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Leather for strop?

A

AB

Joined
Jan 13, 1999
Messages
81
I have been trying to find a leather strop in Norwegian stores without much luck. So I guess I'll have to make one myself.

What kind of leather should I use? Thickness etc?

Should I mount it on wood? How? (Just glue it on?)

What kind of compund? Particular brands won't help me much, as they're probably not available here ...

TIA
 
Try looking at a shoemaker or shoemaker supply house for raw leather. Sole leather works too. Glue the raw leather to baseboard wood, or any long and flat piece of wood and you are good to go.

The benefit of sole leather is that it is stiff enough to be used without being glued to anything.

If you wish, you can spread buffing compound on the leather.

In a pinch, one could take a leather belt, hook the buckle to something solid, pull the free end taught and strop away.
 
What's wrong with the back of an old, wide leather belt?
 
Thanks for the tip, .45acp, but the cost of shipping from the US to Norway is a bit too high to warrant buying this from overseas. Knives, on the other hand ... :D

The other tips are golden, thanks guys! Nothing wrong with belt I guess.
 
Have used leather strops [strips] app 2" wide and 24" long to knock off the bur for years.
Ant old leather will work.
It's an old trick I picked up years ago
Good luck
John
 
The absolute BEST (and I mean BEST!) stropping leather is at www.handamerican.com

They sell leather hones, etc., but the best deal is if you buy some of their honing leather. It is about $10 a square foot - that's a lot of stropping leather! All you have to do is let them know how you want it cut. (I have done it twice before, and both times it was VERY exact!) I'm convinced that they have the BEST stropping leather anywhere! I mounted a piece (12"X3") to a piece of wood (1X4) and it works great as a leather hone.

Another handamerican product that is definitely worth mentioning is their glass smooth steels. That is the first thing I try to use to keep a knife sharp.

First, I try to align the knife's edge (with a steel), next I strop it a little to see if the edge comes back... as a last resort, I sharpen it with a stone. I like to use the method that will remove the least amount of metal first and work up from there...
 
For strop compound, try checking with jewelry makers/repairers, knife makers, or your hardware stores. I'd check the hardware store last. The best bet would be to talk with a maker in your area who can direct you to what you need. Good luck!

By the way, I made my strop. It is double sided. 2" by 8" stropping surface. I contact cemented the leather to a piece of wood.
 
I use my my weightlifting belt (the smooth, outer side). It's available, plenty long and wide, and free. It works great. I put the belt hole over a nail, then hook the belt buckle over another nail.

--Mike
 
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