Look at my strop please, and how it is loaded update post 13

okbow68 said:
Okay I got it wiped down with WD40 and this is what it looks like now. Sure doesnt look like there is enough compound on there to my (more is better) way of thinking LOL

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That looks a lot like mine. I agree. I would now "crayon on" kind of a tight N pattern the entire length, not bothering to cover it all. So the strop as seen in the picture also had a fairly light yet noticable NNNNNNNNNNNNN pattern in green compound it's whole length. That should then be good for many many stropping efforts.

Those soap bar shapped cakes of green compound should last the bench strop user year and years...literally.
 
I don't have a leather shop near by but I found Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store,they sell scraps but could not tell me what kind of leather it is.Would any thick piece on a 2x4 work or should I be looking for cowhide/horse.?If they're selling scraps its a good chance it's cow.
 
I dont know why not, and you can use a 2X4 but some 1" stock would suffice I think. More knowledgable than me will chime in I'm sure
 
BladeJogger said:
I don't have a leather shop near by but I found Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store,they sell scraps but could not tell me what kind of leather it is.Would any thick piece on a 2x4 work or should I be looking for cowhide/horse.?If they're selling scraps its a good chance it's cow.
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When used with compound, it doesn't much matter. Anything that's fairly smooth and uniform across the surface should work fine (and I mean almost anything). If it does a decent job holding the compound, that's all that really matters. Now, when using bare leather for stropping, that's where the quality is important. Horsehide is regarded as the best stuff, and it's benefits would be wasted when using it with compound. And it's expensive.

For the hard backing, any flat piece of wood will be fine. As with the leather, smoother is better. No bumps, furrows, ridges, etc. The backing for my strop block is 2-1/2" wide red oak (1/2" thick). I got it at Home Depot. It's nice, but not essential. You can attach the leather with contact cement or other glue. I actually used carpet tape, it's sticky on both sides and just happens to be available in the same width as my block (2-1/2"). Very convenient.
 
Stitchawl, mate...there is no way you have put me off...you have done nothing but help, I never even looked at the sticky ( much to my embarassment-so thank you for steering me in the right direction.

Dave, pretty much as above, I will try a couple of those cutters/compounds....Im looking forward to the challenge, so thank you my friend.
 
I have followed the advice here and not surprisingly it is working like gangbusters. Thanks guys!!
 
Glad we could help. Stropping is the best thing I ever learned to do. If you know what you're doing, and you know it's gone well, when you are done freehanding your blade may not still feel or even perform as if it were sharp. Bring it to a strop, knock off that burr, and voila, razor sharp city!!!

For a lot of sharpeners, the strop is/was the missing link. Now that you are getting predictably great results, you will start sharpening everything. There was a funny joke about dudes stropping their lawn mower blades. All of us sharpening nuts went quiet for a moment...and then laughed.
 
I sort of discovered, after the fact, that stropping did a very effective job in training my hands for free-hand sharpening in general. I'd used a guided sharpener previously, and when I started practicing stropping, to enhance those edges, I was unknowingly paving the way for my free-hand habits now. It's a great way to develop the feel for maintaining proper angle and pressure.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I sort of discovered, after the fact, that stropping did a very effective job in training my hands for free-hand sharpening in general. I'd used a guided sharpener previously, and when I started practicing stropping, to enhance those edges, I was unknowingly paving the way for my free-hand habits now. It's a great way to develop the feel for maintaining proper angle and pressure.
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It's funny... I went from free-hand stropping to 'guided' stropping! These days, guided stropping is my last step when using the EdgePro or DMT Aligner. I find it really gets me where I want to be!


Stitchawl
 
Well it still amazes me that 1/2 micron particles that you cant even see can get that blade hair popping sharp, I should have done this years strike that decades ago!!!
 
okbow68 said:
Well it still amazes me that 1/2 micron particles that you cant even see can get that blade hair popping sharp, I should have done this years strike that decades ago!!!
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Sort of an eye-opener, isn't it? I had the same epiphany, when it all finally 'clicked' for me. It's a nice feeling.

clapping_hands-1296.gif
 
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stitchawl said:
It's funny... I went from free-hand stropping to 'guided' stropping! These days, guided stropping is my last step when using the EdgePro or DMT Aligner. I find it really gets me where I want to be!


Stitchawl
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I sort of wish I'd tried some 'guided' stropping, when I was still using my Lansky. I was already quite thrilled at the time, with the edges I got on it. I think discovering the 'next level' in sharpness, afforded by a guided strop, might've sent me through the roof. I might still get around to it, but since I've been focusing on improving my free-hand skills (and actually making progress), I've felt a little reluctant to go back to it.
 
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