Photos Slippies, Stones and Strops!

kamagong said:
The strop is an old Hand American unit, bought a long time ago when they sold directly to customers. What you see is a model with reversible plates. One side has leather for 800 grit Aluminum oxide powder, the other side 1200 grit AO. I have another plate with smooth leather, one treated with chromium oxide and the other left bare. What you refer to stone is actually Corian. Both the base and the plates are made from it.
Click to expand...

Ah ha I see now -- thank you for the explanation! :thumbsup:


Eli Chaps said:
You can strop on a broad range of mediums. Especially with the softer steels that are typical to our traditional. Folded cardboard with some compound works great. If you cut up cardboard for disposal, I always recommend a few stropping passes on the bare surface before tossing it. I mean it's there so why not right? Rolled cardboard can be used kind like a steel.

Denim also works really well. For a looooong time I used a jeans pant leg that I cut off at the knee and would then slide a piece if 2x4 inside and wrap tight. Can use it bare or with some compound.

Use a light touch and try to maintain the bevel angle as the softer materials like these and leather give a bit and can convex the edge a bit. But nothing to really stress over.

You can also put a little compound on a paint stick.

Just some ideas for quick and easy strops.
Click to expand...
Thanks Eli Chaps Eli Chaps . :thumbsup: Very good suggestions! I do use the edge of cardboard boxes sometimes (typically only when I've just cut one down). I saved a pair of my son's denim jeans with the intent of using them for just this purpose. The piece of wood I had in mind to re-purpose is pine and after a bit of reading (and actually engaging my brain) I backed-off due to being such a soft wood. I have some 2x4 scrap that maybe I'll have a go at using. Do you secure the denim to the block at all or just wrap tightly?
 
VrvAFli.jpg
 
peanutsxx said:
Ah ha I see now -- thank you for the explanation! :thumbsup:



Thanks Eli Chaps Eli Chaps . :thumbsup: Very good suggestions! I do use the edge of cardboard boxes sometimes (typically only when I've just cut one down). I saved a pair of my son's denim jeans with the intent of using them for just this purpose. The piece of wood I had in mind to re-purpose is pine and after a bit of reading (and actually engaging my brain) I backed-off due to being such a soft wood. I have some 2x4 scrap that maybe I'll have a go at using. Do you secure the denim to the block at all or just wrap tightly?
Click to expand...

You can glue it down or just wrap it. I just wrapped it. I'd stuff the wood into the leg and up against a seam and then wrap it tight. Works fine.

I personally wouldn't worry too much about the pine. In general, stropping should be pretty light passes so the subtle give in the substrate shouldn't be an issue. For high-vanadium steels, then a harder material and diamond compound starts becoming more important but for the majority of the steels we're dealing with I wouldn't worry much about it.

Stropping is done either as the very last de-burr step or for an occasional between-sharpening touch up. For the first, again, we're generally talking light and minimal strokes. And little material flex shouldn't be an issue. For touch-ups, you might press a wee harder and use a few more strokes but I still wouldn't be overly concerned about it. Try to do as much de-burring on the stone and minimize stropping and you'll be good to go. :)
 
Gary W. Graley said:
I carry this Spyderco DoubleStuff 2 with me every day, great for quick touch ups and the leather slip sheath for the stone I use one side as a make shift strop, very handy...
Click to expand...

Agreed, I really like the Spyderco handheld ceramics for touch ups. I like the single grit stones (Medium & Fine ) because you get 2 usable surfaces on each stone for not much more money.
They do a real nice job on 1095.
I also keep another set in my vehicle and have a new Double Stuff stone stashed away for a rainy day.
 
lutejones said:
This is my carry kit,
DMT coarse, Fallkniven dc4, Opinel natural stone
Usually the coarse is enough followed by a little stropping for general use.
the others are for polishing the whittling blades.
The Opinel stone leaves a great polished edge
2-EE82-D82-1653-400-E-902-F-34-CA05-BDDCE1.jpg

7-D2-BD35-A-1-C06-4-DF1-B023-A5676246-E67-D.jpg
Click to expand...

I think I like the dovetailed box even better than the knives and stones. Pics of the corner joints please (Leigh jig ??) ...
 
Lansky1 said:
I think I like the dovetailed box even better than the knives and stones. Pics of the corner joints please (Leigh jig ??) ...
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, it’s the first box I’ve ever made. The dovetails are cut by hand and they’re a bit gappy, but not bad for a first try ;).
7683-F6-E6-5122-47-EB-A26-D-0-D0-D9-C21-E137.jpg

B23409-C4-32-C0-43-B4-AC11-CF5268068-E85.jpg


Some beautiful chestnut reclaimed from an old piece of furniture someone dumped on the trash.
If you want to see more wood stuff this is my Instagram account @43gradosnorte.

To stay on topic
A pocket Tri-hone system that works great with softer steels like 1095 and stainless like SAK and case’s trusharp, it helps reduce burring a lot, the stones are a bit narrow though.
36-BF9-E62-01-A4-48-EE-8-BB6-F2-DDE4-BEDFD4.jpg

C33-C41-EB-607-C-40-EA-8-AE5-C5-C0-CF1-B4822.jpg

Edited to add:
The hook channel on the fine hard Arkansas tends to catch the tips a little bit
 
Just started to try a rubber infused cork strop with liquid green emulsion, it's different, it's has more texture than leather, more forgiving, you can’t dig into it like leather and the knife tip won’t catch the cork like it can on leather if your angle isn’t right

My wife's J.A. Henckels 8" slicer the CIA gave her at culinary school in 1984, it has her initials in the handle rivets, she made money with that knife and a few others for 22 years.
oovV1pF.jpg


EjZqkYE.jpg
 
Last edited:
More Home Made. This strop was a piece of birch log I split with a hatchet then finished it off with a puukko. The leather came from a belt the GF no longer liked, can't understand why as it suited her ;), but waste not want not.. The surface is not perfectly flat but it doesn't seem to matter as it works well with the Green.

My other systems are Sharpmaker and DMT Aligner with 3 grades of diamond stone. The latter is very easy to use, effective on D2 but not very photogenic with its clamp thing...

Thanks to the OP for an interesting and long overdue thread. What use is a knife if it isn't sharp?

fGmuL3j.jpg
 
Night Rider Night Rider I have a KME as well and it is a great system! That's an interesting clamping technique you've employed. I have the pen knife clamps and they work well for smaller knives. Although since I've returned to almost exclusively free hand sharpening I haven't put any of the Case offerings on the system. I have done smaller Bucks and SAK's though and the small clamp worked very well.
 
Last edited:
Eli Chaps said:
Night Rider Night Rider I have a KME as well and it is a great system! That's an interesting clamping technique you've employed. I have the pen knife clamps and they work well for smaller knives. Although since I've returned to almost exclusively free hand sharpening so I haven't put any of the Case offerings on the system. I have done small Bucks and SAK's though and the small clamp worked very well.
Click to expand...
I have to get around to ordering some small jaws myself Eli Chaps. It's a pain in the butt to adjust the guide height on a multi blade slippie.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top