Stropping with Lansky?

P

Pman

Joined
Nov 24, 2006
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I have always used the Lansky diamond sharpening system on my knives, starting at the top with the extra course down to the fine, and then I "polish" the edge with the sapphire hone. Seems to work well.

However, I have never stropped my knives. Been reading past threads and everyone seems to strop their knives free-hand to get that "hair-popping" result.

Has anyone ever attached leather or some other stropping material to a lansky hone to do their stropping? The sharpening angle on the blade could then be kept exactly the same. Is the stropping angle even supposed to be the same as your sharpening angle?

If nobody has tried this then I just might have to rig something up.....Unless this is just a overwhelmingly stupid idea!?
 
People have done it with their Edge Pros, but I'm not sure about Lanskys. If you're just going to put the leather on top of an existing hone, I'd suggest using as thin leather as possible, to minimize the change in angle (I think you want it slightly lower, which a thicker "hone" will do, so that won't be too much of a problem, I don't think). Other than that, yeah, right on.
 
Sweet! I am goin to try it then. Just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to make a nice dull blade in the end.

Thank you much.
 
Pman said:
However, I have never stropped my knives. Been reading past threads and everyone seems to strop their knives free-hand to get that "hair-popping" result.
Click to expand...

This is usually to compensate for poor sharpening technique. There is no need to strop if the edge is taken to the optimal polish on the stones. If this is done then stropping will actually degrade the edge because stropping surfaces will be far less regular than a similar fine coherent abrasive such as micron paper or a ultra fine benchstone.

-Cliff
 
OK, cool. That makes sense. I guess the sapphire stone is the last straw then, as long as the angles are kept consistent and the honing is done correctly. It kind of puts a mirror finish on the knife edge. Stropping would serve the same purpose then.
 
Pman said:
It kind of puts a mirror finish on the knife edge. Stropping would serve the same purpose then.
Click to expand...

Generally yes, it is usally done with fine abrasives. However those abrasives basically make a really inferior pseudo-stone. You are not going to take a piece of carboard or leather and make a hone which is more consistent than a similar grit piece of micro-paper or waterstone.

-Cliff
 
Makes sense Cliff. But it must be easier with a leather strop cuz so many people swear by them?
 
Leather strops will deform under the edge of the knife and thus have a greater angle tolerance, all you need to do is be close to the angle and the leather will match it for you. Angle control is one of the common problems people have, especially with burr minimization, usually due to lack of proper micro-beveling.

-Cliff
 
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