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Compound on strop?
- Thread starter J-P SAN
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Stropping compound is basically fine abrasive dust mixed with a binder to make it stick on the strop, it is used to enhance the polishing action of the strop and thus removing metal faster than bare leather.
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Why improvise? Sharpening compound is pretty cheap. A small brick of high quality green or black compound from a reputable manufacturer (I like Bark River compounds, for example) costs $10 or so and will last a LONG time. And I sharpen a lot of knives. That said, I've heard of people using metal polish, toothpaste, and other stuff. I wouldn't bother. I'd just get some good compound. Of course, you can go really fancy and get stuff like the specialized, small-batch stuff that some specialty folks make, or the diamond pastes and sprays. Those can be pricey, relatively speaking, but they also last a LONG time.
If you want to go super easy, I recommend the Knives Plus Strop Block. It's preloaded, easy to use, very nice F&F, and only costs like $20. You refresh it when it's loaded by just rubbing olive oil into it. I use it a lot.
If you want to go super easy, I recommend the Knives Plus Strop Block. It's preloaded, easy to use, very nice F&F, and only costs like $20. You refresh it when it's loaded by just rubbing olive oil into it. I use it a lot.
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I use green compound on my jeans/shorts and use my quads as the backing, washes out easily, excellent feedback for pressure/angle.
I'd say 3,000 grit sandpaper/pad comes a close second... I learned by trial and error, so your results would probably vary. One stick of CrO lasted years even after I broke off a couple chunks for friends.
I'd say 3,000 grit sandpaper/pad comes a close second... I learned by trial and error, so your results would probably vary. One stick of CrO lasted years even after I broke off a couple chunks for friends.
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Improvising compound is not worth the hassle unless commercial stuff is unavailable to you. Even the hardware store compound sold by Sears or Ryobi will work very well. Avoid the jewelry compounds made for precious metals and stick to anything labeled for cast iron or stainless.
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+1. This. Don't use the red "rouge," which a lot of people mistakenly use for some reason.
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Depending on what one means by 'improvise', you have a lot of decent/good/excellent options. I've used all of these to strop my knives:
- Dedicated 'crayon' type buffing compound (such as the hardware store stuff HH mentioned), available also at woodworking outlets.
- Polishing paste like Flitz/Simichrome; these used aluminum oxide abrasive, which is extremely fine but still hard enough to use on hardened steel.
- Diamond paste, which is better-suited to the most wear-resistant steels (S30V, and many others with heavy vanadium carbide content).
- Lapidary compound, in dry powder form; can get silicon carbide, aluminum oxide and chromium oxide (green) in this form, and in bulk (1 lb. jar is common). This stuff is sold/marketed to rock-polishing hobbyists, but is also the same abrasive type used in most steel lapping/polishing compounds. In powder form, one needs to be careful with it (inhalation/lung hazard), and it's usually best mixed with some sort of suspension (oil, water, wax, etc.). That's one of the great advantages with this type; you can tailor the compound with the suspension, to make it more effective on a variety of substrates (leather, wood, paper, etc.). And when purchased in bulk, it'll last a very, very long time (I likely have a lifetime supply in my two 1 lb jars (chromium oxide and silicon carbide).
David
Improvising compound is not worth the hassle unless commercial stuff is unavailable to you. Even the hardware store compound sold by Sears or Ryobi will work very well. Avoid the jewelry compounds made for precious metals and stick to anything labeled for cast iron or stainless.
That's exactly my problem : ( I live in Finland, and I don't have any idea where I could get this stuff : ( If anyone knows I would be so happy : S
That's exactly my problem : ( I live in Finland, and I don't have any idea where I could get this stuff : ( If anyone knows I would be so happy : S
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Look for local businesses that specialize in metal grinding/lapping, or rock-collecting/polishing. And in spite of the warning to stay away from dedicated jewelry compounds, you might still get lucky in finding specific compounds in jewelry-making shops. Specifically, look for chromium oxide (green), aluminum oxide and silicon carbide compounds. Unless the vendor can name/guarantee the abrasive types, I'd avoid them otherwise.
And I don't know what your online options are, in Finland. My first look would be to Amazon or similar mega-online marketplace. If anybody can ship it to you relatively inexpensively, I'd think they might be able to do it.
David
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You can get good/great results on denim, depending (as always) on the prep work done on the hones beforehand. When an edge is really fine (like shaving razor sharp), even bare denim can add some extra 'pop' to it. That's how I always finish up with mine, with a handful of stropping passes on my jeans. I always do this as the very last step, after stropping on compounded strops (leather, wood, paper), followed by bare leather and/or the bare denim. Using denim with compound would serve essentially the same as with leather, when using compound on it.
David
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I found after using polishing tapes that CrO visibly scratches metal under a bright light, another nice thing about them is they teach you to remove any trace of a burr, super flat and a burr will gouge out a section of the tape.
I've used the tape to put true micro bevels on edges, not that it makes much if a difference unless its a straight razor.
I've used the tape to put true micro bevels on edges, not that it makes much if a difference unless its a straight razor.
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You can try to find car body polish compound, thats what i still use occasionnally, it tends to eat metal fast then fracture to finer particules.
My only complain with it is because it is water based it dries fast then get dusty, i usually use it on cardboard then toss it once im done.
It is rather inexpensive and lasts forever.
I have no clue about the abrasive in it, it only says 'silicone free'.
The brand i got is 'Siapol'.
You could try to ask an optician also, i managed to find coarse black compound in their catalog while i was ordering a jeweler loupe, talk about two birds with one rock
My only complain with it is because it is water based it dries fast then get dusty, i usually use it on cardboard then toss it once im done.
It is rather inexpensive and lasts forever.
I have no clue about the abrasive in it, it only says 'silicone free'.
The brand i got is 'Siapol'.
You could try to ask an optician also, i managed to find coarse black compound in their catalog while i was ordering a jeweler loupe, talk about two birds with one rock
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Only if your edge is in very good condition coming off the stones. That's assuming whatever you are stropping on isn't itself very abrasive (some heavy cardboards are quite abrasive, and certain paints on wood can also be abrasive). For the most part, bare leather stropping works most to clean up fine burrs and other debris left by sharpening along the edge. It's somewhat abrasive (silicates in the leather), but most benefit comes from cleaning up the edge and/or aligning it.
Bottom line, if you can see obvious improvement in your edge when stropping on bare leather, odds are good you're doing everything else right. If not, that's how you'll know you need to refine the edge further on the stones, or at least add some compound to your strop. Even then, if the edge isn't complete off the stones (fully apexed), any stropping, with or without compound. won't likely improve it much.
David
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You can use writing or copy paper. Linen writing paper works very well. They will not have the same ability to restore a worn edge, but as a finishing step works very well. The mud claimed from a waterstone will work, as will the debris that builds up on the surface of a silicon carbide stone.
I have used a leather belt as a strop, without compound, and I have got great results in past with this. Is compound nescessary when my edges have little to non burr after I have finished with my finest 2k sapphire stone? Will bare leather belt do after that?
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It can do better. Again, it depends on if the edge off the 2k sapphire is ready for it. It's actually easy to tell if stropping will help, because improvement should always be seen quickly, within maybe 10-20 passes at most, and often in only 3-5 passes. If you're stropping for more than maybe 5 minutes, and the edge still isn't quite cutting well, odds are the edge isn't quite ready for the strop.
David
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Or your technique is poor, when I started stropping I would go from easily shaving arm hair to barely shaving arm hair, months later I stropped on my pants to see if it worked... It did, plateaued with that technique after another half year. It's all about pressure and angle and having an edge fully apexed.