Can't strop worth a damn

markhait

markhait

Joined
Jan 14, 2007
Messages
297
Help me please!!!!
I have a Manix that I love to pieces! I get it very sharp on my Sharpmaker and then I dull it on a strop! I've tried hanging strop, painters tape on a piece of maple with rouge, cardboard....you name it! What's frustrating is that I shave with a straight razor and am used to stropping, but it's so much easier with the straight razor.

I tried to find the edge that just begins to grab and then strop at that angle, I've tried to lay the blade flat on a hanging strop, like you do for a straight razor. I do get a little better result with that approach, but not like most people post around here.

After stropping and I dull my sharp knife, I have to return to the sharpmaker to start over again. It's like what the heck am I doing wrong! I have diamond paste and have seemed to spent a lot of time and money trying to do this correct, but am no closer than when I began.

Please, please, please help me!!!!!
 
This is actually the expected behavior for high carbide stainless if the edge is burred.

-Cliff
 
Do you have any tips for him Cliff. I am keen to learn more about stropping myself.
 
My best advice is to use very very little pressure. The weight if the blade alone, maybe slightly more. When you are thinking there is so little pressure you aren't doing anything, that is when you can refine the edge the most IMHO.

David
 
Are you reversing directions without lifting the edge completely off of the strop? A lot of people make that mistake.
 
Inspect for and remove any burr, as suggested. On the Sharpmaker this entails a couple of light strokes with the spine of the blade angled slightly inward toward the center of the rods.

As far as stropping goes, I find I get better results by going by sound and feel rather than trying to determine the angle visually. Start with the blade flat on the strop, and as you pull the blade back, slowly raise the spine. Listen and feel for a change of sound or a slight grabbing sensation as the edge touches the strop. It's subtle, but it's there. [Oops, sounds like you're already doing this]

If as Torz suggests you are rounding when you're flipping the blade, try stropping only one side for 5-10 strokes, then the other side.

I agree that stropping requires a light touch. I also believe that the strop needs to be mounted on a hard flat surface as opposed to a hanging strop.
 
Relatively speaking, I'm a new "stropper", but my results so far have been fairly good.

I have three boards with leather glued to each side....one smooth side out the other rough side out. Both are coated with green rouge (the other boards are coated with white).

I don;t know if this is correct, but it works for me. I hold the board in my left hand...the way some folks will hold a stone while they're sharpening a blade. I find the angle and slowly and lightly pull the blade toward me. Stop completely and lift the blade. Then, flip the blade, find the angle, and slowly and lightly push the blade away. The speed I use takes me about 3 full seconds for one full stroke in one direction. That's the knife blade moving down about 11 inches of leather. I think fear of messing up the edge got me going that slow and now it's a habit.

And, as Cliff says, the edge must be sharp before you start stropping. Otherwise, you're just stropping a dull edge. (hmmmmm...stropping a dull edge. I need to cogitate on this awhile)
 
My edge is hair shaving sharp, but I think part of my problem is that I want it to happen more quickly than it does.
I've been working at it for the last couple of days and at least haven't dulled my blade like I did before. I guess I'm on track.
My knife is the Manix and it has that S30V steel. Since it's a stainless, I'm guessing that it's pretty hard. What are we talking here to get me to the "next level" of sharpness? I mean do I need to strop 50-100 x's before this happens or is it as simple as 20 x's. I hope it's not the later cuz that means I have a long way to go! :-)

Oh...by the way...I ditched my hanging strop and used a 4 sided paddle that I normally use for my straight razor. This seems to be working at lot better. Because it was for my straight razor I diamond coated it with the following grits: 3K, 14K, 50K, 100K. Which should I be using?

Thanks
 
Get the knife to where it will comfortably shave arm hair. Then, get a strop with leather on one side, and linen on the other, one of these:

http://www.classicshaving.com/page/page/522944.htm

Then get a (thousand) tube(s) of this:

http://www.classicshaving.com/catalog/item/522944/564416.htm

Contrary to what everyone will tell you, rub the paste into the linen side of the strop. Nice and even. Then strop the knife with moderate pressure, trying to strop the edge. You can tell how you are doing, because the paste will deposit on the knife. 10 - 20 strokes on each side, you'll be amazed at the edge it leaves. Whenever I want to impress someone, including myself, I do this, and the knife will easily whittle hair. I also do this to my straight razors after honing. It really puts (and cleans) the final edge up nicely. Then I strop on the leather side with my razors, optional with the knife.
 
Your expectations may be too high.

A strop will help you get an ALMOST-shaving edge to shaving sharp.
It'll help you get a shaving sharp edge to scary sharp.

I suspect your problem is your PRE-strop sharpening.

Other than that, try lying the strop on the arm of the couch and stropping while you watch TV.

.
 
sodak said:
Get the knife to where it will comfortably shave arm hair. Then, get a strop with leather on one side, and linen on the other, one of these:

http://www.classicshaving.com/page/page/522944.htm

Then get a (thousand) tube(s) of this:

http://www.classicshaving.com/catalog/item/522944/564416.htm

Contrary to what everyone will tell you, rub the paste into the linen side of the strop. Nice and even. Then strop the knife with moderate pressure, trying to strop the edge. You can tell how you are doing, because the paste will deposit on the knife. 10 - 20 strokes on each side, you'll be amazed at the edge it leaves. Whenever I want to impress someone, including myself, I do this, and the knife will easily whittle hair. I also do this to my straight razors after honing. It really puts (and cleans) the final edge up nicely. Then I strop on the leather side with my razors, optional with the knife.
Click to expand...

I can't attest to the method described above but I can attest to the results. Sodak sent a knife to me that was the first "hair-popping" blade I'd ever handled.... it was indeed *SCARY* sharp. I mean, when I read a post where someone says their knife is "scary" sharp, if they're being honest, I now know what it means. My knives are sharp, scary sharp, but they're not *SCARY* (frightening, horrifying, blood-curdling, heart-stopping) sharp like Sodak's blade was.

I agree with the others Mark, your knife must be "sharp" before stropping. You should be able to shave hair on your arm (blade at approx 45 degree angle) BEFORE stropping. Another thing, I have a BM Snody Activator in S30V. I don;t strop it. It's plenty sharp as it is off the stones. It won;t "pop" hair, but none of my knives do (with the exception of once or twice getting one of my BRKT blades to pop hair a few times, each time following stropping with the white paste rouge that SODAK is describing).
 
Well, you could have a very sharp knife right off a 120 grit DMTXX. But I wouldn't think it would help much to strop that edge on 0.5 micron CrO.
 
My Manix is hair shaving sharp from the SharpMaker, but I can't seem to get it to the "next level" by stropping. I tried again last night with a different knife and had the same effect. I've tried different angles, laying the strop down flat, holding it on an angle, using a hanging strop, using a paddle strop...I don't think I can think of too many more variations!

Tell me this.....Once I have a hair shaving sharp knife, how many passes on a strop to get me there? My experimental knife is a CS Voyager in VG-1. This way, if I hit this "number" and still aren't there I know I'm doing something wrong for sure.

Thanks
 
I think you might be asking too much of the S30V. It is indeed quite difficult to polish....*can* be done...but definitely requires more strokes.

Also, you didn't tell us what angle you are using. You'll definitely get better results from stropping if you use a finer angle.

Steels that polish more easily are going to strop more easily. D2, for example, has an innate structure that disallows a true polished edge. Can you get it sharp? Yes! But it requires a lot more work. Same thing with S30V...I can get it popping-hairs-above-the-arm sharp...but requires more polishing than other steels. (like 3-5x as much)

Just FYI.


YMMV.
 
Also...forgot to mention....have you done the "magic-marker" test? (to see if you are indeed stropping the edge)
 
I have done the magic marker test, but only for sharpening not for stropping. I figured with a leather strop you could get away with basically having it lay almost flat because the leather forms around it....yes...no?
It seems to be working, but it is taking forever. With the Manix, I can't push cut yet, but with my CS Voyager I can. I think the Voyager is able only because I have worked it much longer than the Manix. It did take me a looonnnggg time to get the Voyager there. If the Manix is tougher steel I can't imagine how long it will take me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top