I made a crude strop by tacking some denim to a board.

[TheMightyGoat]

After I made it, I started to wonder if a strop was supposed to "give" or "flex" under the blade. A board definately will not do that. Denim obviously isn't a high quality strop in the first place, but if it would improve it to perhaps add some padding between the denim and board, I will do so. I tried it out an it does appear to make a difference on the blade, but I know very little about stropping, and it may just be wishful thinking.

 

[roshi]

Hey Goat,

You found out correctly that you need some give under that fabric or leather. I suggest you go to www.emersonknives.com, or search the forum for posts by Cliff Stamp and others, to get more details. For edges that need significant restoration you may want to make a second strop and "load" the material with a slightly abrasive paste.

 

[AlphalphaPB]

I've noticed that a strop loaded with green CrO affects the edge much more quickly than an unloaded strop. In my very limited stropping experience (maybe I'm doing something wrong, perhaps I'm a bad sharpener), an unloaded strop or a strop with a less abrasive material (red Dremel buffing compound) will only start to affect the edge if you've already gotten it quite close to your final sharpness.

So I found that back when I used a leather belt, jeans, or cardboard as a strop, the edge wasn't getting nearly as sharp as when I finally broke down and bought a stick of CrO. Now it works almost like a hone, if I apply too much pressure. I like to finish stropping on a plain leather hone.

I always have the bad tendency to push really hard on my sharpening materials. This screws up the angles when the materials have a slight give to them, like my leather strop and the Sharpmaker's rods (Yes, I'm pushing way too hard if the angle changes. I blame my unthinned bevels ). Even though I prop my strop up on a Sharpmaker rod, after 20 or so stropping sessions with the CrO, the edge bevel becomes somewhat convex and I have to reprofile.

 

[Daniel Koster]

Originally posted by AlphalphaPB
after 20 or so stropping sessions with the CrO, the edge bevel becomes somewhat convex and I have to reprofile.

Thank you for bringing this up.

Any time you are using a strop, you are creating a slightly convex edge. The exceptioning be a stropping compound over a hard surface.

Basically - if it the background has any "give" to it, it will make it convex - more convex with increased pressure.

Now, that said, a convex edge is much stronger than flat edge and will retain it's sharpness longer, so don't shy away from that.

Just wanted to clear the air about the effect of stropping (which is really just polishing/aligning)...

Dan

 

[Danbo]

I simply use the back of an old leather belt. Works just fine.

 

[PWork]

I have a piece of belt glued to a strip of lattice. I have never felt the need to load it with any kind of abrasive.

Paul

 

[Bastid]

A clean chamois streached over a phone book does a nice job, but go ahead and spring for a piece of leather. I have found that I get better results where there is a little give under the medium.