Strops and Chromium Oxide

[redsst]

For those of you that use a leather strop on your knives, I have two questions.

1. How many of you use the rough side of the strop and how many use the smooth side?

And...

2. How many use chromium oxide and how many strop dry?

 

[hardheart]

smooth with CrO

 

[HoB]

Smooth with CrO.

Verhoeven claims that just leather doesn't have really any abrasive action. My personal experience with my straight razor are different, but it definitely everything but fast cutting.

 

[jaislandboy]

smooth as a baby's bottom

 

[Peregrin]

smooth with CrO

 

[Justabuyer]

Smooth with dry powder abrasive from Hand American

 

[Ben Dover]

Smooth with .5 micron diamond paste. CrO works, but it's God awful slow! Diamond does a better job, and much faster, especially on high quality steels.

 

[siguy]

rough with gray tripoli and rough with red jeweler's rouge. i am looking into getting some CrO soon though...

 

[redsst]

So roughly how many microns is chromium oxide?

 

[HoB]

So roughly how many microns is chromium oxide?

0.5 microns. Advantage is that it is fairly easily gradable.

 

[buzzard767]

Thiers Issard paste on paper on glass

CrO on paper on glass

Hand American scrubbed horse leather pad - dry

Hand American leather horse pad full grain - dry

Buzz

I also have some 3M .3 micron Aluminum Oxide abrasive film that I have not yet tried. Soon though.

 

[willy m]

when i try to use smooth side i cant get it to stick.im using white buffing comp. from home depot. i have green chro. ordered. i tried to make a strop by oiling the leather,wiping it off then putting on the compound but it doesnt stick well at all and still remains oily.

 

[buzzard767]

I wouldn't oil the leather. See if you can remove it with Goop and go from there. Also, I used to use CrO in dry bar form but now use Hand American in liquid form. It's much easier to spread.

Buzz

 

[hardheart]

if you're going to use the oil, you should mix the compound into it first, that's what knivesplus does with their strop blocks, and what the HA stuff is in the bottle (I have both )

 

[ColtM1911A1]

I use smooth side with CrO...
I also use and have been experimenting with 15.0, 5.0, & 0.5 micron paper...
I find the 'so-called' super steels (S30V & ZDP-189) really step up a notch in performance when I pass them over some 0.5 micron paper...

QUESTION: From your experiences, is my impression/perception of noteworthy performance improvement of S30V and ZDP-189 after using 0.5 micron paper valid? Or am I just fooling myself?


DISCLAIMER: The preceding personal opinions are just that -- opinions. They were derived through study & reading, from conversations with other firearm enthusiasts, and by finalizing my own experiences regarding the subject at hand; the comments are not intended as a slight against any other opinion/opinions from forum members or administrators...

COLTM1911A1

 

[redsst]

What about DMT 0.3 Micron Diamond Paste? Anyone try it yet?

Also, forgive my ignorance, but how do you know the proper angle to strop at?

 

[darklight]

but how do you know the proper angle to strop at?

while moving in direction of the blade, slowlly rise the spine until it catches. carefull not to cut the leather. Then strop away from the blade.

 

[StretchNM]

I use chromium oxide on the smooth side.

 

[Patrickknives]

Spray with a little WD40 then apply your CRO or other stick. It will evaporate but help smooth out.

I use the smooth side with CRO, trying the white with is a little more coarse anyone know the micron size??

 

[Ben Dover]

To open the pores of the leather, I use direct sunlight in the summer until the leather is too warm to handle without gloves. In colder weather, I heat the oven to 140 degrees and put the leather in.

If the leather is good quality, CLEAN, and well heated to open the pores, it seems to be much easier to "load" with the abrasives.