Went sharpmaker to strop absent-mindedly without cleaning. Wet towel with rubbing alcohol and wiped down. All good? Need to re-apply?

[Hashishiin]

Basically the question. I wiped off a lot of steel, I know most is from stropping, I know I did probably not do too much contamination after just using the sharpmaker, but still, this is not the best idea. I scrubbed it with rubbing alcohol, a lot of black came off, and some of the diamond, too. But, I can still see a layer of diamond there, even if it is softer than before (and I only used a lil dab). What do you think I should do, continue to strop like this? Add more diamond?

Thanks sconers.

 

[Triple_D]

I clean a strop by scraping it with a single edge razor blade. Hold the blade close to vertical, and scrape the old compound off the leather, from one end to the other. Seems to work.

 

[Hashishiin]

I clean a strop by scraping it with a single edge razor blade. Hold the blade close to vertical, and scrape the old compound off the leather, from one end to the other. Seems to work.

Should I bother cleaning the whole rest of the diamond off and apply a new layer, or, since it is relatively new (five strops, one or two contaminated w/ sharpmaker) and cleaned with the alcohol, keep stropping with what's there, do you think?

 

[scdub]

A strop is never exactly the same twice. Every use will change it a tiny bit. Just use it, and clean/reapply when the surface diamonds seem to have smoothed out/off. There’s no “correct” time to do this, just personal preference.

Also fyi, it’s probably overboard but these days I add a little drop of mineral oil to my strop to keep the diamonds from aerosolizing and getting breathed in while I’m stropping… I’ve breathed in enough coal dust from blacksmithing - could probably do without the diamond dust…

 

[Triple_D]

To be honest, I don't know. I've never used the diamond stuff, only a green compound. It's cheap, so I scrape the strop as clean as I can get it, and then apply more fresh green compound.

 

[Hashishiin]

A strop is never exactly the same twice. Every use will change it a tiny bit. Just use it, and clean/reapply when the surface diamonds seem to have smoothed out/off. There’s no “correct” time to do this, just personal preference.

Also fyi, it’s probably overboard but these days I add a little drop of mineral oil to my strop to keep the diamonds from aerosolizing and getting breathed in while I’m stropping… I’ve breathed in enough coal dust from blacksmithing - could probably do without the diamond dust…

No, that was something I was exactly worried about, I have a huge jug of mineral oil... so thanks, yeah, I'll do exactly this. You apply that before you strop or what?

 

[scdub]

No, that was something I was exactly worried about, I have a huge jug of mineral oil... so thanks, yeah, I'll do exactly this. You apply that before you strop or what?

Yeah just a tiny amount and not necessarily before every time I strop, just when it seems dry.