Stropping kit

jfn

jfn

Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
758
I'm looking to put together a stropping kit for myself.

I've been looking at the kits on Knivesshipfree:
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Sharpening-Supplies-1
They look good, but I have a feeling they are a bit too expensive for what I'm getting.

I've thought about blowing the $50 on the complete kit, but a piece of leather, some sandpaper and a box shouldn't cost that much...

Anyone have any suggestions on putting together a good stropping kit? I'm sick of touching up my sebenza on the back of a legal pad :p

EDIT: After looking a bit further down I noticed that there are already a few topics on the subject.

So to make this topic unique :D does anyone have any positive experieces with the KSF complete set? I know it's expensive, but the completeness of the kit itself is pretty cool. Plus with the otterbox I know that the kit will survive a disaster even if I don't.
 
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My stropping kit consists of $2 worth of scrap leather from Tandy and about $5 in polishing compound from Sears.

It works for me.

I have been thinking of buying some of the diamond compounds sold for stropping but I am having a hard time justifying it when the current system isn't broken.
 
jfn said:
I'm looking to put together a stropping kit for myself.

I've been looking at the kits on Knivesshipfree:
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Sharpening-Supplies-1
They look good, but I have a feeling they are a bit too expensive for what I'm getting.

I've thought about blowing the $50 on the complete kit, but a piece of leather, some sandpaper and a box shouldn't cost that much...
Click to expand...

A good high quality strop cost about $50.
That's without a plastic box (though you do get to choose between black, blue, or clear,) and several sheets of sandpaper. I just looked at this site...
I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SPENDING THEIR MONEY ON! :eek:
Oh well... to each his own.

For $12 you can get a piece of good quality leather 12"x12" from Jantz Supply and make four strops. You can make double sided strops using free paint stirring sticks, and have two of them for the same $12. Add another $5 for some compound and you are all set. Of course, you won't have a plastic box or a few sheets of sandpaper. The plastic box is important. Especially the blue one.

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
A good high quality strop cost about $50.
That's without a plastic box (though you do get to choose between black, blue, or clear,) and several sheets of sandpaper. I just looked at this site...
I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SPENDING THEIR MONEY ON! :eek:
Oh well... to each his own.

For $12 you can get a piece of good quality leather 12"x12" from Jantz Supply and make four strops. You can make double sided strops using free paint stirring sticks, and have two of them for the same $12. Add another $5 for some compound and you are all set. Of course, you won't have a plastic box or a few sheets of sandpaper. The plastic box is important. Especially the blue one.

Stitchawl
Click to expand...
:) definitely the blue one... I just saved myself a lot of bucks by building my own strop. And I saw a beautiful blue box somewhere, made of plastic. For $1... I think about getting it...
 
zyhano said:
:) definitely the blue one... I just saved myself a lot of bucks by building my own strop. And I saw a beautiful blue box somewhere, made of plastic. For $1... I think about getting it...
Click to expand...

Don't forget... you also get sandpaper included for that $50. :jerkit:

At the same time, I do want to give credit to the folks who are selling setups like this. It shows excellent business sense. There ARE plenty of people out there who want to buy these products for this sort of money, and the name of the game in business is to make money. Personally, I couldn't do it this way and still get a good night's sleep. But that's just me. Caveat Emptor.


Stitchawl
 
jfn said:
I'm looking to put together a stropping kit for myself.

I've been looking at the kits on Knivesshipfree:
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Sharpening-Supplies-1
They look good, but I have a feeling they are a bit too expensive for what I'm getting.

I've thought about blowing the $50 on the complete kit, but a piece of leather, some sandpaper and a box shouldn't cost that much...

Anyone have any suggestions on putting together a good stropping kit? I'm sick of touching up my sebenza on the back of a legal pad :p

EDIT: After looking a bit further down I noticed that there are already a few topics on the subject.

So to make this topic unique :D does anyone have any positive experieces with the KSF complete set? I know it's expensive, but the completeness of the kit itself is pretty cool. Plus with the otterbox I know that the kit will survive a disaster even if I don't.
Click to expand...

A couple of notes....

YES, you can make it cheaper than you can buy it from me. I sell it for a profit, but not nearly as much as you might think.

The plastic box is an OtterBox--a top quality, indestructible box

The leather is specially made to fit the top of the box (you can do that yourself)

The sandpaper can certainly be done on your own.

The compound is the Bark River Compound, which is quite pricey, but excellent stuff.


What I have found is that putting the whole thing together is much pricier than people initially think and a much bigger hassle than they think as well.

I even have videos on the site that show people how to make their own.

It's not rocket science, but it does take time to put together. :)
 
okbohn said:
A couple of notes....

It's not rocket science, but it does take time to put together. :)
Click to expand...
no finger pointed to the sellers by me, as said before, it makes perfect sense business wise. and the materials are top notch. I believe in quality too, most of the times, more expensive stuff is better.

I might buy a setup like that in the future in my quest for sharpness, but for the moment, my own setup keeps me plenty busy.

I go two ways in thinking about this.
1. when I started sharpening I only bought a sharpmaker, which did it for me from day 1. no ruining my knives, no dull edges. great for a beginner. conclusion: good tools that help you to not get frustrated are great. they let you have pleasure in what you do, which is verrry important. a prefab strop with all the ingredients can be great.

2. when you're stropping, you're probably already a little bit familiar with sharpening and knives. And, in the beginning, you will make progress even with cheap and easy to get materials. The difference from very sharp to ubersharp can be made with a home made strop. You can experiment with your own equipment. Maybe you'll find out you need a commercial setup, maybe you won't. But in this case, as in opposed to sharpening example, you really do not need to spend a lot of money to help you have fun.
 
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