UPDATED! Need some more help with stroping

Squashfan said:
Alright! I got to Lowe's today and discovered that they carry 5 different grits of compound. It is $3 a pop and made in China. The compound come in the form of a giant, dry crayon which I rubbed liberally on some newspaper. I wrapped the newspaper around my benchstone (which still needs lapping) and went to work. Heavyhanded, I forgot to wipe the stone. However, I was still extremely pleased by the results of just using the black compound.

An other big thank you to all who participated on this thread. You have greatly helped this humble forumite.

EDIT: Before I forget, I picked up a leather hone for my Lansky today. I think the next step is to load the leather with the black compound. That is going to be the real fun!
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If the compound starts to clump up when applying, won't go on evenly, or the binder acts too much like an adhesive, add a drop or two of regular mineral oil and work it right in on top of the paper. If you have to do this, switch to regular (thin, 20# bond or 50# text weight) copy paper. Mixing mineral oil on newspaper causes the ink to lift off the surface and it will smother your abrasive.
 
How did you know I was dealing with uneven adhesion? Once again, you have helped my sharpening. Also, what do I do if the compound doesn't go onto the leather evenly?
 
Squashfan said:
How did you know I was dealing with uneven adhesion? Once again, you have helped my sharpening. Also, what do I do if the compound doesn't go onto the leather evenly?
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My first response is "don't use leather" for compound stropping. Second response is to use a drop of mineral oil rubbed into the compound - this will soften it up and let you spread it easier. You can also rub the block down on a sheet of paper or cardboard to make an unglazed flat spot - rub this across the leather, one direction only as you go (no back and forth rubbing), trying not to overlap strokes.

You can also use the paper over stone with finer compounds - very important to wipe it off with you hand first. Any grit caught between the stone and the bevel, even under light pressure, could damage your edge.

HH
 
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