Leather Strops: Who uses 'em, what for, how, why, and how's it working out?

BOSS1

BOSS1

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2008
Messages
1,700
Greetings all,

Looking for some info on who's stropping out there. What types of knives are you using them on? Bevel/convex/steel, etc. What are you using? A leather belt, actual strop, other? Pastes or other mediums?

Basically looking for a general brain dump on the subject as to what you're using, why, and what improvements you'd like to see.

Thanks,
BOSS
 
Have you done a search on this topic for prior messages in this section? Stropping has been a favorite topic and there is already a 'brain dump' of knowledge posted.
 
With all the time we've spent discussing all aspects of the subject in this forum, it's almost rude that he asks!
If after he did a search and had some questions that weren't answered before, I'd be happy to contribute my opinions and information, but
if he can't spend 5 minutes doing a search, I'm sure not going to spend 2-3 hours rewriting all the information that I previously posted on the subject.
 
I must be too nice, when a fellow forum member asks for some advice that is already posted, I'll generally point them in the right direction, and maybe send them a PM, not make them regret asking. But that's just me.

I apologize for not seeing the 'sticky' at 1am when I posted this. Feel free to flog me mercilessly if it makes you feel better.

And I did do a search for 'strop' and saw a few things, but not really what I was hoping to find.

BOSS
 
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BOSS1 said:
I must be too nice, when a fellow forum member asks for some advice that is already posted, I'll generally point them in the right direction, and maybe send them a PM, not make them regret asking. But that's just me.

I apologize for not seeing the 'sticky' at 1 when I posted this. Feel free to flog me mercilessly if it makes you feel better.

And I did do a search for 'strop' and saw a few things, but not really what I was hoping to find.

Again, flame away if it makes you feel high & mighty.

BOSS
Click to expand...

We are not flaming...and are more than happy to help with specific questions. Your message was very broad and could take a 5000 word essay to cover every detail.

I always strop my knives using leather of some kind and a polishing compound most of the time. I have a small Falkniven diamond stone in a leather pouch and use that when I am traveling. The edge of a phone book will work.
 
BOSS1 said:
I must be too nice, when a fellow forum member asks for some advice that is already posted, I'll generally point them in the right direction, and maybe send them a PM, not make them regret asking. But that's just me.
Click to expand...

Had it been some obscure advice, posted once or twice, you're right... someone would have pointed you to that particular post. But in this case, it's a subject that we have written at least several hundred different full PAGES about in 40-60 different threads. Threads about different compounds, threads about steels, threads about convex and flat bevels, threads about different substrates such as leather, paper, balsa, denim, card stock, etc., etc., etc. and how ALL OF THESE relate to stropping.

I apologize for not seeing the 'sticky' at 1am when I posted this. Feel free to flog me mercilessly if it makes you feel better.
Click to expand...

The 'sticky' is on just one aspect of stropping that had its own thread. Had you done a search you would know that there are many different threads about all different aspects of stropping. So many, in fact, that it would take someone a couple of DAYS to read them all!

And I did do a search for 'strop' and saw a few things, but not really what I was hoping to find.
Click to expand...

A 'few things?' 'Not what you were hoping to find?' Absolutely everything in your original post has been covered, and covered in detail by many different people. It's all there in the search function.

Just what were you hoping to find, besides what you wrote in your original post, that can't be found in a search?


Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
With all the time we've spent discussing all aspects of the subject in this forum, it's almost rude that he asks!
If after he did a search and had some questions that weren't answered before, I'd be happy to contribute my opinions and information, but
if he can't spend 5 minutes doing a search, I'm sure not going to spend 2-3 hours rewriting all the information that I previously posted on the subject.
Click to expand...

While you and I disagree on some aspects of stropping. THIS is bang on sir.
 
Maybe the guy just wanted to talk stropping. I have asked questions or started threads when I could have done more searches but I wanted to have a discussion. In fact someone could buy a book or search reference style sites and avoid the forum all together. You guys are kind of harsh in here.
 
I strop to maintain my knives. Use Ken Onion Work Sharp to sharpen so convex edge. I usually go 5 on each side on Black, Green then bare leather. Home made strops from leather belt kit glued to balsa wood. I am happy with results and usually pop hairs no problem. Will strop factory edges to maintain until need to sharpen so system works good on other bevels as well.

I admit I like to strop to relax while watching TV so I do over strop sometimes. For small knives I usually move the knife. Bigger knives I hold the knife and move the strop.

And if you don't like the OP just leave. Lot of time spent beating him around the head for no reason. I find the search function on blade forums lacking and use google for what it is worth. There are a lot of good threads on this topic. One in particular is by Derek. Here it is http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1139061-Sharpen-a-knife
 
Are the pastes necessary? Can I use toothpaste?

And do you use the smooth or the 'hairy' side of the leather?
 
Smooth side of leather.

Pastes help and will continue to polish and maybe even sharpen the bevel. Bare leather will remove the burr and hone the edge (pastes, compounds also do this).
 
m_bisson said:
Are the pastes necessary? Can I use toothpaste?

And do you use the smooth or the 'hairy' side of the leather?
Click to expand...

You could, but it wouldn't do any more than the bare leather alone. Toothpastes usually contain an abrasive called 'hydrated silica' which is no more aggressive than the natural silicates in bare leather. If you think about it, if toothpaste utilized any abrasive hard enough to hone or polish hardened cutlery steel, it would also be hard enough to destroy the enamel on your teeth. This is why it's a safe bet your toothpaste won't work well on knife blades.

For compounds that work on cutlery steel, look at the black, white or green compounds commonly found for use with buffing wheels (look for these anywhere they sell bench buffers/grinders). Polishing pastes like Flitz or Simichrome, or Mother's Mag Aluminum & Wheel polish also work pretty well.

As for the leather, each piece you may find can be unique. If you try many different samples, with different compounds on different steels, you may find the 'smooth' side to work well in some situations, and the 'hairy' (or 'suede') side to work well with others. I use the sueded side of a leather belt with green compound for some of my blades in simpler steels, like 1095, CV and 420HC. I use it as a hanging strop (as a barber's strop is used for a straight razor), and the sueded side holds the compound exceptionally well. In that particular combination, I've yet to find anything that works better for applying the final 'pop' to those particular blades.

Bare leather strops will generally only be good for cleaning up the edge of loosely-connected remnants of burrs, or for re-aligning a very fine rolled edge. Most other additional honing or polishing will generally have to be done using some sort of abrasive compound, as mentioned above.


David
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
..................... you may find the 'smooth' side to work well in some situations, and the 'hairy' (or 'suede') side to work well with others. ...................
David
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Your answers are right on, but your terminology needs some gentle help. There can be three sides to a piece of leather. :)
The smooth outside, where the hair is, is called the 'grain' side.
The rough inside, where the muscles are, is called the 'flesh' side.

Take a whole piece of leather and split it between the grain and the flesh sides.
That whole piece, before the split, is called 'whole grain' leather.
The grain side of the split is called 'top grain' leather
The flesh side of the split is called 'suede.' ('Suede' can also be used as a verb, the process to sand rough splits into a more cosmetically appealing piece of leather.

The top grain cell structure is extremely dense. Very strong and almost water proof, it's the best stuff to use where these qualities are important, such as shoes and boots, saddlery, and of course, strops, etc.
The suede cell structure is very loose, making the leather much softer, but not nearly as strong. Good for clothing.

Turn a piece of top grain leather over and you have a softer (though not as soft as suede,) more open cell structure which will hold compound better, but requiring a more careful hand to insure against edge rounding when stropping.


Stitchawl
 
What about loose hanging vs wood mounted?
I'm assuming the wood is easier to hold the angle with...
 
I use a Flexxx quadratic with 6,3,and 1 micron dia-paste on three sides.

Works great on all my steels and the sharp edges get a bite like never before


delica_zpsrmxfnvva.jpg


bored_zpsrxyda7dz.jpg
 
m_bisson said:
What about loose hanging vs wood mounted?
I'm assuming the wood is easier to hold the angle with...
Click to expand...

Bench mount on a block for flat bevels.
Hanging for convex and straight razors, although with care a flat beveled edge can be stropped.
This too has been posted at least a dozen times before...


Stitchawl
 
There are many different ways to strop, materials used, how they are fixed or not to something, etc.
There is more experimentation than in any other area of the sharpening world.

In my case I use a home made strop. I'm using a 3x12 by 3/8 thick piece of pine with a handle on one end. Both sides are covered with vegetable tanned leather. I used contact cement to adhere the leather to the wood and clamped it overnight.
Prior to applying compound I used 320 grit sandpaper to smooth the surface of the leather...it was probably me being overly fussy but that is what this whole thing is about isn't it?
I've applied black and green compound...one to each side.

I've experimented with a variety of paper for polishing the edge...I work at a paper mill and have access to a variety of paper and have tried some. The unsaturated paper...rougher than a sheet of writing paper for example...works quite well.

If your not mounting the leather be careful you don't round off the edge by the slack in the leather and the stropping action.
 
I use a strop for two things:

1) If I'm sharpening VG-10 and a burr/rolled edge forms from taking the edge back, I use leather to break it off, by scraping the edge perpendicular to the edge along the leather, before I continue sharpening.

2)After sharpening, I take an old leather belt wrapped around a bedpost and, while holding it tight with one hand, do ten passes each side of the bevel, holding it so the bevel is parallel to the belt, but the blade is at an angle, then eight passes, then six, then four, then two, then twenty passes alternating sides, by which I mean ten each side.

I strop all my knives this way, but have a different, more refined method for my razor. For me, I only take my knives to cleanly shaving facial hair. I don't do any real polishing beyond the stropping. But that's just me not being able to justify the extra time/effort.

I'm not sure why people are so cranky about your question. Hope you find the information you need :thumbup:
 
I do have to agree with Stitch on this. You should read all the stuff that has already been written, including the points that Stitch and I disagree on. No sense rehashing it again. He does have a wealth of information that he shares, and I do agree with nearly all of it. Nearly :) Beside being informative, we are an entertaining pair LOL. Sort of a 'click and clack' :)

We really aren't trying to scare you away, just asking you to do a little due diligence and come back and ask some tougher more focused questions.

"Are the pastes necessary? Can I use toothpaste?

And do you use the smooth or the 'hairy' side of the leather? "

If you use toothpaste on leather with the hairy side, you get a really good smile :) While toothpaste can shine up a penny or your teeth, a harder abrasive is ideal for use with steel. You need an abrasive harder than the steel, so at least something in a synthetic abrasive like aluminum oxide or harder. Softer abrasives like cerium oxide or compounds like jeweler's rouge are best left for polishing lenses and jewelry, respectively. Many of the natural abrasives in leather paper, etc are not as hard as the synthetics, but still harder than the steel.

---
Ken
 
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