What to get next? (Strop related)

K

knifeandgun

Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Messages
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Hello!
I currently have a stropman hd compact with white and green paste that I love!
After sharpening on my edge pro up to 4K
The strop really brings out the shine and edge
But...as per usual..
I want more!!! Mawahhaha :)
My edges are very sharp and polished but wouldn't mind polishing up alittle more.
Stropman does have a red compound abit finer than the green,but I'd still have a side open for something even finer.
Im not sure what micron stropman green is tho..(he's is not the same as most greens)
anyways I'm not sure what my next move/combo should be
Stropman strop with 1 side red/one side diamond paste(? Micron)

Maybe stropman strop blank then 2 different diamond pastes?
Any insight would be appreciated
And yes I know I can make my own strop then buy the compounds ha
Also I have debated just buying a 6k shapton stone for the EP but I'm not sure if that's necessary

Thanks!
 
Make a strop or 3 and buy some diamond compound. All else fails in comparison. I have quite literally gave up on green and white compound for knives.
 
What to get next
Click to expand...

I was thinking along these lines today and I was thinking about starting a thread today when I got home.
I will bang the table a little here first and maybe start the thread another time.

First two things ;well maybe three:
I don't strop. I used to. And I used to use it at work to keep a very sharp edge on our box knife on the dock.
NOW I see stropping as an ORIGINAL EDGE sharpening thing only meaning . . . if I want to repair an edge to get it back to where it was after a day or two of use I wouldn't look to a strop to do that. The exception being a shaving razor.
Thirdly you are going to get better actual stropping advice from these other people so I don't have anything to add except to say that a really into it shaving razor strop guy told me, in all seriousness, that the very best strop is firstly bare, hard, finish side up, hoarse butt type leather and the very best of the bare leather is . . . better sit down . . . are you sitting ? . . . good . . . the very best bare leather strop is human skin. Yes they sell that.
So
anyway
moving on . . .

What I like and would recommend is the Spyderco Ultra fine ceramic triangle stone bellow.
Because it can help fix slight edge alignment problems like a sharpening steel and polish the edge apex back to hair whittling as well. I use it all the time. I used it at work today and I have another one on order just for my work sharpening kit.

As far as sharpening the original edge, I am all about just the stones only; 6,000 Shapton for the Edge Pro sounds like heaven to me . . . (I've been known to go up to 15,000 or so Shapton).

 
It all depends on what you want the strop to do for you.

I have knives that have not seen a stone for a loong time, maintained only on a Washboard strop. I use mine most often like a hybrid polishing grade waterstone. A single sheet of paper over the top and it produces essentially zero rounding. If you want a softer/brighter finish just use two or three sheets of paper and progressively finer compound.

For most uses, Flexcut Gold or the stock compound work great - I do keep some .5 micron CrO around for final finish on carbon steel woodworking tools.

I like diamond, but on a lot of plain stainless and carbon steel, I find AlumOx or SiC works better. My current compound has 8 carats of diamonds added to the standard silicon carbide, just enough to enable good results on high Vanadium carbide steel, but not enough to overpower more budget-minded steel.

Plate_zps5was1lp4.jpg
 
I strop on leather one loaded with .5 micron diamond paste and one loaded with .25 micron diamon paste but that's more for my kitchen knives than knives meant for heavier use. Any knife not meant for the kitchen I usually do a light strop with .5 micron paste.
 
Wowbagger said:
d the very best of the bare leather is . . . better sit down . . . are you sitting ? . . . good . . . the very best bare leather strop is human skin. Yes they sell that.
So
anyway
moving on . . .
Click to expand...


Let's not move on so quickly from that Hannibal!

Human skin strop?!! I did some googling and found a company in the UK, they sold human skin wallets (starting at $14k,) shoes ($27k) and am sure would make you a strop. Truly an odd and interesting bit of info.
 
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