Is it really important to strop after sharpening?

Point44 · Nov 1, 2003

Just wanted to know how important it is and what is the advantage versus not stropping. Currently i just use a DMT fine and then polish it of with extra fine. Feels alright to me but could it be better?

And if stropping is important i would like some info from the knife collectors in UK about where they get their leather strop.

Crayola · Nov 1, 2003

Hello,

stropping can help remove a burr a bit, and it is great for polishing up a bevel. You'll get a finer finish on your knife if you strop after your DMT fine stone. It isn't necessary at all! But if you are going after a more polished bevel, then definitely strop. I find that stropping is a great way to touch up an edge after use too, so that can be advantageous to you. Then again, maybe it only takes a stroke or 2 on your DMT stones to touch up an edge too.

Generally speaking though, think of a strop as an edge polisher, and somewhat of an edge cleaner-upper (though some will disagree with me on that last point).

tom mayo · Nov 1, 2003

Actually, its the most important step.

db · Nov 1, 2003

But Tom what about for those who like a coarser toothy edge?

Nosmo · Nov 1, 2003

I like a 'toothy' edge and also I like to strop.
I don't know exactly what the strop does but it seems to guarantee that all the bur is gone and somehow sharpens even more.

Just a few wipes will NOT turn a 'toothy' edge to smooth.

Jeff Clark · Nov 2, 2003

The effect of stropping depends on a lot of variables such as: blade alloy, edge thickness, technique of preceeding sharpening and strop compound. Will it help? It is hard to predict. I suggest you try it. Do your regular sharpening job and use some test like shaving or cutting thin paper. Then take an old leather belt, step on one end with your right foot and hold it taught with your left hand. Try stropping about 10 strokes, alternating sides. Repeat your test and see if it works better. If you like the result go and look for a strop (or just keep using that belt).

VampyreWolf · Nov 2, 2003

My usual sharpening method is:

starting grit(depends on touchup or full edge)
progressing through ceramics and sandpaper...

strop with veritas green(0.5 micron in a CrO paste) on a 3x14 strop... get the wire off as best as I can

hit with either a 1200 paper or 800 stone, depending on what the edge is for.

serrated edges I sharpen on spydie whites(204MF) and then use a shoelace with veritas green and run it the same way(straight strokes, each serration seperately)

Cliff Stamp · Nov 2, 2003

Crayola :

You'll get a finer finish on your knife if you strop after your DMT fine stone.

You can strop on plain leather to induce a slight alignment step with no significant change to edge coarseness. You can also strop on leather loaded with a very coarse abrasive (80 grit SiC) to match the coarseness of even the most aggressive hones.

In general, it is not something that you want to do (stropping) as edge-into honing creates a crisper edge (thus stays sharper longer) which is less prone to burrs. Edge trailing should only be used if there are problems with edge-into honing such as lack of skill, experience or equipment.

If the edge into sharpening on the hone is done correctly, stropping has no benefit unless you change the grit (so just use the appropiate stone in the first place), and can weaken the edge by causing deformation with no abrasion to remove the weakened metal, same as steeling.

-Cliff

Point44 · Nov 2, 2003

Thanks a lot...very informative...

but Cliff...let me get this straight...if you sharpen it with a stone well enough you don't really need a strop??? 'Cos right now without stropping my knife will shave hairs and will cut paper well enough...

Cliff Stamp · Nov 2, 2003

Point :

if you sharpen it with a stone well enough you don't really need a strop???

Yes. With the stone of preferred grit (say 8000 waterstone for polished edges, or x-coarse DMT for rough edges), stropping offers no benefit and in general is a less than optimal sharpening method as edge trailing is vastly inferior to edge-into honing mainly due to greater burr induction.

If you are seeing an increase in sharpness with stropping after honing on a stone, this indicates that your technique is less than optimal for the stone sharpening and you are letting stropping clean up for a sloppy sharpening, which I have been guilty of from time to time as my freehand sharpening is still a ways from perfect.

This is the real advantage of stropping, since it is usually done on a soft medium like leather it is very forgiving to angle requirements and thus requires far less skill than sharpening on a flat hone where you have to maintain a constant angle to very tight tolerance to achieve a high level of sharpness.

-Cliff

Mr. Bombastic · Nov 2, 2003

And if stropping is important i would like some info from the knife collectors in UK about where they get their leather strop.

You could try posting on www.britishblades.com

There are alot of UK knife collectors there.

mycroftt · Nov 3, 2003

Originally posted by VampyreWolf

serrated edges I sharpen on spydie whites(204MF) and then use a shoelace with veritas green and run it the same way(straight strokes, each serration seperately)

Interesting. I never thought of using a shoelace. Do you use a rawhide lace or a regular string-type lace? Thanks for the tip.

Mike

VampyreWolf · Nov 3, 2003

I use an old hiking bootlace(weave outer layer, tight inner core) that I stripped the outer off.

soak in mineral oil and then run back and forth over the block.