I'm a sharpening Kung Fu Master!

Here are instructions for using a flatbed leather hone like the one sold at HandAmerican. I use this method, but I use paper mounted on glass instead of the leather. I have the HA hone and use the CrO powder, but I prefer the CrO on paper to the leather. The paper on glass surface is more perfect than leather, and there is less give to the surface. I find that I can strop right on the bevel just based on the feedback feel.

http://drsharpening.com/leatherhone.html

Here is a stropping thread at KF that got me started using paper on glass.

http://knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/785039/post/1117868/hl//fromsearch/1/
 
Nosetotail said:
Well it's back to the rice paper for me. It's a clean cut through the hair, but I have to chop a little. I'm a little confused now on what my goal is now. I thought I wanted a clean cut which is what I get, but now I'm thinking I'm supposed to somehow slice length ways a bit.
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Make one horizontal swipe. The hair should fall down and the hair half still in your hand shouldn't "spring" up. You want to cut the hair; not break it.

Try it with a razor blade taped to a stick or something. (I've actually never tried this.)

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thank you much fulloflead, good enough for the masta, good enough for the grasshoppa.
 
fulloflead said:
Try it with a razor blade taped to a stick or something. (I've actually never tried this.)

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This sounds like sage advice. Like "go ahead, light it." While you are thinking to yourself "I'll be over here." :D

Or better yet this souds like a good homemade edc.
 
fulloflead said:
This is the one I use and recommend:
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=J30
(Except it was only $20 when I bought it about 5 years ago. :eek: :D )

I use this conditioner on it first:
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=J55
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Question # 1, Do you use it back by something? I think I remember you said that you do.

Question # 2 I found a very nice quality 2" leather strap that is only about 1/8" thick. Both surfaces are quite uniform and the thickness is also quite uniform. I chose it primarly because the thickness was so even and also cause I thought the thin strap would make the flattest surface plane to strop with (backed with wood). Can you give me any feedback, positive or negative on trying to use such a thin piece for a strop? Incidentaly the nappy side was a bit rougher with smaller more uniform "grit" nap than the other leather pieces I saw. I thought this would be more effective for my rough side.

Question # 3 I have seen several mentions of using plate glass for sharpening and stropping, but I haven't seen any reference to using flat iron, say 1/8" or 3/16" thick. If not for stropping on a hard surface, then how do you think flat iron will work for glueing the leather to?
 
matt321 said:
The paper on glass surface is more perfect than leather, and there is less give to the surface. I find that I can strop right on the bevel just based on the feedback feel.
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Forgive me for asking what you seem to have made obvious, are you matching the exact bevel that you sharpen with, or going just slightly higher?
 
I have some knives that were sharpened with an edgepro, so they have perfect, straight bevels with no micro-bevel and no convexity. I can strop an edge like that and clearly tell when I'm flat to the bevil or deviating either too high or to low. I usually try and just match the bevel, but I have wondered if just a little higher angle would favor the edge better. The paper-on-glass is very resilient so I think there is less tendency for the surface to spring back behind the trailing edge and cause rounding. For convex edges the leather approach might make more sense.
 
Nosetotail said:
Question # 1, Do you use it back by something? I think I remember you said that you do.

Question # 2 I found a very nice quality 2" leather strap that is only about 1/8" thick. Both surfaces are quite uniform and the thickness is also quite uniform. I chose it primarly because the thickness was so even and also cause I thought the thin strap would make the flattest surface plane to strop with (backed with wood). Can you give me any feedback, positive or negative on trying to use such a thin piece for a strop? Incidentaly the nappy side was a bit rougher with smaller more uniform "grit" nap than the other leather pieces I saw. I thought this would be more effective for my rough side.

Question # 3 I have seen several mentions of using plate glass for sharpening and stropping, but I haven't seen any reference to using flat iron, say 1/8" or 3/16" thick. If not for stropping on a hard surface, then how do you think flat iron will work for glueing the leather to?
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1. I use the arm of the sofa. It has a little give to it and it's convenient for me while I'm watching TV.

2. Sounds good.

3. Personally, I'm not crazy about using hard surfaces but other people have had mixed luck.

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matt321 said:
I have some knives that were sharpened with an edgepro, so they have perfect, straight bevels with no micro-bevel and no convexity. I can strop an edge like that and clearly tell when I'm flat to the bevil or deviating either too high or to low. I usually try and just match the bevel, .
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I'm working on experimenting with 1/4" wide by 1/8" or 3/16" thick flat iron bar stock. It will fit right in the guide hole of my DMT Aligner. I'm going to try glueing paper to a piece that is a foot or so long and load it with something and try stopping with it. Hopefully it will be the perfect strop. If the bar doesn't flex, it should stropp perfectly flat to my bevel. One question I have though is can I make a few swipes on one side, or should I do one swipe alternating to each side?
 
fulloflead said:
1. I use the arm of the sofa. It has a little give to it and it's convenient for me while I'm watching TV.

2. Sounds good.

3. Personally, I'm not crazy about using hard surfaces but other people have had mixed luck.

.
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I'm inclined to think that the leather surface, in order to do what it was intended to do, needs to lap up over the edge a little. That's why leather has been used so effectively for so many years. I just kept seeing the arguments about the leather possibly rounding the edge, so I thought I would try to eliminate the flex as much as possible. I'm a little leary about trying this freehand, and I'll probably use my aligner which should work well with a flat surface leather strop. I have the same question I asked above, Can I take a few swipes on one side, or do I need to alternate sides with one swipe at a time?
 
So we may benefit from fulloflead's trials and successes with stropping and learn from his writings! Much better than some of the threads bumped elsewhere.
 
I bumped before I thought about just linking to the thread for the serious newbie sharpening thread.
 
Your right, I have to admit, I do miss his posts, I needto crawl out from W&C and the Traditional forums more.

I sometimes forget that this is a place of learning and not just my front porch where people stop to say hi and whatcha carryin' today, I also forget what it's like to be new here, I apologize for my quick and thoughtless post.
 
I'm glad to see this thread bumped. When I first started looking around the forums, this was one of the first threads that I read. It's a really great resource for someone just starting out in the knife world, or someone who just wants to learn a little bit more about knife sharpening. Kudos to fulloflead for giving us all the great information in this thread!
 
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