Just discovered stropping!

[Urban redneck]

So I've been using bench stones and my Sharpmaker to keep my knives sharp for years. Today was the first day I've ever stropped. I made my own out of leather, and pine furring strips, dual sided. Used Stropman compounds, black and white on one, and green and red on the other! All I can say is wow!! I always wondered how guys got their blades as sharp as that, now I know! I also love the idea of being able to maintain an edge without removing massive amounts of material. I know I probably made some beginner mistakes as this was my first attempt, but still am extremely happy with the results I got! I got the edge on my Smith and Sons Mudbug looking like a mirror!

 

[Isaacherring]

I like stropping and find it more forgiving of errors than a stone as I'm no good at sharpening, although I've just been stropping with an old leather belt, eventually I'll get a real leather hone and compounds and I'm sure it'll work better