honing leather?

G

Gshock300

Joined
Feb 1, 2006
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hey guys,

some of you have said that you use the smooth (shiny) side and some use the suede (rough) side of leather to strop on.

Ive got some green honing compound and was going to make a woodbacked leather hone with some suede that an old saddler gave me.

Is there any difference as to which side of the leather you use?
should I go out and get some smooth leather instead of using the suede or will the suede work just as well?
 
Gshock300 said:
hey guys,

some of you have said that you use the smooth (shiny) side and some use the suede (rough) side of leather to strop on.

Ive got some green honing compound and was going to make a woodbacked leather hone with some suede that an old saddler gave me.

Is there any difference as to which side of the leather you use?
should I go out and get some smooth leather instead of using the suede or will the suede work just as well?
Click to expand...

The suede side will work just as well since it simply provides a matrix to hold the CrO. Most of the fuzzy stuff will wear off over time and it will get pretty smooth.
 
I cheated. I glued a piece of leather to each side of a wooden paint stirrer. One side rough, one smooth. I give a couple of swipes on the rough, flip it over and give a couple swipes on the smooth. If I work the strop too much I tend to round the edge. On some steel this is an improvement.
 
I'm a little confised about the honing leather thingy... Will just some old leather work fine? I have an old leather belt that I could use but I don't know if that will do something or just be a waste of time.

Another thing is when you refer to "Cro", whats that? It seems to be some kind of product, maybe oil...?

Thanks!
 
Thanks!, do you know what shops sell it? I don't mean on line, just stores I can ask if the have it...
 
Will just some old leather work fine?
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The purpose of the leather is to serve as a material on which to put polishing compound. Cardboard will even work, although it will not be very durable.

Old worn leather will work, BUT you should consider the most important property of ANY honing surface - the flatter the better. So, if your old leather is curled, rippled, etc, you'll probably be doing more damage than good.

Whenever I need a piece, I just go to a local Tack Shop (horse saddles) and ask for a piece of scrap Split Cowhide. They'll usually give it to you, and it is "oh so good" in quality.
 
I got some CrO at a lapidary shop (they carried it in a powder form) and I just mixed it with some mineral oil to apply it to the strop. A little goes a long way so no need to buy any great quantity.
 
LHD said:
Does anyone know what size the media in the Red Rouge from sears is? What about CrO?
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Red Rouge is a jewellers buffing compound is not intended for ferrous metals, though it works to some extent on soft steel. Red Rouge is basically Ferric Oxide (Rust) in a binder of wax, fats, or petroleum compounds. I don't know what the size is.

Chromium Oxide, Silicone Carbide, Aluminium Oxide, and Boron Carbide are all available in different sizes. Check Lapidary shops. Jewellery supply, and knife supply. Hand America etc.

Sizes are totally dependent on where you buy it. You can find Silicone carbide down to 0.5 microns in a lot of places. Boron Carbide in 0.7 I lucked into and am giving a good workout. I'm impressed with it so far. It may become my standard compound. I haven't found a down side to it yet other than a little goes a LONG ways.
 
QuietOned said:
Sizes are totally dependent on where you buy it. You can find Silicone carbide down to 0.5 microns in a lot of places. Boron Carbide in 0.7 I lucked into and am giving a good workout. I'm impressed with it so far. It may become my standard compound. I haven't found a down side to it yet other than a little goes a LONG ways.
Click to expand...

So of the ones you mentioned, are there any pluses or minuses to using any of them aside from the difference in micron size?
 
I went to see another saddler today who said that the smoother leather works better then suede for stropping a fine edge so she gave me some for next to nothing.
Ill put the suede aside for now and try the leather first with some green compound.. see how that goes.
 
There are usually some uneveness in the leather, does that matter a lot? Or should we try to stretch the leather to smoothen it.

Thanks
 
There are usually some uneveness in the leather, does that matter a lot
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Not knowing how much unevenness, it's hard to make a suggestion, other than to simply say, "The smoother the better, and perfectly smooth is best."
 
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