Stropping with notebook paper?

L

lilBIGfoot

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Oct 23, 2011
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At work a few things I always have in my company truck. Spyderco medium, fine and ultra fine rods from my sharp maker, and notebooks galore. When I touch up my knives on the go, I finish by stropping on bare card board (back of notebook) and bare notebook paper. Am I crazy to 'notice' a sharper edge after notebook paper?

My most common touched up edges are my izula and opinel. Sometimes my PM2. But all do seem slightly keener after bare notebook paper. Anyone else do this or any other improvised stropping on the go?
 
I have a note book at work with marked pages of green, white, and black compound. Recently I added a page with 7mic diamond paste. They are towards the back of the note book so it is a firm surface. They all have metal residue and they bring my paring knives back after use. Between those and a two sided balsa strop I am seemingly stroking knives quite often. Russ
 
I use it all the time. For stropping a coarse edge I'll use a couple of sheets and a bit less pressure - on a finer edge I'll use a single sheet and more pressure. The lined writing paper seems to work a little better than copy paper or newspaper. Have confirmed bona fide polishing action under the microscope. With enough pressure it can actually burnish the edge a bit and really make it pop. Doesn't work so well if the edge starts to become worn, or if done more than two or three times - at that point I'll use some compound. Unless the steel has a really large grain or largish carbides (440c, D2) I always finish on plain paper, does seem to work best on finer grained stainless or carbon steel.
 
There's lots to be be discovered in trying different weights & textures of paper as well. Especially if used with compound, there are big differences in how each paper will hold the compound, how deeply it'll embed, and so forth. Used with one particular compound, edge-finishing and polishing results can vary widely.


David
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
There's lots to be be discovered in trying different weights & textures of paper as well. Especially if used with compound, there are big differences in how each paper will hold the compound, how deeply it'll embed, and so forth. Used with one particular compound, edge-finishing and polishing results can vary widely.


David
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Have noticed a big difference between all manner of papers. The writing papers seem to work the best, especially linen papers. I suspect they have more abrasive in them to catch the graphite and ball tips on modern pens and pencils, but that's just a hunch.
 
HeavyHanded said:
Have noticed a big difference between all manner of papers. The writing papers seem to work the best, especially linen papers. I suspect they have more abrasive in them to catch the graphite and ball tips on modern pens and pencils, but that's just a hunch.
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Could be, but a big factor is the actual texture of the sheet IMHO. I own a printing company and have had to learn a lot more about paper than I really wanted to. Rag bonds, laids and linens should offer more surface "irregularity" than copier paper which is formulated and finished to be quite smooth. Have a look under your scope and you may indeed see the difference.
 
Officer's Match said:
Could be, but a big factor is the actual texture of the sheet IMHO. I own a printing company and have had to learn a lot more about paper than I really wanted to. Rag bonds, laids and linens should offer more surface "irregularity" than copier paper which is formulated and finished to be quite smooth. Have a look under your scope and you may indeed see the difference.
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I believe it goes beyond that. Plain lined writing paper (also calendared similar to copy paper) seems more punchy than copy paper. A lot of the cheaper paper has plenty of irregularities and doesn't seem to work as well, so maybe recycled content even plays a role via fiber type and length? Binders and other added fillers or lack thereof all come into play I suspect, but have (maybe my imagination) noticed that anything that claims to be a writing paper just seems to work a little better even when heavily calendared. Also keeping in mind these differences, while noticeable, are relatively slight overall. I don't go out of my way to use a specific type as long as it isn't too thick - (50-70 lb text weight). Am perfectly happy using copy paper, but am also using it over a textured base - maybe giving weight to your opinion...

Have been in printing for about 17 years now. A lot of the commercial stuff is difficult to get specifics about without visiting the mill - many resellers don't even know where their paper's coming from if they're selling mill rolls. Just lodge a claim with them and see how long it takes to get details about your stock.
 
Good point. Hey, I have a great idea, I think you should have a branch location in Lancaster Ohio. I just so happen to know of a shop you can acquire. ;)
 
Notebook paper works well. As you go to finer grits or compounds (or even without compounds), the quality of the paper should reflect it. For particularly smooth surfaces on paper I like to use Rhodia or Clairfontaine paper. Another interesting paper is made from sugar cane pulp (bagasse). It's thin, smooth and more affordable than Rhodia. There are also some brands of Japanese paper that work well too. I find that if it works well for an XXXF or finer fountain pen nib, well that seems to work for me. Of course nanocloth exceeds even the finest papers and is my preferred media if using compounds, but alone it has no detectable abrasive properties.

---
Ken
 
Officer's Match said:
Good point. Hey, I have a great idea, I think you should have a branch location in Lancaster Ohio. I just so happen to know of a shop you can acquire. ;)
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The shop just blew a bunch of $ on new equipment, so probably not in a good position to open a satellite location :). We are always looking for new salespeople though, especially out of area...
 
Paper owes its stropping powers to its kaolin content. To skip the more esoteric chemistry, this is the main ingredient in china and some types of ceramics. It is also a major filler in the manufacture of paper. Glossy-finished papers and writing papers are, in addition, coated with a fine layer of clay and binder. Kaolin is highly abrasive, but not hard enough, if I remember correctly, to do much with HSS. On softer metals, its abrasive effect is pronounced. Particle size of the kaolin used in paper coatings is below .2 microns. Writing paper and other coated papers are, essentially, pre-loaded strops.
I spent 20 years working in the kaolin mining/refining industry. It was a great place to practice my hand sharpening; you couldn't keep an edge on a work knife. Imagine working in a blizzard, only the snow isn't frozen water; it's micron-sized particles of air-borne kaolin. Take a piece of chalk and grind it to dust-same thing. Permeated and/or coated everything (including your lungs-white lung is as deadly as black lung). Everything you have to cut comes with its own supply of abrasive: rope(miles of it, for every conceivable use), quarter-inch cardboard pallets(layered and glued), chemical bags, etc, etc. I'm rambling. I got tired of fighting contrary plumbing and took a typing break. Anyway, if you can piece together some part of this to make sense, it should explain why paper-stropping works on many steels above and beyond tidying up of stray bits of edge left dangling by sharpening. It should also explain why paper products (especially King Kardboard) will dull your blade faster than it seems logical. I'll bet Martin knows all about this.
Okay. Coffee's gone. Where'd I leave that *#!!# wrench?
 
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StevieWunders said:
Paper owes its stropping powers to its kaolin content. To skip the more esoteric chemistry, this is the main ingredient in china and some types of ceramics. It is also a major filler in the manufacture of paper. Glossy-finished papers and writing papers are, in addition, coated with a fine layer of clay and binder. Kaolin is highly abrasive, but not hard enough, if I remember correctly, to do much with HSS. On softer metals, its abrasive effect is pronounced. Particle size of the kaolin used in paper coatings is below .2 microns. Writing paper and other coated papers are, essentially, pre-loaded strops.
I spent 20 years working in the kaolin mining/refining industry. It was a great place to practice my hand sharpening; you couldn't keep an edge on a work knife. Imagine working in a blizzard, only the snow isn't frozen water; it's micron-sized particles of air-borne kaolin. Take a piece of chalk and grind it to dust-same thing. Permeated and/or coated everything (including your lungs-white lung is as deadly as black lung). Everything you have to cut comes with its own supply of abrasive: rope(miles of it, for every conceivable use), quarter-inch cardboard pallets(layered and glued), chemical bags, etc, etc. I'm rambling. I got tired of fighting contrary plumbing and took a typing break. Anyway, if you can piece together some part of this to make sense, it should explain why paper-stropping works on many steels above and beyond tidying up of stray bits of edge left dangling by sharpening. It should also explain why paper products (especially King Kardboard) will dull your blade faster than it seems logical. I'll bet Martin knows all about this.
Okay. Coffee's gone. Where'd I leave that *#!!# wrench?
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:thumbup: +1

Most people don't realize that many papers today are 'glazed' with a ceramic coating. That's what makes magazine paper so shiny, and what makes it work so well for stropping. And the best thing is... you don't have to 'case' a copy of Hustler to use its cover! "Honest, Mom, I only buy Hustler so I can strop more often." "Oh really? Is that what they call it these days?"

Oddly enough, 'The Watchtower' doesn't work as well for this...



Stitchawl
 
Bwhahahaha! Russ
stitchawl said:
:thumbup: +1

Most people don't realize that many papers today are 'glazed' with a ceramic coating. That's what makes magazine paper so shiny, and what makes it work so well for stropping. And the best thing is... you don't have to 'case' a copy of Hustler to use its cover! "Honest, Mom, I only buy Hustler so I can strop more often." "Oh really? Is that what they call it these days?"

Oddly enough, 'The Watchtower' doesn't work as well for this...



Stitchawl
Click to expand...
 
stitchawl said:
:thumbup: +1

Most people don't realize that many papers today are 'glazed' with a ceramic coating. That's what makes magazine paper so shiny, and what makes it work so well for stropping. And the best thing is... you don't have to 'case' a copy of Hustler to use its cover! "Honest, Mom, I only buy Hustler so I can strop more often." "Oh really? Is that what they call it these days?"

Oddly enough, 'The Watchtower' doesn't work as well for this...



Stitchawl
Click to expand...

I thought I was the only one to use it for this method! Lol! ;)
 
stitchawl said:
:thumbup: +1

Most people don't realize that many papers today are 'glazed' with a ceramic coating. That's what makes magazine paper so shiny, and what makes it work so well for stropping. And the best thing is... you don't have to 'case' a copy of Hustler to use its cover! "Honest, Mom, I only buy Hustler so I can strop more often." "Oh really? Is that what they call it these days?"

Oddly enough, 'The Watchtower' doesn't work as well for this...



Stitchawl
Click to expand...

There ain't no justice nowhere! I carefully condense and reveal priceless technical information and you get all the attention with a joke. Funny as hell, though. Matter of fact, I've stropped since I was quite young, myself. Didn't go blind, but I do have to wear bifocals...
 
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