UF Rods Vs Strop

wtlj

wtlj

Joined
Jun 30, 2014
Messages
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So I'm at the point of taking my sharpening to the next level. I have about 20 spyderco folders that value from $50-$250 so nothing really expensive yet. I currently have the sharpmaker and I'd like to make that work for another couple years. I've researched about sharpening and stropping until I'm blue in the face... Seems there's no right answer. So I'm faced with either buying a set of UF rods or making/buying a strop setup. Another concern is all of my blades are users, I don't need a blade so sharp to tree top hair strands but feel I can get better results. Having said that I've read that an extremely polished edge has trouble cutting skin and flesh (fish, fruit, vegetables). I'll # my questions for easier answering:

1.) Do I need a more refined edge than the fine rods can give me or do I just want more for no good reason? If the answer to this question is no, don't read any farther.
2.) Would I be better off buying the UF rods, a strop or both?
3.) If only a strop what compound would be a good progression after the fine rods?
4.) If using the UF rods along with a strop, what compound after the UF rods?
Thanks in advance for the help and I'll include a picture as I know how much you folks love em (5 more in route not pictured)!
 
First off good looking set of spydercos. Second I can help u with the sharpening issues. But I won't post all my secrets here.
 
Sharpening is a relatively personal type of thing and what I mean is others may have a different expectation of their sharpening than you do and that does not make one right over the other. I would think about what you would like to accomplish first and tailor your sharpening to meet it. For me coming of the fine rods I am able to shave arm hair and if I use the UF rods the blade has a little less tooth but more polish and is able to shave easier. The UF stones and for that matter the UF bench stone really gives a lot of feedback sharpening. The overall answer to if you need the UF stones or not is up to you. I have the UF rods as well as the UF bench stone and like them while I don't use them on every knife, I typically strop every knife I use either in the last step of sharpening or just to touch up an edge to bring it back to shaving sharp. I like the knives ship free double sided strop the best, and then the DLT double sided strop. While there are many different types of compounds in different finish levels I typically end with Bark River white compound. Again this is what works for me - please feel free to experiment and see what works for yourself.
1. You may want a more refined edge - if so it won't take you much time to get there after coming off the fine rods
2. Most people on this forum have many different sharpening systems in their arsenal - don't fight it, buy both the rods and the strop...
3. Bark river white compound
4. Bark river white compound
 
For user knives I usually stop at either the fine or ultra fine stone on the sharpmaker depending on what's already on the sharpmaker (both give me hair whittling edges), then I'll touch up on a strop.
I think stropping would be the best option. a piece of balsa wood is cheap at hobby lobby and mother mag and aluminum polish works pretty well as a compound and is available at walmart. Weiman metal polish also works and is also at walmart and less than mothers.
IMO a polished edge has no problem with skin and flesh. My kitchen knife has a micro bevel I maintain with .5 micron diamond paste and it has no problem with anything in the kitchen.
 
Thanks for all the help so far guys. I'm leaning towards just getting a strop and correct compound. I feel that my edges already serve there purpose as is but the unknown is what's getting to me! It seems every time I pull up a new thread a strop is mentioned, however sometimes ignorance is bliss!
 
I can't tell you what you need, but I'll tell you what I do. I have UF rods for my SM, but I've almost stopped using them. I prefer an edge coming from the F rods that gets stropped just a bit to refine it before use. I've found that gives me my best results for cutting plant stems, paper feed bags, industrial strapping material & zip ties, and computer cabling / wiring. My edges will shave me cleanly from the F rods, then they get a few strokes on a balsa wood strop loaded with .5 micron diamond spray, then to a bare leather strop for a couple of finishing strokes. Most of the time, all I need to do is strop my user. The SM is only used for serious edge work.

I don't use my knives for food prep so that's never a concern to me.

HTH and good luck with the sharpening "adventure".
 
Get both.

Compound is cheap & you can apply it to many different surfaces (balsa, leather, newsprint, etc). I use the green compound and have been happy with it.
I use my large flat stone more that the UF Rods, but I am still very happy I have them.
 
Can anyone recommend the best stropping compound...I've read they aren't all created equal.
 
Well...since I jumped in with stropping in post #6, I'll tell you that I use .5 micron diamond spray from HandAmerica on a balsa wood strop. That has become my favorite for the ways I use my strop. I started with the green and black compounds form Bark River. They were OK, but I didn't get the results I get from the diamond spray on balsa. I like the fact that the strops & spray that I have now will allow me to do some touchups, if I haven't really trashed the edge, without having to use the SM. Basically, I'm straightening and refining the edge again rather than removing a lot of steel. I should add here that I don't use my knives nearly as hard as some folks, so keep that in mind when I'm talking about how I sharpen. I do use my knives, and the edges do need maintenance, but I'm basically a slicer. I don't do a lot of chopping or working with edge-killers like cardboard.
 
I'd get a strop over the UF rods. I find myself stopping at the brown rods more and more and not even using the F rods, much less the UF ones. I'd certainly have the diamond rods over the UF rods for reprofiling and edge damage. These days I am in a "Get'r done" mode of sharpening.
 
I just went through the same fire drill. I had the SM with medium and fine rods, and could shave arm hair off the fine. Then I would strop. I did finally by the UF rods. I feel the edge coming off the UF rods is more refined than the edge coming off the F rod then strop. Right now I'm going down to the UF rod and leaving it at that. The edge definitely feels less toothy. The UF rod will shave arm hair much more smoothly. Is it necessary? Probably overkill for my needs, but I will continue using them. If you are like most of us, you wont be satisfied until you try them. Do you have a friend nearby whose you could try?
 
I own the uf rods and the large uf benchstone yet i seldom use them,too much hassle for little benefits... I nearly stopped to use the fine rods aswell, i can get away with a very good shaving edge with the medium rods then a bit of stropping or just some really coarse stropping (slurry from a 240 grit cheapo alox stone smeared on balsa) which still yields a shaving edge yet extremely coarse and grabby, this is my favorite one step lazy man maintenance which works great on vg10 and the likes.
I still sometime use some white compound when i get fancy but i have totally lost interest in mirrored and overpolished edges.
 
I visited my local Tandy Leather store yesterday and I'm going to make my own strop. I'm thinking about purchasing stropping compound from stropman?
 
I have been using some compound on newsprint stretched over a stone.
I feel that it prevents or at least limits the convexing that comes with stropping.
It's also disposable, so I am not running my blade through a grim loaded piece of leather.
 
Get the UF and a strop of course! :)

For a strop I would reccomend 0.75u CBN on roo to follow the 8k ish UF.
 
Sadden said:
Get the UF and a strop of course! :)

For a strop I would reccomend 0.75u CBN on roo to follow the 8k ish UF.
Click to expand...

Not getting that serious...just need a good utilitarian edge. I don't plan on splitting silk in thin air!
 
I can get my knives to hair whittling sharp just using the uf rods. I am in the process of making a strop and i bought some strop compounds just to see if i can get them sharper but if all you are looking to do is get them razor sharp then the uf rods work great.
 
Good to know, thanks for your knowledgable insight! I purchased all the materials to make a strop and will do so this week. I was actually online now looking for stropping compound. I think I'm going to order stropman black, white, & green. I'm making a 4 sided strop and will leave one side smooth side up without compound.
I have every intention to purchase UF & diamond rods when funds allow.
 
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