DMT Paste and Smoky Mountain Woodcarver 4 sided strop...

F

fierostetz

Joined
Jul 28, 2010
Messages
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I ordered the 3 grits of DMT paste and a smoky mountain woodcarver 4 sided strop

http://www.amazon.com/Smoky-Mountai...ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1285174049&sr=8-2

Any thoughts? I <3 Amazon Prime, no shipping charge on 2 day shipping - woohoo!

Any opinions would be very welcome. I've done some searching and found widely varied opinions on the DMT paste; nothing to deter me from learning, however. I wasn't able to find anything about the strop, but seemed to pair well with the paste, i.e. 3 grades of paste on 3 sides plus one plain leather. I've been using leather belts on 2x2 wood for my stropping; sanding the belts down and impregnating with white, black, and green compounds.

By the way, I dont know how you guys normally buy polishing compounds, but I went to an abrasives specialist by my house and bought a 3lb bar of each for like 4 bucks a piece; works like a charm! No idea how I'll ever wear through 9 lbs of compound :D

Any feedback would be very welcome, I'm excited to get started here. I'm already capable of getting hair whittling edges but I'd like them to be more consistent and prettier. Always ready to learn!
 
It's a subject that's been pretty much talked out in the past several months. Strops and compounds are great when used correctly. Do a search and you'll see a lot of good information.

Stitchawl
 
Pretty good price for a 4-sided strop. If you liked the results from those waxy bars you'll love what the DMT pastes will do.

Stitchawl is correct, if you do a search and even just a quick read you'll find more than enough info. on this stuff.
 
I found info on the dmt, but nothing about a 4 sided strop. When putting it down it'll have to rest on one of the sides, do I have to worry about cross contamination much? I.e. Putting it down on different sides in the same place and it picks up cast off diamonds? Was a 4 sided strop a bad idea?
 
fierostetz said:
I found info on the dmt, but nothing about a 4 sided strop. When putting it down it'll have to rest on one of the sides, do I have to worry about cross contamination much? I.e. Putting it down on different sides in the same place and it picks up cast off diamonds? Was a 4 sided strop a bad idea?
Click to expand...

Not a 'bad' idea, just an inconvenient tool at times. Yes, if you put it down you will get cross contamination. Is there a way to attach an eye-hook to its end? That way you can hang it and solve the problem easily. Having four strops is nice, but having them all on the same block of wood can create some difficulties. BTW, that DMT paste is really good stuff! :thumbup: Just use it sparingly. Like all compounds, a little goes a long way! Your 9lbs of compound should last you a few lifetimes... My 3oz bars have lasted about 25 years so far, but they do show some wear. If we were using powered buffing machines they wouldn't last so long, but in hand use...
Look at it as if you have a legacy to pass down though your generations... even to your great grandchildren! They will be able to show it to their friends and say "this green stuff belonged to my great grandfather. He used it back when people cut things with sharpened metal bars instead of a pocket laser!"

Stitchawl
 
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Thanks Stitchawl

Alright - verdict is, the 4 sided strop is inconvenient :P

It's a handy size, I'll post some pics, and you can put it down on it's end so it stays free standing.

All 4 sides of the strop are the rough side of the leather; I tried sanding it down and whatnot but you can't fight the fuzz. As a result of the rough fuzzy leather it ate up a significant amount of the dmt compound as opposed to using cardboard, mdf, etc. I'm already noticing improved edges, but wondering how much better they'd be if I had smooth leather (and not just one of my homemade leather belt strops). I'm looking for a smooth finishing strop now. I'm probably going to try out the DMT paste on my belt sander/leather stropping belt just to see what's what. There *are* paper wheels in my future, but I'm letting sharpening work pay for any sharpening tools so it takes a little time (After the initial $50 seed money into the sharpening gear). For some reason my Gerber Profile takes a quick wicked edge; it's one of the least expensive knives I've got but it's a beast!

Pics to come...

Oh, hair whittling is really tough when you're short haired. I just robbed my girlfriend's hairbrush which felt exceptionally creepy...
 
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