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Nervous stropping?
- Thread starter pvicenzi
- Start date
What is the purpose of your stropping?
If you are stropping as the final step in your sharpening process, you shouldn't need more than 10-20 alternating strokes if you're using a good quality strop.
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2011
- Messages
- 795
If your using a good hard strop and are using good technique then theres nothing to worry about.
Now if your using some mystery compound on a soft strop then this can cause a myriad of problems.
I guess the biggest question is what are your edges like before and after?
Now if your using some mystery compound on a soft strop then this can cause a myriad of problems.
I guess the biggest question is what are your edges like before and after?
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 13,432
I tend to reach for a blade and strop if I'm feeling anxious or uptight (which is often 
). So, I get it.
It can be a good thing, if you still focus on actually refining the edge, and pay attention to all the fundamental things that affect it (pressure used, angle, how the blade is held, etc.). I'm certain I wouldn't have become as comfortable with sharpening in general, were it not for the things my hands 'learned' in habitually stropping my blades (and I didn't even realize how much my hands were getting tuned up, for a long time). A lot of the 'feel' that I rely upon in freehand sharpening was developed in my stropping habits.
I often question if there's any truth to the assertion that over-stropping is counter-productive (no doubt, stropping BADLY or without focus is certainly counter-productive). I've noticed as I get better with the technique, it's still possible to strop about as often as I wish, without doing any damage. That's when one can see how good they've become at protecting the already-fine apex from user-induced errors, and this translates into better habits in sharpening on stones as well.
David
). So, I get it.It can be a good thing, if you still focus on actually refining the edge, and pay attention to all the fundamental things that affect it (pressure used, angle, how the blade is held, etc.). I'm certain I wouldn't have become as comfortable with sharpening in general, were it not for the things my hands 'learned' in habitually stropping my blades (and I didn't even realize how much my hands were getting tuned up, for a long time). A lot of the 'feel' that I rely upon in freehand sharpening was developed in my stropping habits.
I often question if there's any truth to the assertion that over-stropping is counter-productive (no doubt, stropping BADLY or without focus is certainly counter-productive). I've noticed as I get better with the technique, it's still possible to strop about as often as I wish, without doing any damage. That's when one can see how good they've become at protecting the already-fine apex from user-induced errors, and this translates into better habits in sharpening on stones as well.
David
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