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Thread: Stropping Success, and a Double Success!

  1. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by steven c newman View Post
    I do strop the backs...being careful to keep the blade flat on the strop, maybe 2-5 swipes. Just pull across the strop, keeping the blade flat on the strop...do NOT raise it until you are off the strop..

    ( used this a lot, on those Aldi's chisels....)
    What do you do for the strop? Greased? Charged (with what?). Dry/uncharged?

  2. #17
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    I strop on MDF charged with green compound also. I haven't stropped the backs other than a couple of pulls to knock down any burr. I started using MDF simply because I had it (cheap is better than good, right?) Has anyone used both MDF and leather? (not at the same time, as 2 different methods) And if so, which do you prefer?

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    This interests me to some extent. My blades are usually only stropped 3 to 10 times per side. Thinking about it a bit it seems to be a matter of strop firmness, the firmness of the stroke and how the edge was when presented to the strop.
    It also (and obviously) depends on the quality of the edge pre-stropping. If you have a very clean edge to start with then you don't have to do very much.

  4. #19
    As I mentioned, I do have a leather strop. I wanted to try the MDF and it does the job and I am satisfied with the result. I liked the idea that it would reduce the chance of rounding over the edge and it works. Just another way to work, thats all.

  5. my strop for woodworking tools is a slab of hard maple, planed flat and charged with chrome oxide compound. most sharpenings I don't strop, but sometimes I do. I teach sharpening and provide the students with such a strop to take home. I feel that having a charged hard strop as an option will teach them some things about sharpening. there is definitely a point where the strop isn't improving the edge- surgical black arkansas stone is somewhere around that point.

  6. #21
    No stropping on chisels or plane blades - just a fine enough stone to clean off the burr and polish the edge. Knives and most carving tools (except for in cannel gouges) get stropped, as the geometry change is actually welcome.

  7. #22
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    I have numerous strops in various shapes with and without handles. Most have very good leather charged with green compound. My square strop is for plane blades and chisels. About 15 pulls on the front but the back I just put it flat, push down and pull 2 inches just to remove the burr. The small curve created by the leather will round the edge if you strop the back.
    Using MDF works but you need to vary the angle of the tool as there is no 'give' in the surface, I find leather simpler for chisels with a curve to the edge such as Barr Quarton's timber frame chisels.

    I use a long 2" wide strop for hunting and fishing knives which does a wonderful job. I only strop the paring knife in the kitchen to keep my wife safe!
    ​You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!

  8. #23
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    I became interested in strops for the same reason I got interested in hollow grinding and micro bevels. These methods may speed and or simplify the sharpening process.

    I have read that the notorius give in the surface of leather can actually reduce the necessity of maintaining the exact bevel angle while abrading the edge. This sort of sounded like the other side of the argument that leather strops can “dub” the edge. My thought was to lean the tool more toward the back edge of the edge bevel, smoothing the backside of the edge vs the front side. I bought a Buffalo hide strop as I understand there is less give in the surface of Buffalo hide. I believe Buffalo may also abrade a little faster than softer cow hide.

    I just bought a second Buffalo hide strop, this time “Rolled Buffalo”, which may be even denser. I am researching an appropriate buffing compound to use on the new strop. I have read that it may be posible to replicate 1,000-10,000 hard ceramic stones with this strop and compounds. My interest lies in a two strop maintenance system that may rival my medium and Ultra fine Spyderco stones. I am hoping light strokes on these two strops might not require the close attention to maintaining the correct bevel that the stones do.

    My thought is a couple strops might provide a more user friendly edge maintenance system for the wife, sisters, visitors, kids..... Errors on very hard stones can damage an edge. I am interested in hearing about the various: buffing compounds, diamond...particles that might work in this system. I know Patrick Chase has experience and preferences.....
    Last edited by Mike Holbrook; 05-06-2018 at 9:04 AM.

  9. #24
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    My thought is a couple strops might provide a more user friendly edge maintenance system for the wife, sisters, visitors, kids..... Errors on very hard stones can damage an edge. I am interested in hearing about the various: buffing compounds, diamond...particles that might work in this system.
    Even more interesting would be how you trained your wife, sisters, visitors and kids to the point of trusting them to sharpen things.

    Especially visitors, they usually bring things for me to sharpen.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  10. #25
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    Good, informative thread...Thanks for posting!!!!
    Jerry

  11. #26
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    Jim,
    I understand your point. Don’t you get tired of having to sharpen knives and tools for the whole family and their friends though? I know I do.

    If we wean them, we may find we have time to actually do woodworking projects.
    Last edited by Mike Holbrook; 05-06-2018 at 12:56 PM.

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Holbrook View Post
    Jim,
    I understand your point. Don’t you get tired of having to sharpen knives and tools for the whole family and their friends though? I know I do.

    If we wean them, we may find we have time to actually do woodworking projects.
    Fortunately only one daughter lives close by. The rest only bring their knives when they come up for a visit.

    A long time ago someone educated me on not allowing others to sharpen my knives or tools. He was bragging on his sharpening skill which turned out to be abysmal. Mine were not great at the time, but still better than what he did to my pocket knife.

    Besides, when a friend comes by with a knife or two to sharpen it is a good excuse for the two of us to mosey out to the shop and have a beer and conversation.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  13. #28
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    BTW, One of my grandsons is learning a bit about sharpening when he is here.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  14. #29
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    Jim,
    I gave the wife, son and daughter knives for Christmas. I know what was I thinking! Well I was actually thinking about keeping them away from the knives I bought me for Christmas. Then there are the two sisters, 3 nephews, 2 semi adopted sons...

  15. There are a thousand ways to strop an edge and a thousand different mediums to construct a strop. I think it is important to TEST the edge before reusing (whether stropping or not). A simple way is to cut through notebook paper and observe that cut (pushing not slicing). Then you know whether you have achieved the edge you want!

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