Stropping

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rc3mil

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I was thinking about getting a leather belt from say the thrift store and using it as my strop. I will not be using any compounds as of yet. If this is a bad idea please let me know. When you get a leather belt it usually comes with 2 different surfaces. One polished side and one rough side. Which side am i supposed to use? Do i need to keep the knifes angle the same the entire time and if i dont will i dull the edge again?

I find that once i am done sharpening a knife, the one side of the knife is sharp and feels sharp when i run my thumb over it. However, the other side feels dull, almost blunt. Why? Is this called a "burr"? If so, will the strop fix this problem?
 
you should fix the burr on your stone first (even sharpness both ways), then strop, with a compound. You can get polishing compounds for automotive uses, like paint and wheel care, or in the grinding/polishing section at hardware stores.

what stone are you finishing your edges on?
 
hardheart said:
you should fix the burr on your stone first (even sharpness both ways), then strop, with a compound. You can get polishing compounds for automotive uses, like paint and wheel care, or in the grinding/polishing section at hardware stores.

what stone are you finishing your edges on?
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At the moment i use a chefs rod but i should be getting my sypderco sharpmaker in the mail today.

When i try to sharpen the other side it just dulls the whole thing and then i continue to sharpen and only one side gets sharp. Is that "dull" part im talking about a burr? How would i fix it?
 
Buy some compound. Chromium oxide works well. Smear a very thin coating on. You can use both sides of the leather but for me the smooth side works the best. You want to go a very low angle (5 degrees or so). Place the blade flat on the strop and gently tilt it till you feel the edge touching. With just the weight of the blade(or light pressure)do edge trailing strokes and alternate as well. Hope this kinda gives a basic outline of the process.
 
the 'sharp' side would be the burr, folded over. What kind of chef rod is it? Is it ceramic, diamond, serrated steel? The cylindrical rod puts a lot of pressure where it contacts the edge. It's kind of harsh if you use any pressure at all, which is probably why the edge is folding over on you.
 
tnt-user said:
Buy some compound. Chromium oxide works well. Smear a very thin coating on. You can use both sides of the leather but for me the smooth side works the best. You want to go a very low angle (5 degrees or so). Place the blade flat on the strop and gently tilt it till you feel the edge touching. With just the weight of the blade(or light pressure)do edge trailing strokes and alternate as well. Hope this kinda gives a basic outline of the process.
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Ya that seems easy enough, thanks. Unfortunately i have no cash whatsoever until monday. I have $5 thats why i wanted to go get a belt and try. Would it still work without the compound?


hardheart said:
the 'sharp' side would be the burr, folded over. What kind of chef rod is it? Is it ceramic, diamond, serrated steel? The cylindrical rod puts a lot of pressure where it contacts the edge. It's kind of harsh if you use any pressure at all, which is probably why the edge is folding over on you.
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I have been using ALLOT of pressure on it. I find that if i dont, it doesnt do anything. I am a noob at sharpening though.

I dont know what kind it it but the name on the rod is "Russel Green River Work.

Will stropping remove the burr?
 
rc3mil said:
Ya that seems easy enough, thanks. Unfortunately i have no cash whatsoever until monday. I have $5 thats why i wanted to go get a belt and try. Would it still work without the compound? It will work but at a much slower and weaker pace.Also buy the fimest belt you can with just a little give.




I have been using ALLOT of pressure on it. I find that if i dont, it doesnt do anything. I am a noob at sharpening though. On a steel/strop using lots of pressure will cause the edge to roll. never use lots of pressure. If it wasn't doing anything before the knife. Probably wasn't sharp enough for the steel

I dont know what kind it it but the name on the rod is "Russel Green River Work.

Will stropping remove the burr?That's the point of stropping/steeling.
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Good luck:thumbup:.
 
You shouldn't strop if you can feel a burr with your fingers. The edge isn't ready for it yet.

Your sharpmaker will make things so much easier for you than the steel you've been using. Learn to use very light strokes on the ceramic stones, and off the whites especially you should be able to get a sharp, refined edge that has no burr detectable by your fingers. Your final few strokes on the ceramic sharpmaker rods should be the lightest pressure you can use while still touching the stone, lighter than the weight of the knife itself. You'll be lifting up on the knife in a sense as you run in down the stones, rather than pushing into them to create additional pressure.

Then you can strop. Stropping before that point will give you a mediocre edge.
 
could you pick it out?
http://www.dexter-russell.com/2008/Search_form_result.asp?type=cat&search=07

The compound will do you more good than the belt. You can apply the compound to a block of wood, a piece of cardboard, a piece of paper, etc. The leather is not absolutely necessary.

Stropping with a compound is like sharpening on a stone - it removes metal. But, stropping with a fine compound removes very little metal in comparison. If you have a heavy burr, stropping will take a long time.

Don't use pressure on a steel. The main purpose of a smooth steel made of steel is to realign the edge. Ceramic, serrated, and other types can sharpen by removing metal, but the contact area is so small, that the force you apply is magnified into an incredible amount of pressure against the relatively thin cutting edge.
 
hardheart said:
could you pick it out?
http://www.dexter-russell.com/2008/Search_form_result.asp?type=cat&search=07

The compound will do you more good than the belt. You can apply the compound to a block of wood, a piece of cardboard, a piece of paper, etc. The leather is not absolutely necessary.

Stropping with a compound is like sharpening on a stone - it removes metal. But, stropping with a fine compound removes very little metal in comparison. If you have a heavy burr, stropping will take a long time.

Don't use pressure on a steel. The main purpose of a smooth steel made of steel is to realign the edge. Ceramic, serrated, and other types can sharpen by removing metal, but the contact area is so small, that the force you apply is magnified into an incredible amount of pressure against the relatively thin cutting edge.
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Thanks for your info and thanks to everyone for taking the time to answer and help me on this.

I believe this is the one i have

http://www.dexter-russell.com/Item_details_1.asp?id=110&group_name=T.asp&line=T
 
rc3mil said:
Thanks man. Firm belt it is.

1 more question. Do all of you find that you get a burr once you are done sharpening your knives? Are they common?
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Too be honest I still can't feel burrs yet:yawn:. However from using I can tell when their about ready from both scratchs and polish.
 
the sharpmaker is a fine tool, but the rods are very fine. If you need to repair your edge (which you do) then something coarser will speed things up. Either a stone, or some coarse sandpaper. Actually, with the sandpaper, you can wrap it tightly around your sharpmaker stones and use that to speed up reprofiling.
 
hardheart said:
the sharpmaker is a fine tool, but the rods are very fine. If you need to repair your edge (which you do) then something coarser will speed things up. Either a stone, or some coarse sandpaper. Actually, with the sandpaper, you can wrap it tightly around your sharpmaker stones and use that to speed up reprofiling.
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I might have to do that if it fails to sharpen my blunt kitchen knives.

Why does it always show you as being offline?
 
Eh, I have my profile set to it. My laptop is always on, and my browser is always open, and a tab is always on BF, so I would always appear online, even when sleeping, eating, out of the house, etc.
 
For reprofiling if you can muster the money a dmt XC or XXC stone will reprofile very quickly if you can hold the angle.
 
tnt-user said:
For reprofiling if you can muster the money a dmt XC or XXC stone will reprofile very quickly if you can hold the angle.
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I agree that DMT makes a good diamond benchstone. About 2 years ago I got an extra coarse 3M diamond stone that I honestly like a bit better than DMT. It seems like the scratch pattern is a lot more uniform from the 3M diamond stone. I also got a set of 3M diamond files that are really good too.

But when it comes to using diamond benchstones do stay with the top brands. Because not all diamond stones are created equal by any means. I've heard from a guy who was a serious rock hound who used to do a lot of lapidary work that "monocrystalline diamonds" are truly the very best for abrasive or machining work. Most of the big names like DMT, 3M, Norton, F. Dick and a couple of others all use monocrystalline diamonds.

We need to do an extensive thread on reprofiling. I would like to hear what some of the in-house knifemakers would have to say about the subject. Good thread
 
hardheart said:
the sharpmaker is a fine tool, but the rods are very fine. If you need to repair your edge (which you do) then something coarser will speed things up. Either a stone, or some coarse sandpaper. Actually, with the sandpaper, you can wrap it tightly around your sharpmaker stones and use that to speed up reprofiling.
Click to expand...

What type (grit?) sandpaper would you recommend?
 
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