Cork strop question

Omega Leather Works · Dec 3, 2013

Compound, or no?

ChromOx or something else?

Btw, I got it at Home Depot. It's kinda small but it's a very thin layer bonded to hard wood. It's very flat, but best of all, free. Grab one from the flooring dept. samples.

Ben Dover · Dec 4, 2013

I'd try it plain first. If you need more aggressive cutting, try CBN for the harder steels, or ChromOx for softer steels..

Omega Leather Works · Dec 4, 2013

Thanks man. I'm actually not liking it all that much if I'm honest. I'm use to my leather strops and cork, at least this cork, feels sticky. I'm going to try the ChromOx to see if that helps.

fervens · Dec 4, 2013

Most wood flooring is stained and sealed with a poly coat on top. Sand it down some and try again?

Omega Leather Works · Dec 5, 2013

fervens said:
Most wood flooring is stained and sealed with a poly coat on top. Sand it down some and try again?

Thanks! I'll try exactly that. I wasn't sure if my blade was contaminated, but now that you mention it, it does seem to put streaks on the bevel.

I'll post back.

Omega Leather Works · Dec 5, 2013

Ferv, was that an educated suggestion, or had you done that before?

It made all the difference. The tactile feedback is completely different and there's no more haze on the bevel. I touched up the edge before I stropped and sliced some paper. I then refined on the cork and it absolutely made a difference.

Like I said, the cork is very thin. Maybe you 1/16" and feels good on a "V" bevel.

If any of you pick one up, I highly suggest sanding it first (or after to see the difference).

Here's a pic of the "strop".

fervens · Dec 5, 2013

Sadly, i work at home depot in the flooring department. I have tried all the samples as strop mediums. It's just that i don't like stropping too much (i suck at it) so none of them treated me well.

Omega Leather Works · Dec 5, 2013

fervens said:
Sadly, i work at home depot in the flooring department. I have tried all the samples as strop mediums. It's just that i don't like stropping too much (i suck at it) so none of them treated me well.

Haha well I hope you're not saying it's sad that you work at HD. That's a respectable job. Almost all jobs are.

If sad because of your skill, keep at it. It's a very valuable tool in your arsenal for refining an already sharp edge.

Anyway, thanks for your expertise. Really did make a difference.

1AbominAble1 · Dec 6, 2013

I'm definitely going to Home Depot or Lowe's and picking one of these up to try it out, thanks for the great idea.
This is exactly what I needed right now, it'll give me something to practice with and if I become good at using it then I'll pick up some proper strops.

Omega Leather Works · Dec 6, 2013

It does behave a bit different from my leather strops. Still, it'll be a fun, free way to try it out. Just make sure you have some sandpaper to go with it.