homemade strop idea...need advice

M

mauidogg

Joined
Jun 20, 2011
Messages
30
Ok so I know I can get a nice hand american kit, like I saw CKTG, but they are out of stock. I have also searched many times and many say you can make a good strop your self by various means. Call me picky but, I want to take it to that next level. So I found some leather on Jantz for a reasonable price, 2" x 72" for $15. Now what would I stick it to? I had the bright idea of using aluminum flat from the hardware store, 1/8" x 2" and just cut it to length. I figure I could even cut it to fit my edge pro!

So for the advice part, would I be better of waiting and get the Hand american kit, or make my own via the above process? I am just worried about the alum being flat and straight (it should be), and what should I use to glue the leather to the alum flat?

If I do decide to go ahead and make these, I could always order diamond spray, in various micron and have a potentially have a very nice set of strops.
 
I've made several by using contact cement to glue the leather to hardwood. You can get the size you need at Lowe's for a couple bucks.
Apply contact cement to both surfaces, let dry for about 10-15 minutes, then stick together. You'll have a good "forever' bond.
 
Personally, I'd go to DLT Trading and order up one of their "economy strop" kits. A decent double-sided strop, along with the black and green BRKT compounds.

If you want to make your own, 3M "Super 77" spray adhesive works tremendously well, it's what Ben uses to attach the EP stones to their blanks.
 
Hey, we aren't talking about building a supercomputer. All we need for a good strop is a surface, a base, and something to hold the two together.

I like veg tanned cowhide for my surface if I'm planning on using some sort of compound.
I use high quality shell cordovan horsehide for bare surface strops.
For myself (and that's important,) I haven't found that balsa works better or worse as my stropping surface, but it is cheaper to buy. I just like the esthetics of leather, and it gives me the results I want.

For bases, I like wood 1x3, 1x4, or MDF boards. I do NOT like double sided strops as they are too easy to contaminate! That's a personal preference and your mileage may vary.

I put the two together using what ever contact cement I happen to have in the house for my regular leather work. No matter which contact cement I've used over the years, I've never had a surface separate from a base. Ever.

For cowhide strops, the leather sold for knife sheaths by Jantz Supply, Texas Knifemaker's Supply, Hand American, or Tandy leather all work equally well. I like to 'case' the leather (wet it down, let is sit until most of the color comes back and it's soft and moldable,) then roll over it back and forth with a smooth heavy rolling pin for a few minutes. (Marble pastry pins are great for this!) Then let the leather dry over night before gluing to the base.

Strops are like race cars... You can put the money into the engine or you can put your money into the fancy paint job. Hand rubbed Maple or Ebony bases, with carved finger grips and a slice of Spanish leather won't give you a better result than an old 2x4 with a slab of Tandy's veg tanned leather from the scrap pile. It will just look fancier.

If you are planning on using veg tanned cowhide from Jantz and some wood stock from the scrap bin at your local home center, you can be sure that you will have three 12"x4" strops that will do a fine job of finishing your knives, and you will spend less than $20 for the three of them!


Stitchawl
 
I really appreciate all the input and I am planning to now make my own. One of the main reasons I was leaning toward aluminum instead of wood was moslty for the fact that high humidity and wood don't get a long. MDF swells here over time, and the wood selection at most hardware places are questionable at best. Example: went to pick up 2 kengths of 2x4 to make a support for the banana tree, one piece I saw had so much twist it looked like a helical DNA strand.

I will make my way down to another place and see if I can get some hard wood thats nice and flat. Thanks for mentioning other leather suppliers, I have more selection to look at now. And more ideas to contemplate how many strops to make and with what micron abrasives!
 
I picked up a scrap 1x4 from a neighbor who was building a garage shelf. It was sanded smooth, very flat. Epoxied a piece of scrap leather to each side, cost to me, 4 dollars in scrap leather from Tandy.
 
mauidogg said:
I really appreciate all the input and I am planning to now make my own. One of the main reasons I was leaning toward aluminum instead of wood was moslty for the fact that high humidity and wood don't get a long. MDF swells here over time, and the wood selection at most hardware places are questionable at best. Example: went to pick up 2 kengths of 2x4 to make a support for the banana tree, one piece I saw had so much twist it looked like a helical DNA strand.

I will make my way down to another place and see if I can get some hard wood thats nice and flat. Thanks for mentioning other leather suppliers, I have more selection to look at now. And more ideas to contemplate how many strops to make and with what micron abrasives!
Click to expand...

I've made my strops from red oak, found at Home Depot. Can be had in several sizes, most are perfect for strops. It's very stable with humidity changes; I lived in central TX when I made mine. Got my leather at Tandy, a 5.5 sq. ft. section for about $17 (I call that 'strops for life' ;)). I've even sanded the bottom side of my oak strop blocks, and use that surface with diamond paste, as a hard strop. Works very well. Here's a pic of one of my strops, alongside one of my favorite knives :) :
 
Last edited:
I use my leather strops by simply placing them on the work bench. They are not mounted.

Good Luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top