Do You Strop Chisels/Plane Irons?

[joel cervera]

Yes. I strop. 1000 then 4000 water stone to hone then strop on leather over mdf charged with green compound. By all measures it makes my edges sharper. and its cheap to boot. I could go buy an 8k then 12k stone for $200 or more.. Or spent $20 on brick of compound the will last damn near forever and a piece of scrap leather and mdf. I may get a finer stone one day but i don't find it necessary and appreciate budgeting funds toward other shop needs for now. And the bottom line is my tool edges are plenty sharp as is.

[Stanley Powers]

Jim brings up a good point. You need to develop a quick test to see how sharp the tool is- whether shaving hairs, slicing a thin sheet of paper, cutting end grain, etc. When you have achieved the level of sharpness you wish, stop. I use a power strop I made for my drill press which consists of approx an 8 inch disk with leather on the surface. It is seconds to achieve a razor sharp edge. Rarely use stones because it is much easier to KEEP edges sharp, then to GET edges sharp!

[Rob Luter]

Jim brings up a good point.....it is much easier to KEEP edges sharp, then to GET edges sharp!

Raising a mature thread from slumber, but I agree. I built a strop and have taken to using it frequently. It’s easier to master freehand than working on stones and if the amount of blood is any indication it’s pretty effective. Pro tip: keep your fingertips the hell away from the edge. Yikes!

[Jim Koepke]

Pro tip: keep your fingertips the hell away from the edge. Yikes!

It is much easier to accidentally cut body parts in the path of the edge than it is to accidentally cut that which is behind the edge.

jtk

[Bill McDermott]

I strop (green on leather on wood) chisels during use. I don’t strop plane irons, or chisels after sharpening. I just go through the grits and they are done. I can feel the difference stropping makes when paring with chisels but not so much with sharp planes. Anyway, when I disassemble a plane, it just gets sharpened. Chisels can get swiped on the strop and barely interrupt work.

[Arash Korangy]

I strop about 5x as often as I sharpen, and always strop after sharpening. Even if the strop is put away in a drawer, getting it out putting in the end vice, and stropping takes all of a minute and makes a world of difference.

Im in this camp. Having the stropping setup nearby has drastically reduced the amount my stones are needed.

[Jim Koepke]

Im in this camp. Having the stropping setup nearby has drastically reduced the amount my stones are needed.

Hmmm, maybe my strop should be moved over to the bench instead of across the room.

Though a few other things have also changed in my sharpening regimen. My proficiency at using oil stones has improved over this last winter. As many know my shop does not have running water and the standing water freezes during winter cold spells. So oil stones are my winter stones.

Most often though my reason for going to the stones is to remove a nick.

jtk

[Rob Luter]

It is much easier to accidentally cut body parts in the path of the edge than it is to accidentally cut that which is behind the edge.

jtk

Sage advice. Right up there with "Don't touch it to see how sharp it is"

Hmmm, maybe my strop should be moved over to the bench instead of across the room. jtk

That's where I keep mine.

[Robert Engel]

I don’t strop, I have nothing against the practice but find it unnecessary.

I do strop, but think its unnecessary, too.

Have to say I'm amazed at the guys who claim they use nothing but a strop........

[James Pallas]

I strop chisels. I found from using carving tools that stroping makes for a nice clean smooth edge. I usually don't strop plane irons unless I need a quick touch up for something tricky. I don't do the high pressure fast strop. I pay attention to the angles and make as even a stroke as I am able. When the tool doesn't feel right to me in the cut I go right to the strop. Seems to work well for me. To test I try to make an even slicing cut in the work, if possible, and I think I can feel the little catches in the edge if there are any.

[Günter VögelBerg]

strop after oil stones, not after water stones

[Tom M King]

I had to look to see if I had already posted in this thread.

I don't strop, have never felt for a raised burr, and don't bother to test the edge. I have seen by the swarf that it has been sharpened all the way across, and can tell by the feel on the stones that they have done what they're going to do. I am particular about the feel of stones though. That's the reason I have little use for Diamonds, or hard water stones in the process.

[Mike Henderson]

I only strop carving tools, not bench chisels.

Mike

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I have a Shapton 16000, and I usually strop. I don't strop much and I have no idea if it really matters. I just do it. I do not push excessively. Eventually, I will figure out how to look very carefully at the edge to see if it looks like it matters. Depending on what I am doing, however, I expect that I am removing that super nice edge very quickly. If I have something tough (like some end grain), I am likely to strop very often. And before I put away my chisels, I usually tune them up so that they are ready to go for my next round.

[Jason Kamery]

I use waterstones 1k, 5k, 8k then strop. If I am doing a lot of work with the chisel, I will strop in between if I think it's starting to cut a little harder.