Tried different approaches to stropping

I removed the work burrs in about 2 minutes on a 2x4" oak flooring board with SiC grit applied, perhaps 400 grit. The steel was s90v and I utilized a backhoning
method. Using light pressure. I first verified by feel. Then took it to a bright light while wearing a 8X Opti-visor head set. DM
 
You might also consider that SiC compounds will break down to finer grit in use, and pretty quickly. It's pretty friable (brittle), so whatever starting grit you use, it'll start working at a finer effective finish in a pretty short time. More so, the harder/firmer the backing substrate is. As such, it's something you'll need to refresh pretty often, to keep it working nearer to it's rated grit. If you've ever used SiC wet/dry sandpaper for sharpening, you're probably already aware of how fast it starts changing toward a finer finish, in use.

This contrasts with something like diamond (and I assume, CBN), which won't break down as fast, and will stay closer in finish to their rated grit, for a much longer time.

I'd alternatively suggest, if you're looking to maintain coarser tooth in your edges, focus on doing most of that on your stones, and minimize relying on stropping compounds to maintain that toothiness. Ideally, you'd be aiming to do almost all of your refinement on the stones, and use stropping as minimally as possible; and perhaps, with no compound at all. This is how I've been maintaining edges coming off diamond hones in particular; I choose the finishing hone based on the tooth I want in the finished edge, and then just strop on bare leather most of the time, following that. If you're looking to maintain that ~9-10 micron tooth, for example, finish on something like DMT's EF hone, or a stone rated similarly.


David
 
Yes and that WAS the manner I factored it in when I stated that grit. As when applied the grit was 280. Then working it became closer to 400. DM
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I'd alternatively suggest, if you're looking to maintain coarser tooth in your edges, focus on doing most of that on your stones, and minimize relying on stropping compounds to maintain that toothiness. Ideally, you'd be aiming to do almost all of your refinement on the stones, and use stropping as minimally as possible; and perhaps, with no compound at all. This is how I've been maintaining edges coming off diamond hones in particular; I choose the finishing hone based on the tooth I want in the finished edge, and then just strop on bare leather most of the time, following that. If you're looking to maintain that ~9-10 micron tooth, for example, finish on something like DMT's EF hone, or a stone rated similarly.
David
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Hmmmm, that's not a bad idea. Do you find the bare leather does any rounding of your edges?
 
maximus83 said:
Hmmmm, that's not a bad idea. Do you find the bare leather does any rounding of your edges?
Click to expand...

As I'm using it, no. I use a leather belt like a barber's strop, free-hanging. As such, the leather is less prone to compression under the blade's edge, as leather would otherwise do on top of a hard/firm backing. And aside from that, bare leather by itself isn't abrasively aggressive enough to be an issue in rounding off an apex anyway, unless you're stropping forever. Even on 'soft' steels like low-alloy stainless in mid-50s HRC (think: Case, Victorinox, typical kitchen knives), there's not an issue with edge-rounding on a free-hanging, bare-leather strop. It works only to strip away loosely-hanging burrs & their remnants (assuming the stonework has left them thin enough), leaving the rest of the edge unchanged.


David
 
I have used stropping for about 40 years, initially on wood carving knives with thin blades of carbon steel at Rc62-64. Later on wood working plane blades and chisels in carbon steel and A2.
My knives have always been refreshed when dull on a hard wood baking with very thin hard leather.
Kitchen knives from Japan with very high hardness to early Buck 440C, various ATS34 and all of the new Spyderco super steels in the sprint runs.

The medium depends upon steel, Aluminum Oxide, Chromium Oxide and Diamonds.
Most stropping materials that are lower in cost are also poor quality, one of the most popular 0.5 micron CrO sticks actually has many particles of 5-6 microns within the compound. The best CrO is in power form, rather costly but will last for many years.

Deburing works very fast with diamond on hard thin leather, it can be minimized with proper technique on the stones initially and then brought to excellent edge with stropping.

Restoring a worn edge on knives:
Run the edge lightly over your finger nail,,, then lightly strop and repeat,,,, very nice edge restoration with no "evil rounding". I have wood carving knives which have not seen a stone for many years.

Rounding of the edges results from too much pressure and soft medium.
If you are having problems with burrs, research the kitchen knives forums and read their techniques on stones.

Regards,
FK
 
OK thanks all, think I have enough to go on to take this to the next stage.

I'll try and compare these and see which works best to maintain a toothy edge:
  1. Plain no-compound stropping on hardwood, and on paper-wrapped Crystolon stone.
  2. 10 micron compound stropping on hardwood, and on the paper-wrapped stone.
    • Note: Found an affordable 10 micron diamond paste in a small quantity to try. Finding affordable CBN is, well, not easy.
 
115Italian said:
I noticed one missing, firm leather backed by wood with compound. Thats my preference for stropping. Usually in between sharpenings. Sometimes I will strop on a very fine ceramic stone at the sharpening angle too.
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Hey Italian, Brazilian speaking here. I also use the same way you do, leather on wood with green compound.
Today I saw a video with the guy using Wicked Edge (and the compound and strop tape that comes with it) and he sharpen a knife at 19 degrees the he low the angle to 17 degrees saying that the smooth surface of leather would lightly touch the apex. But I’m wondering he is touching the shouder before touch apex.
Generally speaking, do you use a steep, shallow or same angle as sharpening?
 
brasileiro said:
Hey Italian, Brazilian speaking here. I also use the same way you do, leather on wood with green compound.
Today I saw a video with the guy using Wicked Edge (and the compound and strop tape that comes with it) and he sharpen a knife at 19 degrees the he low the angle to 17 degrees saying that the smooth surface of leather would lightly touch the apex. But I’m wondering he is touching the shouder before touch apex.
Generally speaking, do you use a steep, shallow or same angle as sharpening?
Click to expand...
On leather I use a shallower angle at first. The blade does sink into the leather even if you cant see it. I do most of my stropping at a guesstimated 5 degrees less that my sharpening angle. Then on my last five strokes I go up to the sharpening angle but use extremely light to almost no pressure. If Im stropping on a ceramic stone on my lansky sharpen I use the sharpening angle.
 
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