Stropping.

[Jason B.]

Ok, I got my diamond paste, and made my strop. The strop itself is about 2"x12". The paste comes in that little syringe. How do I apply it to the strop, and how much of an area covered do I need?

Follow the steps posted a page back in this thread about WD-40 and if you have the amplex, 4-6 small dots of compound should cover the whole strop. dot= about the size of a smilie icon. Use your fingers to rub it in and the more you rub it in the better, let dry for a few minutes then start stropping.

 

[adrock1978]

Oh yeah, I think I recall reading that. Sorry. Thanks though!

 

[Caffeinepirate]

Question for anyone: Hey is there any household item that I can use instead of polishing compound on a leather strop?

I know it won't work as well as the real thing, but I don't feel like buying the real thing just yet.

 

[Old CW4]

The basic composition and hardness of a given steel is going to determine how fine you can make the edge. I guess the ultimate 'sharpness' would be an apex that measures zero in tenths of thousands of an inch. Can't be done with anything available today and the cheaper and/or softer the steel, the less the super sharp edge possible. Sure, you can bring 'cheap' steel to a really sharp edge but only until the first time you use it. Then it bends, blunts, or dulls and you're back where you started. This continual sharpening diatribe about angles, stones, stropping, etc. gets, IMO, a bit boring when you consider we're working with myriad types of steel and sharpening methods. So whet, strop, and polish until it will cut what you want to cut and stop. The ultimate sharp edge is not possible with any knife material we have available today......!

 

[adrock1978]

The basic composition and hardness of a given steel is going to determine how fine you can make the edge. I guess the ultimate 'sharpness' would be an apex that measures zero in tenths of thousands of an inch. Can't be done with anything available today and the cheaper and/or softer the steel, the less the super sharp edge possible. Sure, you can bring 'cheap' steel to a really sharp edge but only until the first time you use it. Then it bends, blunts, or dulls and you're back where you started. This continual sharpening diatribe about angles, stones, stropping, etc. gets, IMO, a bit boring when you consider we're working with myriad types of steel and sharpening methods. So whet, strop, and polish until it will cut what you want to cut and stop. The ultimate sharp edge is not possible with any knife material we have available today......!

I dont quite understand where you're coming from. Are you answering a question? It still stands to reason, regardless of the steel type, that there is a sharpening method suited to every type of steel/knife. And even though it may dull the first time you use it, its still going to be more effective, sharpened, than not.

Even though there are probably hundreds of methods for sharpening, there are only half a dozen that most agree are the most effective across the board. Thats what we're (or at least I'm) trying to establish. Sharpening a knife in general doesn't really wield much excitement.

 

[hardheart]

Old CW4, edges of 1/3 of a micron in radius are possible with basic stropping equipment (chromium oxide on leather) on low alloyed steel. Properly heat treated steel will have a fine grain structure, and good carbide distribution. I do not think there is a sharpening question diamond will not answer, and we have had that available to us in commercial products for decades.

 

[adrock1978]

Dont know if this was asked already in the thread. How do I clean my strop after its blackened. I used a thin coat of WD40, and then applied my diamond paste. Is there some way to clean it?

 

[Jason B.]

Dont know if this was asked already in the thread. How do I clean my strop after its blackened. I used a thin coat of WD40, and then applied my diamond paste. Is there some way to clean it?

I know of nothing that will take the diamonds off without damaging the leather. WD-40 will work to remove some of the metal on the surface of the strop then you can recoat with more diamond compound. If it gets real bad 320 grit on a palm sander does a good job of resurfacing the leather.

This is a pic of my 3 micron strop after many uses, still going strong and ready to sharpen many more knives. Usually when the blade starts sticking to the leather or the surface turns a gray metal color is when you need to clean it.

 

[adrock1978]

I know of nothing that will take the diamonds off without damaging the leather. WD-40 will work to remove some of the metal on the surface of the strop then you can recoat with more diamond compound. If it gets real bad 320 grit on a palm sander does a good job of resurfacing the leather.

Thanks again man. I have quite the effective strop following all your suggestions in this thread. So If I wipe down the strop again with WD40 after build up, it should help?