What is the best common household material for stropping knives?

Meph, when you say your approach works "better" than using one compound, do you mean better in the sense that the resulting edge CUTS better for some certain kind of usage? Or do you mean that the edge LOOKS better, as in more finished, more polished, etc?
 
The silicates in toothpaste essentially do the same as bare leather would (leather contains silicates, which is why it works as a polisher). Baking soda is much, much softer than even the silicates in the leather, so in that instance, the leather itself is likely accomplishing most or all of the polishing & sharpening that takes place. Baking soda, by itself, wouldn't be hard enough to abrade (polish) a hardened steel knife blade.

The one thing baking soda might do, is to scrub dirt, film, grime or other stuff from the surface of a steel blade, which could make the steel appear cleaner, shinier or brighter. It's sometimes used to scrub rust off of blades, and will help neutralize acids which might further corrode the steel. One of the main reasons baking soda is used as a scrubbing medium is because it's not hard enough to damage most materials being cleaned (which is partly why it's often used for brushing teeth).
 
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maximus83 said:
Heavy, that's an interesting tip. I've been wondering about that: the case where you just want a good performing edge, and don't necessarily need the beautifully POLISHED edge. I'm wondering what is the LEAST possible number of steps one could use to put a good durable and scary sharp edge on, provided that you don't care whether it's super polished. Sounds like you've got a system for doing that.
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There was a couple years when I needed a seriously coarse edge for work. Essentially I started out with a shaving edge and worked my way back down through the grits till I had an edge that would last for several weeks and still do what I needed it to do. I eventually stopped at an 80 grit edge. From a practical standpoint something in the 400-800 grit range is probably a better choice, and still be done on a single stone. At work a while back I had a large project that involved cutting a bunch of Dow "Supertuff" 1inch insulated boards. I used some 30 micron (approx 600 grit) lapping film intended for fiber optic finishing - glued it to a cardboard shipping tube. Sharpened an old Dexter Russel produce knife on the film and stropped on the tube. This edge would shave arm hair no problem (the Dexter is a real flat grind with about a 22 degree inclusive bevel). A couple of full 8' cuts through this stuff would heat up the blade up almost to where you couldn't keep your hand on it. The edge held up for about ten minutes of this and I'd have to sharpen it again. For an improvised, single step set-up it probably doesn't get a lot better than that. A big part of it working so well was undoubtedly the edge geometry.
 
maximus83 said:
I'm wondering what is the LEAST possible number of steps one could use to put a good durable and scary sharp edge on, provided that you don't care whether it's super polished.
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HH's suggestion of something around 400-800 grit seems like a good one, for an all-around working edge. I've been experimenting lately, with using some 800 grit wet/dry paper to put quick working edges on some of my knives. Being that they already had good bevels & edges on them (~2000+ grit), all it took was a few 'stropping passes' on the sandpaper, over the top of my strop block. The 800 grit is right in line with the factory satin finish, I'm finding, and so the new edge blends well with the blade overall. And the 800 grit puts just a little more 'bite' in the edge too. After the sandpaper, I stropped on the inside (rough) face of my leather belt. This seems to be a quick & easy way to put a good working edge on a blade.

Every time I go back to the sandpaper sharpening, I'm reminded (again) at how amazingly simple it is, considering it's sheer simplicity of materials and technique. I think it will continue to be my favorite method of all.
 
Chris "Anagarika";10562272 said:
David, you just tempted me to go & buy 800 grit sandpaper :D. Or ... maybe I just use the 1000 grit I alreade have :confused:
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I visited a Woodcraft store a while back, and picked up a full range of Norton wet/dry, from 220 up through 2000. I think 5 sheets of each. I'm glad I did that, as I'm just now at a point where that stockpile of paper is calling to me, and it's very handy for a spur-of-the-moment 'experiment' when the inspiration comes.

As for which grit, it's all good. For a while now, I've been singing the praises of edges finished to ~2000+ grit or so. I still like how they turned out, but now I'm sort of working my way back down the grit scale, to see how that goes. The more 'practice' I give this hobby, the more I find out it's more about finishing with quality effort and technique, as opposed to finishing with a particular grit. Whatever the grit, make sure to apex the edge fully, and do a good job cleaning up the burrs & wires. That's 99% of it. I'm beginning to see good, steady results from each variation I'm trying, so I guess that means my technique has improved now. That's when it really starts getting fun. :)
 
Do you have more problem with scratching the body of your blade, when using sandpaper not stones?
 
maximus83 said:
Do you have more problem with scratching the body of your blade, when using sandpaper not stones?
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I used to worry about that a bit. With some highly polished blades, a little more so. But, I'm getting over that, and at the same time, I'm getting a little better at minimizing excess scratches. I'm finding sometimes, a somewhat scruffy-looking blade is very attractive in it's own way, if it has a wicked-sharp edge on it. There's a certain attractive character in a blade that looks both like it's well-used, and well-maintained at the same time. Sort of like a wise, old crocodile, with a brand new set of 'teeth'. :D

Having said that, there are ways to blend the edge's finish to the blade as a whole. As Chris mentioned, higher-grits do a pretty good job with polish. Especially at 2000+, which will often match or even exceed the polish on a lot of blades. And if a blade is satin-finished, something in the 400 - 800 range can usually get very close. That's what I immediately noticed with the 800 grit, as noted earlier. On one knife in particular, it matched the blade's factory satin finish almost perfectly. And the convex created in the process, made the 'blend' all-the-more attractive.
 
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Chris "Anagarika";10566578 said:
David,

Any pics for the said blade that 800 matches & blends perfectly?
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Not at the moment, but I'll see what I can do tomorrow, when I have some good daylight. I'm considering doing the same with a couple other knives, too (taking them to 800 grit). I've got them laid out here in front of me, trying to make up my mind. The edges on them are ones I've already taken up to 2000+ (convexed), and they pop hair nicely. Not sure which of them I'll do, if any. But if I do, I might have some pics at both grit's finish, for comparison's sake.
 
I would recommend a leather belt with green stropping compound. You can pick up the compound for cheap on the web and just use and old leather belt and you have a good strop.I use a Norton india stone medium\fine with my strop and it keeps my blades razor sharp with little effort.
 
Chris "Anagarika";10567568 said:
David, thanks and will wait ;)
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Not making any new progress on the other knives yet, but here's a pic of the one I was referring to earlier.

The knife is an A.G. Russell 'Rancher' model in 8Cr13MoV. The area near the tip gives the best look at the finish left by the 800 grit wet/dry.
 
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Picked up some balsa wood and tried stropping on, just used it dry initially. It works awesome, I like the texture and control it gives much better than cardboard and I'd have to say, even better than leather.
 
David,

It really look nice, some kind of homely one of a kind 'only mine' feeling! Definitely not factory bevel :D ... Distinct yet blended!:thumbup:
 
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Chris "Anagarika";10570719 said:
David,

It really look nice, some kind of homely one of a kind 'only mine' feeling! Definitely not factory bevel :D ... Distinct yet blended!:thumbup:
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Yeah, when I was examining some pics I took of the edge today, I could still see some of the previous V-bevel I'd done on it earlier. Cosmetically, it's not quite as 'pretty' as I'd like it to be, but the edge from the 800-grit paper is impressive. As with many of my knives, I'll keep picking it up occasionally and 'tweaking' the cosmetics a bit (did a little more after I posted the pic today).

As was intended with my original comments on using the 800, I'm finding it to be a good way to put a quick working edge on a blade, followed only by stropping on the rough side of my leather belt. Seems to be a great combination. After posting the pic of this edge, I did a similar 800-grit touch-up on a Buck 111 of mine, with a previously VERY acute edge grind on it, also finished up through 2000+. Between the thin original Buck grind on the blade, with my thin(ner) edge re-profile, and todays additional 800-grit, gently convexed touch-up, this knife has taken on a new level of wickedness in slicing. :)

BTW, true-to-form for the 420HC blade on the Buck, I did notice a significant wire edge form on it, after the 800-grit touch-up. My confidence in my leather belt's rough side was assured, after finding it did an excellent job removing that wire edge.:thumbup: I'm gonna have to try this combo on a Case Tru-Sharp blade (420HC and slightly lower RC), and see if it handles the tenaciously-stubborn wires on that, too.
 
newsprint tightly taped and wrapped around a peices of 4inch X 24 inch X 1/8-1/4 popular wood (I buy mines from homedepot or lowes which cost about 1-2 bucks).
 
yes and no, leather belt and green stropping compound is a good combo but you gotta make sure the green stropping compound is only CrO2 and does not have larger additives or you wont get that uniform 0.5 micron your going for (some can go as high as 5-10 microns which not so good for getting that razor edge you want).

Rumbrave said:
I would recommend a leather belt with green stropping compound. You can pick up the compound for cheap on the web and just use and old leather belt and you have a good strop.I use a Norton india stone medium\fine with my strop and it keeps my blades razor sharp with little effort.
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David,

Thanks for sharing the tips on softer steels. My EDC's are 8Cr13MoV and Navy's 440C (which I tend to believe same as 8Cr or at best 9Cr). Will see what I can do with your method ;)
 
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