Strop Help Please

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JTR357

JTR357

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Can some kind fellow direct me to a thread (or link) discussing strop maintenance,proper compounds to use (& where to get them?), the correct way to clean a leather strop....yea I know "google is my friend",but I'm having problems.Damn pc is slower than shyte!


Thanks in advance:)
 
I use green chromium oxide compound from Lee Valley Tools. When it gets loaded (black) I just scrape it off with a straight edge and rub some new compound on.
 
I have great success with the green and white compound from Sears. When the strop gets all black and nasty I just run it over a scotchbrite pad until I can just start to see bare leather then reapply the compound.
 
Thanks a lot guys!:thumbup:

That's exactly what I was looking for:)
 
I have always liked handamerican leather and their liquid chromium oxide but in the past year I have switched to diamond compounds. Cleaning your strop should never be done with water or by scraping, using a orange cleaner without pumice would be my first suggestion or WD-40 will work in a pinch. The compound you chose is probably the most important even more so than the strop itself. Diamond compound is now my perfered choice because it simply works better and yields a much sharper edge. Leather takes a little getting use to because when the blade makes contact is becomes slightly convexed, decreasing your angle will solve this problem though. Another good material for stropping is MDF, it requires you to use more of a precise angle but you don't have to worrie about the surface convexing around the edge.
 
WD-40? Heck,I got plenty of that!

Thanks for the tips knifenut1013:thumbup:
 
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morrowj_98 said:
I have great success with the green and white compound from Sears.
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I use the green stuff. Less than $2.00 as I recall:

nov102008002Medium.jpg


nov102008004Medium.jpg
 
morrowj_98 said:
I have great success with the green and white compound from Sears. When the strop gets all black and nasty I just run it over a scotchbrite pad until I can just start to see bare leather then reapply the compound.
Click to expand...

What's the difference between the green and the white compound?
 
Cleaning is easy. Mineral Oil wipe it all off, then sand the leather to 220 grit well and apply new compound.
 
I just picked up a green block & a white block (dirt cheap).I cleaned the strop with some WD-40 & a paper towel.It's like new again.

Thanks again guys:)
 
Shave the green stick/block (fine cheese grater works) and mix with a little mineral oil in a small bowel and even microwave for a few seconds to soften it up.

Work it up to a liquidy paste by grinding it with the back of a spoon and then apply (fingers work good) to the leather... :)
 
Talfuchre said:
Check this out:

Is this the same type of compound that comes from Bark River? Black, and Green?

Black

Green

White


TF
Click to expand...

The Black compound is emery, is very fast cutting for any hard metal. Don't use on soft metals! This is a good compound for use right after your stone if you don't have extra fine grit stones. It's a cutting compound more than a polishing compound.

The White is the ideal choice for really polishing a working edge (unless you want to take it to straight razor sharp) and will give you quite a bright mirror finish. This would be perfect for most larger blades. :thumbup:
If I remember correctly, the white compound is rated around 12,000 grit, but don't quote me.

The Green compound is Chromium Oxide, rated to 60,000 grit and will give you an absolute mirror finish on an edge. :) This is the stuff for that ridiculously sharp edge on a knife! It's the finest compound that you can use, and really does wonders for a straight razor! On the other hand, it's lots of fun to have an EDC that you can shave with!

I use it on all my knives but am the first to admit that there is really no other purpose than fun, except for razors, chisels, wood carving tools, etc. The white compound is more than sufficient for any other edge. (This will NOT stop me from using the green though! :p )

After green compound, stropping on a bare strop of good quality is the next level for perfecting your edge, especially if using a horsehide strop.


Stitchawl
 
Great Stichawl, I see this stuff on the knife sites pretty expensive - but this seems cheap and is likely a years worth or more in these little bars! ;)

I ordered a high quality strop preloaded with compound - but I want to get more for when this wears out. I plan on using green, white, and plain strop - I want my Bushcraft to cut through buildings! ;)

TF
 
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Talfuchre said:
Great Stichawl, I see this stuff on the knife sites pretty expensive - but this seems cheap and is likely a years worth or more in these little bars! ;)
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Hey, we're all friends here. You don't have to address me as Great Stitchawl. 'Mr. would be ok.... :p
A bar the size of your thumb should last you about five-ten years of strop use unless you strop every knife in the neighborhood! Every week! And if you want an even cheaper way to go (though the small three-bar sets in the Dollar Stores are fine) then just get some flat green barn paint! They use chromium oxide for the pigment in that stuff. A lot of woodworkers just paint it on a piece of MDF and use that to strop their carving knives and chisels. As long as you can see some green color, you have more than enough compound on the strop. Overloading the strop doesn't do anything except make the job messy.
If you're using a powered buffing wheel with compound you'll use a LOT more than you would on a strop.

When I first bought strops from HandAmerican they were selling green liquid chromium oxide in plastic bottles about 8"x2". I figured that I'd need at least two bottles to start with. That was about 8-10 years ago and I've only used up about half of one bottle, using the stuff on two smooth leather and two rough leather strops! Most of it was wasted when I first got the stuff and didn't know how to use it!

I ordered a high quality strop preloaded with compound - but I want to get more for when this wears out. I plan on using green, white, and plain strop - I want my Bushcraft to cut through buildings! ;)

TF
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If you've done a good job with your stones, then less than 10 minutes with a strop and the buildings will simply tremble apart from fear when they are just shown the edge! No need to actually cut! :p

'ADD' had a very good idea when he suggested shaving some off and softening it up. When I use the bars I just crayon it on but it's difficult to get it spread completely without wasting a lot of compound. I make a series of cross hatch lines then work them with my thumb. With the liquid I just drop on a dozen drops and work them. I've now got one of the sharpest thumbs around! :D

Stitchawl
 
then less than 10 minutes with a strop and the buildings will simply tremble apart
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Spending too little time on a strop is one of the biggest mistakes of stropping. 10 minutes is good if you are doing a touch-up or if the steel is soft but if you don't spend the time to do it right you won't get the results possiable. As the steel gets harder or more wear resistant more and more time is needed. For example: 10 minutes on 420HC would be ok but 10 minutes on S30V would get you nothing but a slight surface polish. As the abrasive becomes finer the more time is needed to make it work, this applies to all stages of sharpening.
 
Okay. I now have a leather strap. It comes in a pair and therefore four sides: two finished leather sides, one unfinished (rough) leather side, and one canvas side. I also have the green and the white compounds. Now, this is a really dumb question.

Which sides of the strops do these compounds go?
 
Hou2008 said:
Okay. I now have a leather strap. It comes in a pair and therefore four sides: two finished leather sides, one unfinished (rough) leather side, and one canvas side. I also have the green and the white compounds. Now, this is a really dumb question.

Which sides of the strops do these compounds go?
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Never add compound to the canvas. In fact, forget you even have the canvas side unless you shave with a straight razor. You will only need to use the canvas on straight razors in really rough shape. It won't do much to other types of edges.

Use the white compound on the rough side of the leather. The finished side of the leather will give a finer edge than the rough side, so green goes on one of the finished sides, keeping the other finished side bare. :thumbup:

If these are unmounted strops, attach the end to a strong support so that when you pull on the other end you can make it rather straight and unbending. This is more important with a knife than a straight razor.

Begin stropping on the rough leather with the white compound. 30-50 strokes per side, alternating sides. Then go to the smooth strop with the green compound and give that 30-50 strokes alternating sides again. Then finish up with the smooth bare strop, 20-30 strokes alternating sides again. You won't do any harm stropping more if you find it relaxing, and really hard steel will most likely require a bit more. I've watched guys strop against their jeans or against their boots for hours while sitting around a camp fire. I never noticed their knives any sharper than ones done less.

Four things to watch out for;
... always strop with the spine leading and the edge following or you'll cut into the strop.
... use very light pressure against the strop. The weight of the knife should be sufficient.
... the angle that you want to use is just high enough to catch the edge. Check to see what this is by laying the blade flat on the strop, sliding it edge forward and lifting the spine until the edge just catches. Note the angle and use that in reverse (dragging away from the edge) to strop.
... be extra careful when you reverse sides that you don't accidentally run the edge against the strop. Either lift the blade clear of the strop or roll it over on the spine.

It's also a good idea to think about what you usually cut. A well stropped expensive straight razor won't cut a tomato as well as a $1.98 Ginsu with serrations. Some things, such as ropes, smooth skinned veggies, fiberous objects, etc., require more 'tooth' on an edge and a slicing motion, while harder stuff can be better 'push cut' with a razor edge. :) Stropping removes those serrations left by the stone. Do you always want to do that?

It's not rocket science, and it doesn't take a master craftsman to strop an edge. Just go slowly and pay attention to what you're doing. If you have a fast internet connection there are several very good YouTube videos that will show you good stropping technique.

Stitchawl
 
Thanks for the detailed info. It helps clarify to many matters.

The two leathter strips are mounted together, back to back. So, if I am to strop on three sides (white compound, green compound, plain), aside from stropping on the two exposed sides, where is the third side? Do I just lift the top leather strip and strop on the inside of the bottom leather strip? It seems that the bottom strip will be really warp in that configuration, making it hard to maintain a consistent angle.
 
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