Using leather strops for finishing?
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If you search the site and/or the internet for methods of sharpening you will see that some folks finish the sharpening using a leather strop and green compound.
The leather needs to be flat, so frequently mounted on a backing piece of wood or plastic.
The compound is important since this does the actual honing.
An example of a thread on the site.
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f11/share-your-sharpening-secrets-48401/
The leather needs to be flat, so frequently mounted on a backing piece of wood or plastic.
The compound is important since this does the actual honing.
An example of a thread on the site.
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f11/share-your-sharpening-secrets-48401/
You have obviously never seen a barber shop. A leather strop is what the barber uses for the finishing touch on his razor.
Or, am I years out of date and barbers do not use straight razors anymore?
When I am putting the finishing touches on one of my good knives I use the top of an old boot for the strop. That is after sharpening with three levels of arkansas stone.
kGeorge
George
Use a flat, smooth piece of thick leather on a flat surface. Charge it with a small dab of good chrome polish. If you use a honing guide, leave the blade in the guide. Only pull it backwards. If your other sharpening techniques have resulted in two nice flat angles meeting, you won't believe the mirror polish that will result and the extreme sharpness of the blade.
Most guys today have not experienced a barber shop shave, hot towels, hot lather, straight razor. A different technique is used on a barber's strop for the stropping and 4 different leather surfaces but your face will be baby butt smooth for 2 days. After stropping your blade, don't try to shave hair off your arm unless you have a box of Bandaids handy. It won't be scary sharp, it will be dangerously sharp.
Most guys today have not experienced a barber shop shave, hot towels, hot lather, straight razor. A different technique is used on a barber's strop for the stropping and 4 different leather surfaces but your face will be baby butt smooth for 2 days. After stropping your blade, don't try to shave hair off your arm unless you have a box of Bandaids handy. It won't be scary sharp, it will be dangerously sharp.
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1,533 Posts
I use a leather strop charged with honing compound as the final step on honing all my blades. I'm not convinced I can state definitively that it results in a better edge, but it seems to. Certainly the edge is shinier afterwards, which seems to imply another level of polishing.
Omg
I so wrote what i was thinking and not what i meant sorry i meant use the leather strop as a finishing tool for a very shinny finish on wood i use a straight razor and use a strop for the micro edge. Im meaning to ask about for finishes on wood! sorry guys wow what a brain fart!
I so wrote what i was thinking and not what i meant sorry i meant use the leather strop as a finishing tool for a very shinny finish on wood i use a straight razor and use a strop for the micro edge. Im meaning to ask about for finishes on wood! sorry guys wow what a brain fart!
Oxides of iron, copper, chromium and aluminum are used as honing compounds. They are all in the range of 0.25 - 0.5 micrometer, nominal particle size. That's a weasel-word for average with some bigger and some smaller particles.
You think that the surface looks shiny becasue the huma eye can't see such fine scratches. But you can with a 8X or 10X loupe.
The problem with a leather strop attached to a hard base is that if too much pressure is applied, the leather compresses under the bevel and rebounds as the end goes by, rounding off the bevel to some useless angle = beginner's mistake.
I need shallow bevel angles for wood carving, gouges at 20, all my knives, straight and crooked, 12 degrees. I can see the leather move if I press too hard.
Leather strops are OK, I have some of those. These days, I like to use 4x6" file cards or cereal box cardboard as a carrier for my chrome green (laced with aluminum oxide, too.) The support can be just about anything reasonably flat. Laminate flooring is good, so is a granite countertop cut off, like the cutout for sinks (free by the dozens). Masking tape is better than any glue. For my crooked knives, 800, 1500 and card on 3/4" aluminum tubing have served me well for many years.
You think that the surface looks shiny becasue the huma eye can't see such fine scratches. But you can with a 8X or 10X loupe.
The problem with a leather strop attached to a hard base is that if too much pressure is applied, the leather compresses under the bevel and rebounds as the end goes by, rounding off the bevel to some useless angle = beginner's mistake.
I need shallow bevel angles for wood carving, gouges at 20, all my knives, straight and crooked, 12 degrees. I can see the leather move if I press too hard.
Leather strops are OK, I have some of those. These days, I like to use 4x6" file cards or cereal box cardboard as a carrier for my chrome green (laced with aluminum oxide, too.) The support can be just about anything reasonably flat. Laminate flooring is good, so is a granite countertop cut off, like the cutout for sinks (free by the dozens). Masking tape is better than any glue. For my crooked knives, 800, 1500 and card on 3/4" aluminum tubing have served me well for many years.
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