Strop? A little help please.

Terry M.

Terry M.

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Feb 5, 2006
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2,951
I understand a stop is a length of leather used to sharpen our toys but is it a finishing tool? Where can you find one (web link)? or can you simply make one from an old belt?
Help a guy/newbie out. :confused:
 
Glue your old belt, smooth side up, to a piece of wood that shares it width. Or follow Dave's advice and treat yourself to the topnotch stuff instead of a notched belt.
 
Terry Monk said:
I understand a stop is a length of leather used to sharpen our toys but is it a finishing tool? Where can you find one (web link)? or can you simply make one from an old belt?
Help a guy/newbie out. :confused:
Click to expand...

A strop is an easy to use finishing tool. I made mine out of an old wooden paint stirrer (a strong one) and a couple of pieces of scrap leather from the local tack store. I glued rough side up on one side of the stirrer, smooth side up on the other side. I use Cr0 sparingly. The leather is thick enough that the knife sinks in just a bit and the results are very satisfactory. I only make a couple of passes on each side to polish the edge and remove any remaining burr.

I only use the strop once the knife is already very sharp.

http://www.drsharpening.com/leatherhone.html
 
I have an old belt I use when I strop, but I have used cardboard as well. the back of a writing tablet has worked well for me.

pete
 
To try and avoid the edge rounding that I get with a strop ( my poor technique I suspect) I am experimenting with PSA backed micron abrasive papers on a flat, solid base.
So far I am very happy with the results. I seem to have eliminated the edge rounding I was getting with the strop.

david
 
You'd be amazed at how much a strop can flex... I lay some of my knives flat on the strop as if I was polishing the side of the blade, and just the rebound of the leather springing back up after the blade passes is enough to clip the very edge at the right angle to produce a hair splitting edge.
 
yuzuha said:
You'd be amazed at how much a strop can flex... I lay some of my knives flat on the strop as if I was polishing the side of the blade, and just the rebound of the leather springing back up after the blade passes is enough to clip the very edge at the right angle to produce a hair splitting edge.
Click to expand...
I don't quite understand what you are saying. Is the blade sinking into the leather helping or hindering the attaining of a hair splitting edge??
 
I think what yuzuha is saying is that you should use a shallower angle with the strop to avoid a rounded edge. I have a number of knives that I strop the same way, with the side of the blade touching or almost touching the leather. Using a light touch will help to not roll the edge, also.

Handamerican is great - I bought $30 or so of leather, made 4 strops, a couple 18" long, and have a lot of leather left over. I load them with Handamerican CO2 semi-liquid, and diamond paste (mixing them works great). Loading them once will last a long time. After using an old belt for years I should have done this sooner.
 
Bingo! It may not seem like it, but leather is really rubbery on a microscopic level so you don't really want your edge touching it unless you want it rounded. It's okay to just touch it when finding your angle, but then back off a bit before the stroke. see diagram here http://www.pinewoodforge.com/sharpening.html The microbevel will keep the edge from touching the leather when the blade is flat, but leather is springy enough that it will climb your microbevel and barely kiss the edge.
 
As always, great info from reliable and intelligent people. I'm learning tons. Thanks all.
 
yuzuha said:
Bingo! It may not seem like it, but leather is really rubbery on a microscopic level so you don't really want your edge touching it unless you want it rounded. It's okay to just touch it when finding your angle, but then back off a bit before the stroke. see diagram here http://www.pinewoodforge.com/sharpening.html The microbevel will keep the edge from touching the leather when the blade is flat, but leather is springy enough that it will climb your microbevel and barely kiss the edge.
Click to expand...


I couldn't agree more. In fact, the more I use leather (even powered - like belts and wheels) the more I lay the knife down lower and lower. I find, particularly with using a leather belt (on a belt sander), that I almost lay it down as far as I can without catching the spine.


--Dave--
 
So if we all are in agreement that the leather can , if it touches the actual edge, round it, ......then why are we using leather as a host for the stropping abrasive/polish?
I have experimented with 0.3 micron paper on a solid base and am going to continue on as well as try some different hosts .
 
Nosmo said:
So if we all are in agreement that the leather can , if it touches the actual edge, round it, ......then why are we using leather as a host for the stropping abrasive/polish?
I have experimented with 0.3 micron paper on a solid base and am going to continue on as well as try some different hosts .
Click to expand...

Nosmo, maybe it is -

Because we are cheap?

Because convex edges are some of the most efficient and you get a little when stropping?

Because we like the smell of contact cement when we glue the stropping leather to the backing? Or we like to play with the CrO, sort of like kids in a mud puddle?

Because Dave at DR says that's the way its done and Dave is the MAN?

Because it works?
 
I just use an old belt, but my wife says I'm a Neanderthal. Believe it or not, my dad just strops his knives on his jeans, while he's wearing them. I don't recommend it, and I've never got it to work for me, I just wanted to point out that stropping is more about technique than what you use.
 
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