Leather strop and sharpening stuff

[Duncan Potter]

I have read stuff around the interwebs about using a leather strop to finish off sharpening chisels. I believe "green rouge" was mentioned.

So I was talking about this with my barber and before I left the shop he gave me a strop!

So, can anyone supply (or point me too) some more info, methods, materials, etc?

Thanks

[Jim Knight]

I have never had a proper leather strop so this may not help over much. What I did was to take a flat, straight piece of scrap poplar (I'll get to why poplar in a minute) and smear it over with the buffing compound from Lowe's that comes packaged in a tube and looks like a giant black crayon wrapped in paper.

My logic with poplar was that it is porous enough to embed the buffing compound in the wood while still "slippery" enough to shed the excess. This ersatz strop has served me well and I have had more than a few chisels and pocketknives to take hair off my arm with it.

Hope that helps. The buffing compound comes in different grades the same as sandpaper and stones.

[Jim McFarland]

You can find some honing compound at Lee Valley. They also have some brief instructions. I'm lucky to get a good polish without dubbing an edge with an 8000 waterstone. I haven't advanced to using strops and honing compound!

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32984&cat=1,43072

[Dan Barr]

goget some flexcut yellow compound from woodcraft. about $6.95 for a bar. its yellow and lasts a LONG time. just rub a layer on the strop and start honing.

i use it on lots of tools. mostly the carving tools but everything else too.

cheers,

dan

[Michael Hammers]

I use the heavy horse butt strop and do not use any compound.
I would not want to put compund on it, I go from a hard translucent Arkansas stone and then a few strops on the ruff side then to the smooth side and I am good to go.

[Duncan Potter]

When using the strop do you push "into" the leather like you are sharpening or do you pull away like you were stropping a straight razor?

[Bob Noles]

When using the strop do you push "into" the leather like you are sharpening or do you pull away like you were stropping a straight razor?

Always pull.... NEVER push.

[Jamie Cowan]

I wish I could find my cable to post a picture of my disgusting strop. That would make a great contest--most disgusting strop.

[Albert Wagner]

I prefer yellowstone:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=7334

I use it on a leather strop (rough side) glued to MDF, as well as using a piece of MDF alone. I see no difference between the leather and the MDF in use. Also, as the post above points out, pull only, never push.

You can get the leather specially made for strops here:

http://www.woodcraft.com/search/search.aspx?query=leather

If you go with MDF, I've found that roughing it up with about 80 grit sandpaper, or even a rasp, helps it hold on the yellowstone.

[Peter Quadarella]

I've been using the green compound from Lee valley, on a piece of MDF, much like I use a waterstone. I'm not sure if there is much of an improvement doing this after my 8000 grit stone, but I'm still a beginner so it could be my technique.

I believe I did notice a difference when I didn't have my 8000 stone, and went to the compound after 4000 grit.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I use multiple strop compounds. I have in no particular order:

MDF with 1,3,6 micron diamond paste

MDF with green rouge

leather strop with Yellowstone

I have also used all on maple plywood like Garrett Hack does and often recommends but I ran out of maple cutoffs.