Made my first stropping blocks!

T

TheAznInvazn

Joined
Jul 28, 2010
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267
Finally got around to making my very own strops!
I have a strop for white and green compound, and one left bare for super sharp edges!

P1050950.jpg


1 micron DMT paste is in the mail, and I have a bar of green compound already!
I also have white, but I hear that DMT paste is easier to work with
 
Those look good! :thumbup: Where'd you get your leather? I ask, because the size & shape looks very much like a couple of pieces of pre-cut 'tooling leather' I found at Hobby Lobby a while back.

Regarding the DMT paste, it'll be a bit 'gummy & sticky' feeling for a day or two, but the oil suspension will dry eventually. I put a few 'dots' of it on the leather, and used a flexible plastic ruler to spread it out, which makes for a more even layer. Just a little bit will go a very long way (I knew this, and still managed to apply more than I needed). Whatever excess collects on the ruler can be applied to another stropping surface (wood, paper, etc.). Works great that way too. No need to waste any.
 
You hit it on the head with Hobby Lobby!
They sold a single 9.5x3.5" piece of bark tanned leather (can make one strop) and a 8.5x11.5" sheet of bark tanned leather (I made three strops from this sheet!)

I looked up the HA leather and it's 4/5oz bark tanned leather, and the big sheet is (what I assume to be) the same thing!
The smaller piece is thicker, that's the only difference.

Thanks for the DMT paste tip as well!
I saw some time back on this forum a how to load a strop thread, and remember reading about being sparing with the paste

I was actually going to buy a strop until I found out that Hobby Lobby had leather, and that it would come out to be cheaper to make 4 strops than to buy even one from a reputable company!
Hopefully the leather is up to par, and the strops last a long time and get their fair share of use
 
Those strops should last you a lifetime! Be sure to put on a dab of strop dressing once a year (neutral shoe cream will work, and just a pea-sized glob will do for the whole strop) rubbing it in well. Be sure to wipe your blade between moves from strop to strop so as to prevent cross-contamination of grit sizes. And as O.W.E says, just a little bit of compound will go a long, long way. You want to be able to still see the leather beneath the compound. No need to smear it on like peanut butter.
Enjoy your new strops. They are the perfect way to put a finish on an edge.

Stitchawl
 
Might I ask the reason for neutral shoe cream?
Is it to extend the life of the leather?

Cross contamination prevention noted, and the green compound has been rubbed into the pores of the leather as best I can
Looks like it's covered the entire strop, but barely there!

Now to work on my technique...
:)
 
Nice work. I am going to try this when my strop wears out.

The instructions on my Bark River Compound said to melt it so that it absorbs into the strop. I decided to use a blow dryer instead to warm the strop. Then hit it again after I rub the bar on it. Seems to work.
 
TheAznInvazn said:
Might I ask the reason for neutral shoe cream?
Is it to extend the life of the leather?
Click to expand...

Yes, exactly. You can use any good leather 'conditioner' but usually those are sold in larger sized cans. Shoe cream is sold in small tins and you can always use it on your shoes too!

Cross contamination prevention noted, and the green compound has been rubbed into the pores of the leather as best I can
Looks like it's covered the entire strop, but barely there!
Click to expand...

That sounds right. Don't put any more on until you've stropped a couple of hundred knives. Not a couple of knives... a couple of hundred knives...

TechExec said:
Nice work. I am going to try this when my strop wears out.
Click to expand...

Properly used and properly cared for strops do NOT wear out... I have my grandfather's strop that he used every day for 60+ years before passing it on to my father who used it for another 20-30 years. I've had it for the past 20 years now and it's in fine shape. Just a dab of leather conditioner once a year rubbed in well.


Stitchawl
 
So do you use the polish over the compound? I use the rough side out with my green compound and smooth side out with no compound. For my knives and sharpening style, it works great. I could see how the neutral polish would work on the smooth side, but how would it effect the rough?
 
bodydamage said:
So do you use the polish over the compound? I use the rough side out with my green compound and smooth side out with no compound. For my knives and sharpening style, it works great. I could see how the neutral polish would work on the smooth side, but how would it effect the rough?
Click to expand...

I did NOT say anything about shoe 'polish.' I said shoe 'cream.' BIG difference... :)

She polish is mostly wax with or without some pigment. It sits on top of the leather.
Shoe 'cream' is a leather conditioner. No wax. It gets absorbed INTO the leather. It revitalized the leather, replacing natural oils in the skin. Quite like using hand cream on rough, dry hands. After you put it on and rub it in, you shouldn't feel it at all but your hands feel better... and your skin stops cracking.


Stitchawl
 
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