Stropping Compound Options

[630skirmish]

I was thinking of getting one black and one green compound for my double sided strop, but I know that there is also diamond spray and diamond compound. Does anybody know about the diamond compound or use it? Let me know your thoughts, since I really am unsure which option is best for me. My knives are steels like z-wear or S35VN etc if that helps and my strop is the smooth side.

 

[HeavyHanded]

For higher Vanadium content steels you will need diamond abrasive at the finer end of the spectrum. On other steels you likely will not see a big difference between the diamond and AlumOx.

Personally when dealing with steels that have Vanadium carbides I find I get better results using something like diamond lapping film to finish strop instead of a loose grit applied to a conformable backing, if I even go to a bright polish in the first place. The 3M diamond lapping films are relatively inexpensive and will last a loong time if only used for stropping.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

+1 for using diamond. For stropping compounds specifically, as opposed to lapping films, DMT Dia-Paste (6/3/1µ) works very well, especially on very firm or hard strops (like wood); it's what I've used. Others here have also liked using diamond or CBN compounds from Hand American, and there are at least one or more other brands that escape me at the moment. Keep watching, and I'd bet others will contribute some recommendations for those...


David