Strop Help Please

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Hou2008 said:
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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Sorry. Your original post read "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 took this to mean that you had two smooth working surfaces, and one rough working surface. I'm now guessing that what you were calling a rough surface was just the back of one of the pieces.

Can you be a little clearer about your strop? Does it have a hanging loop at one end and a handle at the other, or are they loose pieces of leather? If you ordered it off the net, can you post a link to it?

If you only have two smooth leather stropping surfaces, dedicate one for white compound and one for green. Forget about using a bare strop in that case.

As far as distorting the leather, an unmounted strop needs to be firmly attached at one end, and pulled taut from the other. Don't press the knife so firmly that it bends the strop in use or you will convex the edge. This is one reason why I prefer mounted strops for knives. Post a link to your strop and we can take it from there.

Stitchawl
 
Hou2008 said:
Hi Stitchawl,

Sorry for my mangled syntax. The strop is in this configuration:

http://cgi.ebay.com/14-LEATHER-STRO...ryZ35990QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The rough side is indeed the inside of one of the strops. But, the two strops are held together using a thumb knob by the hanging hook. So, if needs be, I can flip one of the leather strop around and turn its rough side out. Thanks again for your help.
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I see.... OK, it looks like a serviceable razor strop, and the price certainly can't be beat. Is it really leather? :eek: $10 including a razor? Wow!

If "I" bought this, and wasn't planning on using it for a straight razor, "I'd" cut off the handles and loop, mount the leather strops onto pieces of wood (the same size as the leather) with some contact cement, and forget about the canvas strap, and use the strop that way. MUCH easier for stropping knives! But that's just me. I don't care for hanging strops for anything other than straight razors. Anyway, your white compound is a coarser grit and the green a finer one. The strops MUST BE DEDICATED to one or the other. No mixing! So after using your stones, first strop with the white, then strop with the green!

Stitchawl
 
matt321 said:
I just found this (again):

http://www.japaneseknifesharpening.com/stroppingtechnique.html
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Nice to see that HandAmerican is finally putting out their stuff once again. They make some damn fine products! :thumbup: Their liquid Chromium Oxide, horsehide strops and diamond pastes can't be beat! Those prices aren't too bad either, except for the borocilliate rod! $70?!? :jerkit: Borocillicate is Pyrex... Steal your wife's glass meatloaf pan, and use the rounded edge!

Stitchawl
 
When I make up a new strop, I rub a good amount of neatsfoot oil into the leather, then apply green chromium oxide compound (I get mine at LVT), and finally rub the compound in, distributing it over the strop with a rag.

Once the surface starts to look dry and dark, I rub some more green compound in.
 
Can old leather belts be used?
Cut and mounted on a piece of wood.
Would you mount it so you could strop on the rough side,or smooth side?
Maybe rough side for black compound,smooth side
for white green?
One other question,what about RED compound?
I have a stick of what I used to call "jewelers rouge"
and have used that for years to polish the edges of my
carving tools.Maybe one of these other colors will work faster?
Thanks
 
fugawee said:
Can old leather belts be used?
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Why not? In this case you aren't as concerned with the quality or quantity of silicates in the leather as you're going to be using compound to do the actual cutting of metal. Any suitable carrier for that compound would work.

Cut and mounted on a piece of wood.
Would you mount it so you could strop on the rough side,or smooth side?
Click to expand...

Both! But if the rough side is VERY rough I'd only use it for convex edges!

Maybe rough side for black compound,smooth side
for white green?
Click to expand...

Excactly what I'd do... well... I'd probably use white compound on the rough side, but green on the smooth. :)

One other question,what about RED compound?
I have a stick of what I used to call "jewelers rouge"
Click to expand...

There seems to be a lot of opposing information about the use of red jeweler's rouge for knife edges. Based strictly on its own hardness, it shouldn't work on steel. It's made for polishing softer metals like silver or gold. Yet as you say, it does polish your edges! :eek: Perhaps it just doesn't remove enough steel to make it worth the time and effort?
The compounds that I use list their grit sizes and composition so I can be sure of the required degree of hardness. Silicon Carbide, Diamond paste, Chromium Oxide, etc. Jeweler's Rouge is made of iron oxide. That 'should' make it softer than steel..... :o 'Should' being the operative word...

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
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.

Stitchawl
Click to expand...

Thank you for your help.
In this post you mention not to use black compound on
"soft metals"... Soft as in Infi or S7 compared to 154CM or soft
like Gold and Silver?
I need to get rid of those fine grind marks that come
on new blades.I thought black would be good,followed by white
then red (dont have green yet)

Thankis
 
fugawee said:
Thank you for your help.
In this post you mention not to use black compound on
"soft metals"... Soft as in Infi or S7 compared to 154CM or soft
like Gold and Silver?
I need to get rid of those fine grind marks that come
on new blades.I thought black would be good,followed by white
then red (dont have green yet)

Thankis
Click to expand...

Soft like gold and silver. Black wont 'hurt' steel, it will cut it the way a good compond is supposed to cut it! :) Do get some of the green compound though. It really does work wonders for a final finish on a knife edge. Remember that when using compound on a strop, a bar the size of your finger will last for years. If you go to a large Home Center/Sears/Auto Supply type store you can often find mixed sets of 4 small bars for less than $10. No need to buy a one pound brick of the stuff!

Stitchawl
 
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