How To Stropping paste-how much is enough?

B

Bo-dacious

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Aug 13, 2016
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Hey guys, I'm buying some 1 and. 25 micron stropping paste and I have a couple questions. First, how much do I use? A pea size? A dime size? Second, how often do I apply the compound? Third, do I just spread it around with my finger until it has a thin layer across the whole strop? Are there any special techniques I should use?

Also, I'm very confused about how to strop. At first I thought you were supposed to strop at a higher angle than the edge. Then I read "stropping - angle plus pressure" (I think that's the name) and it said to either use too low an angle and a lot of pressure, or the right angle and medium pressure. That makes sense, but I don't notice much of a difference. What is the right way to strop and why?

Lastly, what is the benefit of rounding the shoulder of the edge, and should I do it?

Thanks,

Bo
 
Mo2: yeah I read that but other people say that's wrong.
Are there things made specifically for spreading compound, or do you mean like a spoon?

Thanks man,

Bo
 
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i use a strop with my lansky - I use the exact same angle and very light pressure - and then go back at a higher angle for just a couple strokes with even lighter pressure - this works for me.
how much paste depends on the size of the strop - with the lansky, I use three "dots" and spread it around with my finger.

"yeah I read that but other people say that's wrong. "
you ask 5 different knife nuts about anything - and you are likely to get as many as 12 different answers. there's more than one way to do it, some ways work better for some people, while a different way may work better for others.
 
It's just a plain old narrow paint scraper. Pick 'em up in any big box or hardware store for a dollar or two.
 
Okay thanks guys.
So how often should I reapply the compound?
And what are the benefits of rounding the shoulder of the edge?

Thanks,

Bo
 
Just use your knife to spread it around. You're going to get compound on it anyway. Reapply when you think it gets ineffective. Best way to learn is lots of practice. There are no set rules for this stuff, everyone has their own methods that work.
 
I just spread it on with my finger and I just use enough to make one thin layer thicker is not always better the best way to find out is trial and error,if you use the stuff from ebay that is pushed more towards industrial use it can have a waxy texture and if you are using it on leather you don't want to much on the leather unless you heat the extra in or else you have to much waxy crap on the blade and it almost feels more like your stropping the waxy crap and not the metal,if you want water base stuff I can email you a link to a guy on ebay that sell's the same stuff in water base I have not tried it yet but may in the future.

Also if you are using the paste on leather and if it leave's a film of the paste on the leather try using a hair drier moving it back and forth to heat the waxy crap into the leather I just use a slow motion going for end of the strop to the other never stop in one spot because you can damage the leather.

What kind of diamond paste did you get the stuff off of ebay it's the cheapest if you get the stuff in the white containers off of ebay just type in diamond paste,and to know what the concentration level is of the diamond's that are in the paste look at the label and if it say's 40.00 somewhere on the label it has 4 Karat's worth of diamonds in it and if it say's 10.00 it's 10 Karat the best stuff is the stuff that's shipped from the Ukraine,I would not go higher then 10 Karat if you do the diamonds can clump together and act like one big diamond leaving big scratch's I know the straight razor guys won't use anything above 10 Karat.

If you look on ebay you can find a 9 pack of 40 gram containers of the 4 Karat stuff for 20 bucks on ebay plus 12 bucks shipping.

You can also try a peace of MDF to see you are using enough diamond paste because if you are the MDF will turn grey fast or at least it does for me with my Tsprof K02.
 
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Wade: I haven't bought the compound yet. Once I do Ill let you know. I found some Kent stuff that looks pretty good and is a good price.

Is karats the amount of compound or the size of the particles?

What is mdf?

Rhodies: right on, I'm gonna pick one up too.

Thanks guys,

Bo
 
I think the stuff on ebay is a better paste then the Kent stuff,the Karat's are how many Karat's of diamond or CBN is the paste,most standard paste's that are 40 gram container's have 4 Karat's in them then it goes up to 20 Karat's.

If you post your email in this thread I will email you link's to ebay on what I use they don't like linking on this site to outside site's that are not sponsor's just delete your email from the post after I say got your email if you don't want it listed on the site or you can email me at wadenorton2008@yahoo.ca

MDF stands for Medium density fibreboard if you go to any hardware store that sell's wood sell's MDF and you can just ask for MDF as well,it's made from wood fiber's that have been broken down and glued together with a resin or a wax and it almost look's like thin layer's of paper that have been stacked onto each other,it's great for stropping on lower grit's because you can use push pull strokes and you won't cut it no matter how sharp the edge unless you make an extreme angle change when the blade is still moving and even then I'm not sure if it would cut,MDF is also very smooth and seem's to stay that way when using it as a strop and I would leather or balsa for finer grit's but you could still try MDF for finer grit's and see how it works for you.
 
It's easy to accidentally shave thin bits of MDF off, if the edge catches it. I've done it. Basically the same risk for cutting it accidentally as with a leather strop, if one gets a little hasty or sloppy with technique. It also chips relatively easily at the edges of the piece (this plays into how easily a sharp knife edge can also cut it), so one needs to be somewhat careful in handling it, and avoid dropping it or bumping the edges against anything hard.
 
Wade: okay thanks, I'll email you.
When you say lower grits do you mean like 600 and lower or what?

Thanks guys,

Bo
 
I spread a small, I said SMALL amount with a popsickle stick. Re-apply when it no longer cuts.

Don't use your bare finger with very fine grits. The particles are small enough to get inside the pores of your skin.

On a new, or newly cleaned strop, I like to apply a light coat of Fromm's strop dressing with my finger and rub it in. Wipe off excess with soft cloth, let it cure for 24 hours, then load abrasive. Works for me.
 
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