Changing grit on strop

T

thombrogan

Joined
Nov 16, 2002
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If you've already loaded a strop with one compound, but want to change it out to another, can it be done? For instance, on the smooth side of my strop, I have jeweler's rouge, but I want to change it out for white buffing compound. Am I s-o-l or can it be done? If it can, how?

Thanks in advance!
 
thombrogan said:
If you've already loaded a strop with one compound, but want to change it out to another, can it be done? For instance, on the smooth side of my strop, I have jeweler's rouge, but I want to change it out for white buffing compound. Am I s-o-l or can it be done? If it can, how?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Sure. I've never CHANGED the grit but I've removed and reapplied it because of dirt, etc.

Take the large blade from a Swiss Army Knife, hold it exactly perpendicular to the surface of the strop and scrape the stuff off. I say a SAK blade because it's flexible, and soft and will dull almost immediately during the process so it won't damage the strop. I can't say the same about a metal ruler which I've used and damaged one of my strops by putting little bumps and ridges in the edges of the strop.

You can use the ruined edge of the SAK to practise sharpening and stropping on immediately afterward. ;)
 
Thom,
The established thinking on this is as follows. Anytime an abrasive grit is embedded, you can re charge with the same grit size and coarser but you must not go the other way. If you do you will have contamination due to the 'residue' of coarser grit that is left behind.

Now in the eye glass polishing business, contamination by a coarser grit is totally unacceptable. For us knife nuts, we might not mind the odd scratch.
 
http://www.handamerican.com/honeleather.html

Handamerican offers a treated rough-out leather that is suitable for multi-grit duty - suited for DRY abrasive powders.

What Nosmo said is absolutely true for smooth-surface stropping material, but the long-fiber treatment of the Handamerican material ameliorates the problem. Once the previous grit abrasive is brushed off, any residual grit material tends to settle into the fibers - covered by the new grit. Obviously, this material sould NOT be oiled.

Honing with this long-fiber material tends to produce a more 'satin' finish than you might expect. It cuts less aggressively than equivalent-grit sandpaper, and 'grind marks' are reduced.

Handamerican can also supply abrasive powders.
 
The easiest and best way to remove compounds from the smooth side of leather is it use GoJo, or Goop hand cleaner. Armor All also works well. Using products like these gives you the added benefit of keeping the leather supple as well.
Thanks for the mention gud4u
Keith De'Grau
www.handamerican.com
 
Thanks everyone. I was considering moving from red buffing compound to white. I'll try the ArmorAll.
 
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