My stropping pad is warped!

[sickpuppy1]

I've got an unbranded piece of leather(ebay) about 3x9 inches that I contact cemented to a plywood "handle" grain side up. I've been using it for 4-5 months now and its been fine till this last week.
I noticed the outer edges seemed to be raised. The more I use it, the more pronounced it is. I also have another piece on the back side suede side up, but its fine as far as I can tell. I know its cheap and I could probably peel it off, clean it and put new leather on, but I'm wondering if this is normal or not and if it could be shaved smooth or if its even worth the effort.
I could also bite the bullet and get something better like stropman or such, but thought I'd ask first to see if this happens to all of them or not. FYI, it hasnt gotten wet and since its winter, the humidity is pretty stable and low.

 

[NORTHWEST_KNIFE_GUY]

Do you wipe it down with alcohol, any kind of leather conditioner or use a heavy amount of sprays or emulsions?

 

[Danketch]

Try using a piece of basswood, or denim over a hard surface (like a stone). I can't recommend leather because I have only experienced rounding my edges with it. Especially buying a leather strop. Denim or basswood wont warp, and are easy and cheap enough to replace, not to mention they work way better in my experience.

 

[morvlorv]

Try using a piece of basswood, or denim over a hard surface (like a stone). I can't recommend leather because I have only experienced rounding my edges with it. Especially buying a leather strop. Denim or basswood wont warp, and are easy and cheap enough to replace, not to mention they work way better in my experience.

could you take some denim from an old pair of jeans and glue it to a mousepad and then glue it to wood to make a decent strop? or would you need a different or thicker denim?

 

[sickpuppy1]

Do you wipe it down with alcohol, any kind of leather conditioner or use a heavy amount of sprays or emulsions?

No I dont/didnt. I use a green compound, brick. I believe to be wax based.

 

[sickpuppy1]

Danketch, I am leaning that direction, and I have a few donor pair of jeans that seem to have shrunk quite a bit......

 

[NORTHWEST_KNIFE_GUY]

No I dont/didnt. I use a green compound, brick. I believe to be wax based.

Hmm, that is odd. You're using veg tan leather?

 

[Danketch]

could you take some denim from an old pair of jeans and glue it to a mousepad and then glue it to wood to make a decent strop? or would you need a different or thicker denim?

You could, but it defeats the purpose of having a hard backed strop. The compression of leather/mousepad/other soft surface plus the "numbing" feel of soft surface is what enables me to round my edges off. Having a hard surface negates this compression and works great. I use it for full convex grind knives and regular "V" bevel grind knives.

 

[sickpuppy1]

Hmm, that is odd. You're using veg tan leather?

It's supposed to be, and honestly, I wouldnt know how tell even if you can by looking at it. Again, I got this off ebay with a small brick of white and green honing material. Ya get what ya pay for I realize, so I'm not really out money.. About 10 bucks and been using it for 4-5 months. Its both sides not just one. The suede side seems fine but the board sits on my desk suede side down most of the time. I just flipped it over to sit smooth side down over night to see if that helps at all.I think I might just make a double sided blue jean board for white and green and get some better quality honing "sauce". I'm still a knife newby at 63 but I love to tinker and putz around so this give me stuff to do besides clash of clans and War Machine games,lol

 

[bucketstove]

It's supposed to be, and honestly, I wouldnt know how tell even if you can by looking at it. Again, I got this off ebay with a small brick of white and green honing material. Ya get what ya pay for I realize, so I'm not really out money.. About 10 bucks and been using it for 4-5 months. Its both sides not just one. The suede side seems fine but the board sits on my desk suede side down most of the time. I just flipped it over to sit smooth side down over night to see if that helps at all.I think I might just make a double sided blue jean board for white and green and get some better quality honing "sauce". I'm still a knife newby at 63 but I love to tinker and putz around so this give me stuff to do besides clash of clans and War Machine games,lol

Hi,
how many mm thick is it?
how hard you strop ?
so the leather in the middle compressed so the edges raised?
So you want you should compress the whole thing corners included so its flat again?


closest ebay listing says its 8oz leather (~3.2mm thick)
- Made In USA
- Highest Quality Vegetable Tanned leather
- Surfaced Prepared for Easy Application of Compound
- 3 Inch Wide, 8 Inch Long, 1/8 Thick
...

 

[brando555]

You could even make your own strops. You can buy lengths of cowhide leather off ebay for a few bucks. Just glue them to block of wood and you're all set. For 10 bucks you could make 4 or 5 strops depending on length.

 

[sickpuppy1]

You could even make your own strops. You can buy lengths of cowhide leather off ebay for a few bucks. Just glue them to block of wood and you're all set. For 10 bucks you could make 4 or 5 strops depending on length.

Got 2 pieces of leather and the honing compound. Used one suede side up and other smooth side up on a piece of 1/2 inch plywood with a handle . It is about 1/8” thick, yeah and 3x8 inches

 

[sickpuppy1]

And I try to strop lightly as I figure if I push too hard it distorts the leather and rounds the blade I’m trying to sharpen.

 

[brando555]

Yep, let the compound do the work. When I strop with green compound it has an unmistakable sound and feel when its hitting the edge just right and it doesn't take much pressure at all. That was always my biggest mistake when I first tried stropping, too much pressure and too steep of an angle. The first couple knives I ever stropped all ended up with a rounded apex, lol.