Ceramic rod and stropping ?

[foxhunter2]

Is stropping the lest step of sharpening or you should go to a fine ceramic rod for a few light touchs after stropping or it's the other way around

Thanks

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Use whatever you have, or whatever you feel you need. There's no set rule for using both in a sequence, though most people would likely use the strop after everything else. A ceramic can be a great finisher by itself, if used with good technique and very light pressure. Ceramics can do a great job enhancing the edge and removing burrs, but can also create new or larger burrs if pressure is too heavy. In some circumstances, the strop may be useful in cleaning up some of those burrs, if they are there. The better one becomes at refining edges and de-burring on stones (or ceramic rods, etc.), the less need there might be for using a strop at all. That's not to say it can't still be used to enhance the cutting performance of your edge anyway; if you can see some real benefit in using it, that's all that matters.

So, in a nutshell, do what seems to work best for your edges. That usually requires some time spent experimenting with different possibilities, and paying very close attention to the results.


David