Difference between strops?

[Kai Winters]

Hi all,
I'm considering buying a Boker "paddle" style strop. My local knife emporium just got some.
I've been using a home made strop using a belt bought at a tool store and green compound.
I've no complaints except my technique needing improvement and perhaps "over stropping" if that's possible.
What difference and leather improvement might I notice compared to my inexpensive home made strop?
Thanks for the input.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

There's a huge variation in the character/quality of commercially-available strops. The relative softness/firmness/texture of the leather won't likely be the same between any two brands or styles.

My first strop was a four-sided 'strop bat' from a very reputable German manufacturer. In retrospect, I'm sure it was intended for use with shaving razors. Only thing I had an issue with though, was how soft/delicate the leather seemed to be. It was also pre-treated with dedicated compounds, which didn't seem to perform well on anything but the most basic of steels (carbon or low-alloy stainless). Too easy for me to cut the leather (marginal technique didn't help), and I eventually 'retired' that one as soon as I started making my own from basic veg-tanned leather on hardwood backing, using compounds better-suited for the wider variety of steels found in modern knives.

If I were researching buying a pre-made strop, I'd first look at the smoothness & firmness of the leather (firmer is always better), and also how durable it seems to be. If the surface is very soft or delicate (like glove leather, for instance), I don't know that I'd like it, especially when still trying to learn & refine technique. Personally, I'd also avoid strops that are pre-loaded with compound, UNLESS you know for certain the compound will work well with your knives. If the pre-loaded compound doesn't suit your needs, you're faced with the decision of re-surfacing the strop you just spent a lot of $$ on. That can be a gamble, if you're still trying to figure out what 'works', and what doesn't.

I tend to believe that 'simpler is better' with strops. Don't have to spend a lot of $$ for a great stropping solution. The double-benefit of going simpler is, it frees up your resources ($$) to 'experiment' with many variations if you wish. Veg-tanned leather isn't expensive, and most compounds are also very cheap, if you consider how long they'll last; a little bit goes a very long way. For the hobbyist or occasional knife user, most compound sticks/tubes/vials/bottles will last for years after the initial purchase.

 

[Kai Winters]

Thanks for the input. It is much appreciated.
After handling the strop and talking to the shop person I decided not to buy it...it was also $60.00...that was the decision maker lol.
He recommended I continue using my strop, which works quite well when I use it properly, and learning how to use it better than I can now.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks for the input. It is much appreciated.
After handling the strop and talking to the shop person I decided not to buy it...it was also $60.00...that was the decision maker lol.
He recommended I continue using my strop, which works quite well when I use it properly, and learning how to use it better than I can now.

That sounds like very solid advice. And very surprising to hear from a dealer/salesperson, too. Many would say just about anything to sell the 'product', whatever it may be. Sounds like you've found a dealer with a conscience. :thumbup:

 

[stitchawl]

Start with: What is my goal for a strop?
Do you want something that puts a 'final edge' on your blades?
Do you want something that will be used with compounds or without?
Do you want something that looks pretty and costs a lot of money?
Do you want to buy something that has fancy bells and whistles?
Do you want a working 'strop' or do you want a neat toy to play with?

When using compounds, there are many different substrates from which you can choose; leather, MDF, hardwood, softwoods, cardboard, even magazine covers. Each will work well with compounds PROVIDING you use the correct compound at the time.

When NOT using compounds, you need to use something that will provide the abrasive substances to finish the edges; vegetable tanned leather, clay-coated paper (magazine covers) or fine ceramics. When using leather without compound, it is vital that you use veg-tanned leather, and preferably tooling leather that has been compressed before you use it. This will give you a very firm surface. Softer leathers will not perform as well. In order to firm up the leather properly, one MUST begin with veg-tanned tooling leather. Latigo leather is oil treated. It won't firm up. Bridle leather is grease treated. It won't firm up. Glove leather is usually Alum or Chrome treated. It won't firm up. Plain, cheap veg-tanned tooling leather WILL if you wet it and roll over it using some pressure on a rolling pin. But if you can find yourself some veg-tanned horsehide, firm THAT up, you will have yourself some first class strop leather.

Barber strops are usually made from firm leather but the better ones are expensive. The paddle strops that are sold on the internet are pretty, but you are spending more for the wooden paddle than for the leather strop on it, and all too often that leather strop has NOT been firmed down to be really effective. On the other hand, you do get a very pretty piece of wood.

For $12 you can buy a 12"x12" piece of veg-tanned tooling cowhide from any of the various knife supply companies such as Jantz or Texas Knife Supply, cut it into three strips 4" wide x 12" long, wet them, compress them with your wife's rolling pin, dry them and glue it down on a piece of 1x4 wood (use any glue you have around. You don't need anything special.) and have three really fine strops for next to no money at all. Use compound on two of them if you wish, but keep the third one bare to use as your final strop.

Barbers use a longer, hanging strop without compound. They have different needs than the knife hobbyist. We're better served with a bench block strop. But our goals are the same; a sharper edge. Keep in mind that stropping is the FINAL step in getting your edges, and you really don't need to take more than 10-20 strokes on a strop to do that.

All that said... you don't need the leather if you are going to use compounds. It just looks and sounds like you are more professional. Anything smooth and relatively flat (it doesn't need to be perfectly flat) can hold compounds and help sharpen your edges. Lot's of companies out there today trying to make a buck selling fancy strops to knife sharpeners. Can't blame them for trying. But before you buy, do ask yourself just what your goal is... A sharper edge or a pretty strop?


Stitchawl

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

And with detailed, quality advice like this^, one should ask, "why buy a pre-made strop anyway?"

Thanks again, Stitch. :thumbup:

 

[David Martin]

Stitch, This is good info.. Stropping on any newspaper layed on a flat surface can bring your blade up a notch in sharpness and its Free. DM

 

[stitchawl]

And with detailed, quality advice like this^, one should ask, "why buy a pre-made strop anyway?"

Thanks again, Stitch. :thumbup:

Actually, there ARE several reasons to buy a pre-made strop, and in fact, I've bought many myself, although not in the last 15 years, once I learned something about them. Knowledge can be money-saving. Just ask the woodworkers who strop their carving tools on paint stirring sticks with green barn paint on them for compound. (The green pigment in barn paint is Chromium Oxide. A half-pint can of paint can last three generations of wood carvers!)

1. If we don't know anything about stropping, we tend to think that there is something 'magical' in the strop, especially if it comes from a company with a fancy, well designed catalog or web site. This is probably the biggest factor in the sales.

2. If we don't know anything about strops themselves, we might imagine that 'if one is good, four of them must be better. Especially if they are all on the same paddle.'

3. We might not believe that 'we' can make a 'cheap' strop that is as effective as one that costs $20-$40 to buy.

4. We might think that having 2-3 small bars of different compounds 'thrown in' to the deal is a great savings.

5. We just might like to have a nicely shaped piece of fancy wood as the base of our strop, especially if it's well crafted. The fact that this well crafted piece of wood doesn't do anything to improve the edge we get is irrelevant.

6. We just might like to be able to say "Hey, I have a "XYZ Brand" four-sided strop! Joe Blow gave me really great customer service and included a wrist thong for free!"

Yep... lots of reasons to buy pre-made strops. Besides, somebody out there needs to make money. It's our duty to help!

But for "MY" money, I'll spend the $12 with Jantz or TKS, grab a piece of 1x4 out of the scrap pile at the lumber yard, spend 30 minutes rolling on the leather with my wife's rolling pin, a squirt of glue, and I'll have three 4"x12" good quality strops that will last a lifetime. Or longer. (Oops! Add in another buck or two for a chunk of compound at the hobby shop.)

A good strop should last you and your children's children. It shouldn't wear out. I still use my Grandfather's barber strop if someone asks me to sharpen a straight razor. He used it daily for shaving as did my father. It still looks new. I don't shave. I use bench strops for my knives. These days I have three that get used; one with Chromium Oxide, one with diamond paste, and one that's bare shell cordovan horsehide. I admit to owning several more, but they don't get used. I have a few horsehide strop blocks of different sizes (and some that mount to my EdgePro) but for normal weekly use, it's just those three. 10-20 strokes on each and my EDC is ready for the next week.



Stitchawl

 

[Kai Winters]

Thanks for the info/advice stitchawl.
I prefer sharpness over shine.
I'm using a leather tool belt for my current strop. I'm using the backside...rough side...sanded smooth coated with green compound on one side of the paddle and the shiny/smooth side treated with neatsfoot oil on the other side of the paddle for the untreated...guess it is treated...strop.
I usually go 30-50 strokes per side of the blade on each side of the strop paddle.
I have access to literally tons of clay treated paper as I work in a paper mill...lab rat...I have a wide variety of paper in all types of caliper, weights, coated and uncoated. I've not used it as a strop material...will have to give them a try and compare the differences.
Any other advice/suggestions is certainly welcome.
Thanks all.

The salesperson at Bradlees Military Supply is a great guy. He carries a very large assortment of knives, axes, etc...Benchmade, Spyderco, Buck, Kabar, Cold Steel, Tops, ZT, and others...This store is right next to Fort Drum and does a huge business kitting out our soldiers as they prepare for deployment...the place was packed today as many are getting ready for a training deployment to California before heading overseas next year.

 

[stitchawl]

There is one 'new' area of stropping that has piqued my interest;
Kangaroo hide vs Cowhide.
No question that the roo hide is stronger. A lot stronger... but that's not a requirement for a strop.
No question that the roo hide's fibers are more multi-directional, but again, that's not a requirement for a strop.
No question that the roo hide is 'exotic' for most of the world's knife hobbyists, so should sell well to the 'name droppers' on that point.
No question that the roo hide is denser... and that can be important, though properly processed cowhide is rock solid.
Both can be used rough side or smooth...

The REAL question is... which has the most natural silicates inside it?!? THAT will make a significant difference when used as a bare leather strop!

Any Aussie tanners here? Anyone know which area of the kangaroo hide has the thickest, densest hide comparable to the 'shell' area of a horse hide? The site that I found that's selling kangaroo hides only sells veg-tanned skins that have been 'drum stuffed,' that is, grease is worked into the leather in heated rotating drums. This means that the leather can't be 'cased' and compressed for making a 'really' good strop. I've seen a couple of websites selling kangaroo skin strops, but they don't say how their leather is treated. It may well be possible that ALL kangaroo leather needs to be drum stuffed to process it properly under Aussie Federal guidelines. I simply don't know...


Stitchawl