Fine stone vs. strop

Papilio said:
To strop, or not to strop, that is the question. Well, good ol' Hamlet won't answer this question. I did not like a strop. For me it was not an improvement but seemed to dull the edge. Maybe I did it wrong. But as far as I know: Some like it. Some don't.
Some even use a quite coarse stone and then a strop. And it seems to work.
I know that stones of the same grit can produce a quite different edge. But - as a rule of the thumb - is it possible to say: If a stone has a grit of xy it is possible to remove the burr with just the stone and a strop is needless?

Hopefully this it not a silly question. Not more than else.
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How did you determine the edge seemed duller after stropping? By cutting paper or other means??
 
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With knifes I just use some newspaper to strop on or I don't bother at all.
I raise more of a burr with tools like chisels and plane blades so a loaded strop works pretty well with them.
 
I like using a fine white ceramic rod to finish off or maintain an edge. They are so effective it's almost miraculous. They're cheap too. At first I bought a long one with a wooden handle for around 6-ish bucks, I think. When I saw how well it worked, I bought several of the 4.5 inch long ones for 1.50 each. They work just as well, but you don't get a handle with them. Not a bad tradeoff for something you can easily throw in a pack or carry in a pants pocket.

The rod will build up tiny metal shavings. Because the rod is white, you can see the shavings building up while you're using it. The shavings can be removed by rubbing the rod with a special eraser, which is also cheap. This keeps the rod clean and functional. I bought several of the erasers and cut them into smaller pieces for easy carry.
 
A) Using a strop should not hurt ...
B) The strop can solve problems before they become problems
C) The strop can show up a bur if used to do so ( or prove that there is none )
D) Prove too thin an edge .

The strop is a tool , use it , don't use it ?

The one thing I really like about the strop ...
If you have a nicely formed bevel / edge ..
A little bit of strop work can restore it . So with decent steel , a decent edge ...
You may get away with nothing but a good stropping for quite a long time .. ( Obviously , depending on how much the knife is used )
Rather than stoning or using Diamond or some other abrasive method .. The strop can add years to a knife , maybe decades !
Just my 5c ..... The only time you should stone / diamond / what ever an edge , is when it's too far gone for the strop !
 
d.cutting.edge said:
How did you determine the edge seemed duller after sharpening? By cutting paper or other means??
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The knife did not cut as good as before stropping. And it did not feel as sharp (finger check).

old4570 said:
You may get away with nothing but a good stropping for quite a long time .. ( Obviously , depending on how much the knife is used )
Rather than stoning or using Diamond or some other abrasive method .. The strop can add years to a knife , maybe decades !
Just my 5c ..... The only time you should stone / diamond / what ever an edge , is when it's too far gone for the strop !
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Sounds good.
I don't think that my method is metal saving, if you want to say so. Sharp, yes. But not the most conserving style.
 
Papilio said:
The knife did not cut as good as before stropping. And it did not feel as sharp (finger check).


Sounds good.
I don't think that my method is metal saving, if you want to say so. Sharp, yes. But not the most conserving style.
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If the edge feels duller with a finger check, I wonder if the strop/compound was too abrasive or your angle was higher than on your stone.
 
Both thoughts are plausible. The strop wasn't a quality one (DIY) and so was the compound. Higher angle is possible.
I would say that I have made some progress in sharpening knives since then. Maybe I just did it wrong.
 
Papilio said:
To strop, or not to strop, that is the question. Well, good ol' Hamlet won't answer this question. I did not like a strop. For me it was not an improvement but seemed to dull the edge. Maybe I did it wrong. But as far as I know: Some like it. Some don't.
Some even use a quite coarse stone and then a strop. And it seems to work.
I know that stones of the same grit can produce a quite different edge. But - as a rule of the thumb - is it possible to say: If a stone has a grit of xy it is possible to remove the burr with just the stone and a strop is needless?

Hopefully this it not a silly question. Not more than else.
Click to expand...

A while ago I bought 3 strops from different manufactures all with green stropping compound. All three dulled my edge on paper cut tests. These were strops glued to a piece of wood. Then I stropped on an untreated leather belt and the result was a better edge. With all steels I own (S30V and 3V included). I'm hunting for a stropping compound that actually works better than nothing. I'd say strop, but not on a strop attached to a piece of wood. Your mileage may vary.
 
NeedItCheaper said:
A while ago I bought 3 strops from different manufactures all with green stropping compound. All three dulled my edge on paper cut tests. These were strops glued to a piece of wood. Then I stropped on an untreated leather belt and the result was a better edge. With all steels I own (S30V and 3V included). I'm hunting for a stropping compound that actually works better than nothing. I'd say strop, but not on a strop attached to a piece of wood. Your mileage may vary.
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My EDC knives that I stropped yesterday were stropped on leather glued to a wood block with diamond emulsion spray. Maybe that green compound ain't working.
 
I've been experimenting with different types of strops and compounds, and evaluating the results with a BESS tester along with cutting thin paper, feel on my fingers, and whittling hair. My test knives include a Spyderco Para 3 in S30V and an Opinel in unknown stainless. So far, I've only used leather strops but have balsa and basswood on the way. I've tried a variety of diamond as well as green/white compounds. At the moment, my best results (lowest BESS scores) are with a 1 micron Jende diamond compound on the hard side of a leather mounted on wood strop followed by either white or green compound on the fleshy side of a leather mounted to wood strop. Trying to finish with a sub-micron diamond compound, no matter the grit ratting, hasn't given me the lowest BESS scores. Anyone having better luck with sub-micron diamond compounds?
 
Guy McVer said:
I like using a fine white ceramic rod to finish off or maintain an edge. They are so effective it's almost miraculous. They're cheap too. At first I bought a long one with a wooden handle for around 6-ish bucks, I think. When I saw how well it worked, I bought several of the 4.5 inch long ones for 1.50 each. They work just as well, but you don't get a handle with them. Not a bad tradeoff for something you can easily throw in a pack or carry in a pants pocket.

The rod will build up tiny metal shavings. Because the rod is white, you can see the shavings building up while you're using it. The shavings can be removed by rubbing the rod with a special eraser, which is also cheap. This keeps the rod clean and functional. I bought several of the erasers and cut them into smaller pieces for easy carry.
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Do you still have a source for those cheap sticks??

Papilio said:
Both thoughts are plausible. The strop wasn't a quality one (DIY) and so was the compound. Higher angle is possible.
I would say that I have made some progress in sharpening knives since then. Maybe I just did it wrong.
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I’ll mention that I sharpened for many years and occasionally tried stropping with similar results to yours.

Diamond spray (.25micron) and lower angles are what finally made it click.

I use a good deal of pressure but a lower angle than the sharpening angle and I definitely get sharper blades from a strop. Not really necessary except for razors, but I like to strop most knives to preserve steel where possible.
 
scdub said:
Do you still have a source for those cheap sticks??
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Yes. Multiple sources, from well known retailers and lesser known ones too. They're not hard to find. I would be happy to provide links but I do not want to get in trouble for advertising specific sites.

They really are pretty easy to find on your own.

EDIT: For the small ones, try searching for arkansas ceramic rod ac72. That should get you a ton of results from different retailers. Take your pick from those. If they carry the small ones, then there's a good bet they also have the bigger ones with wooden handles. I just now saw one of those for only 3.50 from a majorly well known online knife retailer.
 
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Thanks! Just found them on Blade HQ which I’m 99% sure is ok to say. :)

I was looking for something like this just before covid because I’m planning to do a sharpening class and wanted to give them out - gonna stock up!
 
Don't forget the erasers for cleaning the sticks! Lansky makes them. You can buy one and cut it into 3 pieces. You could probably push it to 4. They also work well for removing minor rust spots on metal.
 
Guy McVer said:
For the small ones, try searching for arkansas ceramic rod ac72.
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I know those, too. I think the larger ones. For the price they work great. But mine were slightly bend. Was ok. Just want to mention.

If or how a strop works seems to be a question of many variables. I will have to try.
 
Papilio said:
mine were slightly bend.
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That's weird. I would've asked for a refund or replacement, but as inexpensive as these these things are, it's probably not worth the hassle. You could just toss them in the trash and order more from somewhere else.
 
Or use them bent, if you’re a cheap b*stard like me. Should be easy to compensate.

Parker
 
Papilio said:
To strop, or not to strop, that is the question. Well, good ol' Hamlet won't answer this question. I did not like a strop. For me it was not an improvement but seemed to dull the edge. Maybe I did it wrong. But as far as I know: Some like it. Some don't.
Some even use a quite coarse stone and then a strop. And it seems to work.
I know that stones of the same grit can produce a quite different edge. But - as a rule of the thumb - is it possible to say: If a stone has a grit of xy it is possible to remove the burr with just the stone and a strop is needless?

Hopefully this it not a silly question. Not more than else.
Click to expand...

The three strops I bought years ago with pre-loaded green compound (no idea the actual grit rating) all dulled my knives. When I switched to a leather belt with self-applied diamond compound, I was shocked. Now I strop every single time.
 
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