micro chips. Strops are meant to remove any remaining bur. They will also keep an edge refined and polished. I make my own strops. I keep them flat with a 4x48 belt sander. I load them with green compound with a buffing wheel on my buffer. To me the most important thing is clean flat leather and applying the compound correctly. All that you need is compound IN the leather. Not all smeared all over the place. The loaded strop should feel perfectly flat.

Hope this helps.

Also, if there is a large burr from the factory it can look like you are getting chipping as the strop breaks away the bur bit by bit. IMO, you should work the edge down more refined before stropping if the edge is at this point.

Kevin
 
kimberfan said:
hmm maybe i removed burrs and weak metal from the factory grinds it it made it chip?
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My guess, your pushing too hard when using your stone and chipping the edge. Then when stropping it pops out because polishing will create contrast and detail in the surface.
 
knifenut1013 said:
My guess, your pushing too hard when using your stone and chipping the edge. Then when stropping it pops out because polishing will create contrast and detail in the surface.
Click to expand...

i didnt think i was pushing that hard but maybe i am on the finer stones, odd thing is its never happened to me before now, and the chip on my brothers RMD was pretty deep compared to mine or my spyderco, i can see that being the case with my 2 as they were very very small but a deep one shouldnt of happened i think
 
Is there any way you can take a close up pic? That would really help to figure out the problem.
 
unit said:
Technically this is stropping, and yes, it would seem plausible that it could chip an edge.

Happy Friday folks!
[video=youtube;0bosp4-pyTM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bosp4-pyTM[/video]

To answer the question in a useful manner. No, Stropping properly with a good strop that is properly charged with a reasonable compound and no contaminants should not result in edge chips or deformation.
Click to expand...

Was he trying to make a serrated edge?
 
knifenut1013 said:
Is there any way you can take a close up pic? That would really help to figure out the problem.
Click to expand...

i already worked them out of the blades except one very small one on my brothers RMD but i can try to get a pic of it when he gets off work tomorrow
 
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