leather strop questions...

Mongo

Mongo

Joined
Nov 5, 2001
Messages
8,969
Greetings all, I just made a strop this past weekend. I glued the smooth side up on one side and the rough side up on the other. I beginning to think I made a bad move. The rough side is thus far useless... will it be usable once I put some compound on it? I planned on getting the green and black stuff from Bark River, putting the green on the smooth and the black on the rough. Is the rough gonna be usable? Looking for anyone who's done the same bone-headed thing I did, and their experiences.
Thanks, Mongo
 
Mongo said:
Greetings all, I just made a strop this past weekend. I glued the smooth side up on one side and the rough side up on the other. I beginning to think I made a bad move. The rough side is thus far useless... will it be usable once I put some compound on it? I planned on getting the green and black stuff from Bark River, putting the green on the smooth and the black on the rough. Is the rough gonna be usable? Looking for anyone who's done the same bone-headed thing I did, and their experiences.
Thanks, Mongo
Click to expand...

I made that mistake once!:grumpy: Fortunately, I had used Elmer's glue, and glued it to wood, so I was able to CAREFULLY peel it off, sand the glue off odfthe leather, and reglue it to the rough side.:)

It's worth a try.:D
 
Hey Mongo,
That's how I make mine. I use green on both sides but if I had black I'd put it on the rough. I generally only use the rough side for removing small scratches from the face of the blade. It'll work if you just keep going round and round and back and forth...patiently. I use the smooth/green for stropping after sharpening.

Here's a photo of mine. Disregard the wet/dry setup. You can't see the rough side, but it's just on the backside of that block of wood. I'd say keep it like it is...it may come in handy.
ConvexSharpeningKit-01.jpg
 
I put shoe goo or rubber feet on one side and use it like a stone. With diamond paste and pressure (and very low angle) it is amazing how fast you can get a really polished finish. I lighten up the pressure a bunch on the final slightly higher angle passes to get the razor edge. I glued all mine smooth side up, but since then (after putting cuts into the leather) I've taken a sander to them to smooth them up again, which left a slightly rough finish on them, but it goes away quickly with applying the diamond paste/mineral oil and use. It will get most steels really sharp.
 
I've had no problems with using the rough side for stropping. It holds the compound better than my smooth one, and after the compound is applied, it leaves a fairly smooth surface anyway. I too use my strop like a bench stone.
 
I have one strop loaded with white that is about 4oz leather. It works fine but I don;t use it much.... I've decided the green is about all I need.

The green strop is 8-9oz leather. It works fine. So...I'm figuring, just by my estimation, any leather between 4 to 9 oz or so will work.
 
I do not glue leather - just stetch it over and I use thin leather smooth side only and lightest - almost no pressure. Most important not to round edge with it - common case.

sharpening-07.jpg


Green rouge - chromium oxide I get from Woodwork local store.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
Why not just apply the compound to the wood?
There is less chance of rounding the edge.
 
Wood - like oak was used for stropping/polishing for generations and even without compound. Also MDF is part of sharpening toolkit from WoodWork. Problem may be here is that it is too hard - to get 1 micron powder work touch should be slightest and wood less forgiving here then thin not fixed leather.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
Mongo, you can still save the rough side up leather, just sand it down with a 120 or 150 grit paper until you get a more uniform surface, you can finish it with finer grit if needed. It should work well with the coarser compound and will tend to smooth out even more with use.
 
MJC57 said:
How thick does the leather have to be on a home made one? Thanks Mike
Click to expand...

Like Stetch said almost anything will work. My go-to strop has 2-3 oz leather that I've used to line belts, holsters and sheaths. My bench strop is made from a 12" long piece of 8-9 oz that I never got around to turning into a belt.

Dick Sherer, a noted Saddlemaker and Leather Crafter, said that during his apprenticeship when he had to replace stirrup straps he would use the old leather to make strops. I'm guessing that would have been 12-14 oz leather.
 
Of course I'm serious. Most blade polishing was done on crocus covered wooden wheels until well into the 20th century.
Use a wood with an even grain.
 
Broos said:
I put shoe goo or rubber feet on one side and use it like a stone. With diamond paste and pressure (and very low angle) it is amazing how fast you can get a really polished finish. I lighten up the pressure a bunch on the final slightly higher angle passes to get the razor edge. I glued all mine smooth side up, but since then (after putting cuts into the leather) I've taken a sander to them to smooth them up again, which left a slightly rough finish on them, but it goes away quickly with applying the diamond paste/mineral oil and use. It will get most steels really sharp.
Click to expand...

DrThunder88 said:
I've had no problems with using the rough side for stropping. It holds the compound better than my smooth one, and after the compound is applied, it leaves a fairly smooth surface anyway. I too use my strop like a bench stone.
Click to expand...

When you guys say you use the strop "like a stone" does that mean that you push the edge into the strop rather than let the edge trail as you draw the blade along the strop?
 
mycroftt said:
When you guys say you use the strop "like a stone" does that mean that you push the edge into the strop rather than let the edge trail as you draw the blade along the strop?
Click to expand...

I pull the edge along the strop, letting the edge trail, paying attention to the angle.
 
mycroftt said:
When you guys say you use the strop "like a stone" does that mean that you push the edge into the strop rather than let the edge trail as you draw the blade along the strop?
Click to expand...

No - edge trailing. But the strop is placed on the table, and when I use it to polish a knife or get a bevel from 1000 grit to mirror, I will use pressure and it works fast. Just a different use for it as opposed to final edge stropping with very light pressure.
 
How do you guys get the rouge applied evenly onto the strop? I've tried rubbing it on like a crayon without much luck. I always end up with thick, slick streaks which are loaded and areas where the compound just won't stick:mad:. I've tried pressing lightly and I've tried pressing hard; it doesn't seem to make a difference. The compound always builds up in some places and doesn't in others.

Do you think this is because my leather is too smooth? Did I get rouge that was old and too dry? (Red and white rouge from sears... eventually I will find some Veritas green; which seems to be highly regarded on these and other forums)

I've heard of melting the stropping compound in olive oil to turn it into a paste... I would like to try this as it sounds like it would solve my application problems. Have any of you done this or know how to?

With my current rig I can achieve a level of sharpness that will tree top arm hair and occasionally I can whittle hair lengthwise, but I want to be able to whittle hair every time with every knife I sharpen :cool: :D.
 
On my old white-loaded strop, I'd put a drop of mineral oil on the stick of compound before crayoning it on. Also, heating up the strop with a hairdryer or other mild heat source will aid in spreading the compound.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top