Home made strops

F

Febeleh

Joined
Nov 23, 2011
Messages
265
Post your home made strops/sharpening systems.
Didn't make your own?
Please feel free to post your preferred method!
Just curious to see what other people have thrown together that have worked to get awesome edges on your awesome Beckers.

Mine:
A block of redwood with some leather on it and some Zephyr Pro 40 on about 80% of it, and a superfine diamond protective polish on the bare looking end (it's just called Diamond Shield, and it comes in an aerosol can).
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Febeleh...educate me if you could please... do you apply Zephyr Pro 40 right before you strop? Or do you let dry a little then strop..

My setup is an old leather belt that I treat with conditioner every once in a while to keep the leather hydrated...
 
Thanks for this thread. I've wondered the same thing. Can't wait to see some more. Where did you get the leather?
 
Ill post pics asap, but i buy old leather belts from a thrift store in my neighborhood, cut them to length and glue to some 1x2's or 1x4s
 
Robalo said:
Febeleh...educate me if you could please... do you apply Zephyr Pro 40 right before you strop? Or do you let dry a little then strop..

My setup is an old leather belt that I treat with conditioner every once in a while to keep the leather hydrated...
Click to expand...

Cool. The Zephyr is put on according to need. I let it build up a dry layer when I am just doing simple maintenance stropping, to fix an edge from relatively light use, for less mess. If I was out earlier that day, and I was chopping down a small forest, I would put some more on there and strop while the polish was still wet. It just seems to polish more, and hone the edge much faster. If the damage was really bad (small chips, full on edge rolling, not often with a Becker, but still), then I will fix up the edge with a bit of 1000 grit sandpaper. I would like to know where to purchase higher grits, any recommendations?
 
These are my first and only strops. I bought some fine stropping leather online and cut it to fit on some scrap wood. I use Flexcut Gold as a compound, but I do need something a bit finer.

2012_12_03_13_45_39_552.jpg
 
AlexWitte said:
These are my first and only strops. I bought some fine stropping leather online and cut it to fit on some scrap wood. I use Flexcut Gold as a compound, but I do need something a bit finer.

2012_12_03_13_45_39_552.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice strop man! Get some zephyr, it gets easy razor edges.
 
Old belt (veg tanned leather). I really should call it a "new belt" because I broke it by stepping on the buckle when it was new.

I made a strop bat and use cheapo metal polish from Harbor freight.


If you notice the hair in the photo, it is there for a reason.
IMG_4032.jpg



Hair whittling sharp, even with with such rudimentary components.
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'

something quick I knocked out the other night, don't have a good enough camera with me to capture the mirror edge on the 16
 
AlexWitte said:
I've never seen the Zephyr stuff before. If it works that well, then I guess I must acquire it.
Click to expand...

Yeah. My dad is a truck driver, and when he was delivering to the place that ordered it (the company is based in California, so it might be a bit of a somewhat local thing), they gave him a bottle. He said that ordinarily the stuff is sort of expensive. It is designed for automotive chrome, I believe. So, not only will you get to use it for that, you'll get a big enough bottle to polish all sorts of things (and if you're anything like me, you'll be tempted to just go putting mirror polishes on everything, as once you can give a Becker even a rudimentary polished edge, all lesser steels are a snap to finish perfectly. Nibs are also something that can be used (though I'm sure most strops can be used for that)!
Yay Zephyr!
 
Bigfattyt said:
Old belt (veg tanned leather). I really should call it a "new belt" because I broke it by stepping on the buckle when it was new.

I made a strop bat and use cheapo metal polish from Harbor freight.


If you notice the hair in the photo, it is there for a reason.
IMG_4032.jpg



Hair whittling sharp, even with with such rudimentary components.
IMG_4030.jpg
Click to expand...
Dang man! Hair whittling? You are a true master!
Love that green sheen on that wood! Really nice.
What blades are those, the look to say "Schrade", but what model, they look rather nice.
 
Febeleh said:
Cool. The Zephyr is put on according to need. I let it build up a dry layer when I am just doing simple maintenance stropping, to fix an edge from relatively light use, for less mess. If I was out earlier that day, and I was chopping down a small forest, I would put some more on there and strop while the polish was still wet. It just seems to polish more, and hone the edge much faster. If the damage was really bad (small chips, full on edge rolling, not often with a Becker, but still), then I will fix up the edge with a bit of 1000 grit sandpaper. I would like to know where to purchase higher grits, any recommendations?
Click to expand...

I have diamond and ceramic rods that I use to fix the small chips and rolling but for normal maintenance I use an ultra fine ceramic rods and then strop... Thanks for the info and the awesome thread
 
go to a n auto shpply store go to the gym ody work section can find very high vrit sandpaper there
 
Hre is my homemade strop. Three pieces of scrap leather glued to a piece of oak. One for white, green and the middle piece is without any compound. I use Porter Cable white & green compound found at Lowes. I can put a fine mirror finish on that wil shave a fleas arse:D






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Hey do you guys use the rough or smooth side of the leather to strop? I'm having trouble being able to distinguish in the pictures.
 
My field strop is rough out, but everything I use at home I use the smooth side. Smooth seems to hold up better, imo, too.
 
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