Steel or Strop?

V

Virg

Joined
Jul 26, 2000
Messages
47
In light of my recent question on my new edge, I've heard references to steel, and a lot of talk about stropping. Both these seem to be performing a final polish/edge correction . . . do you use both? Which is the final operation, or is it an either/or? I've got a strop, and don't want to buy a steel if it will be redundant

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V.
 
A steel (smooth is best) does a minor repair job on edges which have been dented or bent over in small spots. You use the steel after the blade has some wear. It straightens, smooths, and sharpens the edge via a burnishing process. The steel helps you to maintain an edge without loosing material through honing.

The strop does not apply as intense local pressure on the defects as the steel. It can align lesser edge rolling and mildly abraid the edge. If edge damage is lighter the strop will help bring back a razor edge. The strop is also very useful for a freshly sharpened edge.

I would have both.


[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 08-09-2000).]
 
Confusing stuff isn't it? OK, here is da' scoop.

The steel is a steel rod. Normally should be included with most kitchen knives sets. The true sharpening steel is not for removing metal. There are some out there that are ceramic or diamond dust coated, but those remove metal. The purpose of it is to simply realign the edge. When you use a knife and it dulls, the dulling isn't always the wearing out of the metal, it is because the pressure has caused the edge to deform or bend. The steel is just used to realign the edge. Take the knife and place the edge against the steel at approximately the same angle (or a little bit higher) as the edge is sharpened. Pull back gently a couple times. Switch sides until you have realigned the edge. You can probably do a simple realigning with the steel before you need to actually resharpen a knife (abrasive metal removal). By "pulling back", I mean you pull the edge the opposite way you would on a sharpening stone. You cut into the stone with a sharpening stone, and you pull back on a steel. Same motion with a strop. Some people prefer to cut into as if it were an abrasive stone, but my experience is that pulling back is more effective.

A strop is a piece of leather, usually charged with a light abrasive compound. I use red rouge, but some people prefer chromium oxide or some other light polishing compounds. The motion is pulling back, as in a steel. The purpose of a strop is to either: 1.) polish or 2.) remove wire edges and burrs.

Without abrasive red rouge or chromium oxide, the strop works very very slowly or doesn't work at all. Still, some people report good results by stropping on plain leather with no abrasives or just using jeans or something. After abrasive sharpening, a lot of people use a strop. It will remove a miniature micro-burr/wire edge that you may have left on there with the stone. I don't believe it is necessary after sharpening steel usage though.

Almost all leather can be used as a strop. I got mine from a shoe repair shop, as did many other people here.

If you need any further assistance, I'll be glad to help. I will post diagrams/pictures to help you figure this stuff out soon.

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Chang the Asian Janitorial Apparatus
 
This is a diagram of how to use a sharpening steel.

steeling.jpg


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Chang the Asian Janitorial Apparatus
 
Virg, The steel is perfect for any knife that has a secondary bevel. The convex gring however lends itself to the use of a strop. The convex edge geometry of your knife will strengthen the cutting edge and therefor keep any rolling to a minimum. Using a steel on your blade will likely become an exercize in frustration since there is no straight surface to work with. For a knife with a flat ground blade such as any high quality kitchen knife the steel is perfect because one is working with a very narrow, flat surface. That is why a chef only needs to swipe the steel over his knife a few times every time he does use it.
 
Thank you all. James, you answered the question I meant to ask, and saved me the money for a steel (at least for now; I'll probably still get one later).
Chang, where did you get this rouge? Shaving supply places seem to not have it - my local mall knife shop looked positively baffled at my request!
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V.
 
Try woodworking/carving supply stores. I think some knifemaking supply stores sell it too.

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Reynaert
 
For rouge you may want to look in your Yellow Pages for lapidaries. If you find some, they may also carry all kind of neat stuff from industrial ruby sharpening stones to diamond dust for polishing.
 
Virg,
I was able to find some rouge at Home Depot. I found it in the power tools section. They call it polishing compound.

Chang great post!




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Shawn R Sullivan
ICQ # 82562931
 
Both www.craftwoods.com (a wood carvers supply store) and www.woodcraft.com (general woodworking) carry a variety of strops and polishes.

Many of us here use green (chromium oxide) polish, which is an ultra fine grit (about 10,000). It comes in a bar (similar to soap) which can be rubbed on stropping/polishing surfaces. Other polishes contain different minerals and may be less fine. Jewlers rouge, lapidary polishes, and others (red and yellow pastes) all will work well. What polish you use it not particularly important.

The main function of the strop (and steel) is to align the microserrations along the edge (the finer the final honing stone, the smaller the serrations). Strops loaded with polish will also remove some metal and smooth the edge bevels

Some wood carvers use aluminum oxide in vaseline on leather. A very fine aluminum oxide powder can be found at craftwoods. I sometimes use a Rougher grade of aluminum oxide sold in hobby stores as an air brush material. This can be used to remove A LOT of metal quickly (same as a stone) but on a leather strop. The powders are hazardous to your health if inhaled. Coating leather with vaseline will allow the surface to 'hold' the particles down.

I suggest you search the word 'strop' in the general forum and archives. There have been many good informative posts written about strops.

Paracelsus, compulsive stropper

[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 08-10-2000).]
 
Virg, I got mine at Sears. I got it for about 5 dollars. It came in a Craftsman brand package of four bars, black emery cake, brown rouge, white rouge, and red rouge. The white and red are better suited for stropping, especially the red. You'll find it probably near the buffing wheels, because the bars were made to be applied to buffing wheels.

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Chang the Asian Janitorial Apparatus
 
The compounds I use are all dry powders. They came as part of a kit with my hone which is here http://www.handamerican.com/pc17.html

They honestly told me I could save money and storage space and get the one Senator mentions in his post above for most purposes, but Andy Prisco had mentioned the 17 and I like it. I prefer having it longer than necessary and with some grit and the length, I do not need to sharpen as often. It also works better for those medium sized knives such as my Battle Mistress.
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They do sell the abrasives seperately and have some honing suggesions at their web site.

[This message has been edited by Donald (edited 08-10-2000).]
 
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