Strop Victorinox or not?

N

nyhuntfish

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Jan 20, 2015
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Me: Have had a Swiss Army knife for almost 40 years. It looks like "an old man's knife" because I sharpened it so much.

Yesterday: I got my nephew a brand new Victorinox pocket knife. I think they're stainless steel.

Question: I learned about stropping (my bushcraft 1095 carbon knives) a few years ago and it changed my life. CAN I do this (or have him do it) with the Swiss army knife? Or is that steel too strong?

Meaning: Reasonably. Can I suggest to him that with "reasonable effort" he "should" be able to strop this knife? Or not? He's 10. I need to be direct here.

Thanks.
 
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It’s a perfect knife for him to learn to strop. The steel is soft and will reward a good technique. It also responds well to this because after a day of use, Victorinox blades don’t necessarily need a full sharpening but do need a touch up and the strop is just the place to do this. Strop away!

Zieg
 
I actually had some burr issues with mine the other day. I was kind of surprised. Once I got it honed in however, I finished on a strop. Now this thing is handled with respect, very sharp. I’ve been bitten many times by the ol’ SAK.

I guess my point is, yes the strop will bring it next level, if done correctly. However, it’ll tear you up if your not careful. Though at 10, I wished someone would have taught me how to care for a knife. Go for it!
 
The steel Victorinox uses is very soft, so it would be an excellent choice for beginners interested in learning how to sharpen/strop. As far as stropping a soft steel to use as an edc, I think it would be a waste of time since it’s would lose it keen edge almost immediately if used.
 
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TheEdge01 said:
The steel Victorinox uses is very soft, so it would be an excellent choice for beginners interested in learning how to sharpen/strop. As far as stropping a soft steel to use as an edc, I think it would be a waste of time since it would lose it keen edge almost immediately if used.
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That's exactly why you should strop it. As notes, the SAK steel is pretty soft and likes to roll or dent. Stropping properly will restore the apex without the material loss that a full sharpening would entail.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
That's exactly why you should strop it. As notes, the SAK steel is pretty soft and likes to roll or dent. Stropping properly will restore the apex without the material loss that a full sharpening would entail.
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Strop sure.... material loss... who cares? SAKs are cheap enough to not worry about such things. You'll probably loose or misplace it long before the material loss even matters.... years. That assumes you aren't sharpening it on a grinding wheel of course.
 
Vic steel is so soft, you can probably strop it on just about anything. If you have a more exotic steel, I imagine it might depend on your strop and the compound it is loaded with. There are many different products on the market today, based on different solutions (diamond paste and oxide paste come to mind). Although I've never heard reports of a strop not actually working on knives with super steels.
 
22-rimfire said:
Strop sure.... material loss... who cares? SAKs are cheap enough to not worry about such things. You'll probably loose or misplace it long before the material loss even matters.... years. That assumes you aren't sharpening it on a grinding wheel of course.
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Well, since the OP stated he has a 40 year old SAK that looks like an "old man knife" due specifically to the fact it's been sharpened so much, I'd say HE probably cares about material loss. Why wear something out prematurely simply because it's inexpensive? (I agree with you on the losing it part though. I lost a cadet recently. :()
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
Well, since the OP stated he has a 40 year old SAK that looks like an "old man knife" due specifically to the fact it's been sharpened so much, I'd say HE probably cares about material loss. Why wear something out prematurely simply because it's inexpensive? (I agree with you on the losing it part though. I lost a cadet recently. :()
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40 years is a healthy lifetime for a using and sharpening a SAK. I wore a Case Barlow out in about 5 years. (Of course, my Dad occasionally sharpening it on a grinding wheel didn't exactly extend its service life. ;))I would get another one to replace it and it should be just as good for another 40 years. I call that praise for a well made product!
 
My dad grew up on a farm in a large family, and the average life of a pocketknife for them back then (the 1920s and 30s) was around a couple years or so. Maybe five at the most. IMO, 40 years of use out of one pocketknife is great!

Jim
 
Strop it. i do the same with mine. I knocked off the shoulder first. The stropping, to some extent, will do the same thing.
 
The only thing I would consider, if you are having him strop with compound, teach him to wash the knife and his hands after. Just don't want to find out later that he was absorbing something he shouldn't have as a growing boy. I did lots of reloading with my dad as a youngster, and we were always very careful to clean up well after to reduce the potential of lead absorption.
 
Thank you Everyone for your responses!!! Very much appreciated.

Also yes it's 36 years old, my dad got it in Switzerland at the Wenger factory (now Victorinox as I understand it). Today I mostly carry the "Porsche 911" of pocket knives (I read in an article someone call it and to which I would agree), and the most executive knife I've ever had....the $12 Opinel; An amazing little tool. Wet, dry, doesn't matter.
 
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