Anyone else strop there folders?

[vivi]

Yup. Been using the same strop for 12 years. Strip of leather glued to a block of wood, rub some green buffing compound into it after every other stropping session.

Like you I find it makes my edges just a bit sharper than what I get from my stones.

Its also a nice and easy way to check for burs that are too small to see with the naked eye. If one side of the blade gets clogged with buffing compound thats a clear indication you've got a bur left on the apex.

[murphjd25]

I've been thinking about getting the knives plus one, the green one on a block, they claim it's one of the best? Now that I'm getting into more exotic steels (thanks spyderco) it might not be a bad idea?

[Surfingringo]

I don't have anything to say against stropping but I can't really see the use for it. I can get most any steel to whittle hairs off the Spyderco medium rods and if I want a more refined edge then an edge finished with the fine or UF rods will easily make feathersticks out of free hanging hair (or just cut them in half on contact). And as far as touchups, it takes all of 60 seconds to bring a slightly dull edge back to that level of performance with the SM. So, though I have nothing negative to say about using a strop, given the results I get our of the SM I just can't see why I would bother adding more equipment to get the same results.

There's a guy on youtube by the name of Michael Christy. Very nice guy and VERY talented freehand sharpener. I have watched his process many times and after he finishes with the Spyderco UF rods he moves onto a strop and several different compounds. At the end of his sharpening he will usually direct a free hanging hair to demonstrate the level of sharpness. The thing is, my edges will do the same thing to a hair off of the UF rods (or even off the medium or fine rods on certain steels). Like I said, he is a very talented and knowledgeable sharpener and I have been meaning to ask him about his process and why he does things the way he does them. It is my belief that stropping is a much more effective means of getting an edge to those highest levels of sharpness when sharpening a primary edge bevel with no microbevel. When you use a microbevel like I do I think the strop becomes largely redundant.

[.357 mag]

I strop very little. If I have a burr I just can't get rid of than I will. Generally I can maintain with just a kitchen steel.

[Parkourdude]

Most of my touching up is done by strop.

If I've used my knife I automatically strop at the end of the day. I probably don't need to do this but I've found I can go far longer in between sharpenings by just stropping instead which is nice because stropping is just so easy and convenient.

[mb1]

There's a guy on youtube by the name of Michael Christy. Very nice guy and VERY talented freehand sharpener. I have watched his process many times and after he finishes with the Spyderco UF rods he moves onto a strop and several different compounds. At the end of his sharpening he will usually direct a free hanging hair to demonstrate the level of sharpness. The thing is, my edges will do the same thing to a hair off of the UF rods (or even off the medium or fine rods on certain steels). Like I said, he is a very talented and knowledgeable sharpener and I have been meaning to ask him about his process and why he does things the way he does them. It is my belief that stropping is a much more effective means of getting an edge to those highest levels of sharpness when sharpening a primary edge bevel with no microbevel. When you use a microbevel like I do I think the strop becomes largely redundant.

I enjoy his videos too. We've touched on this before, but that level of sharpness seems like more of a novelty than practical to me. A lot of work for an edge that will last how long (the hair whittling sharpness I mean)?

I use strops to maintain an edge, with the assumption I'm removing the least amount of steel possible for maintanance between sharpenings. I say assumption because I can't tell you the grit comparison between green compound and the UF rods. Maybe they're the same/similar?

As my sharpening skills have improved, I no longer need the strop to get the final edge I'm after, but I find it's sometimes easier to finish on the strop than the stones. I've never attempted the strop grit progression that Christy uses btw. Shaving is as sharp as I see useful.

[mb1]

Answering my own question above...

Approx SM rod grit (from another post):

Medium:600
Fine: 1200
UF: 8000

Green compound varies by manufacturer. I see it listed anywhere from 0.5 - 2.0 microns, and roughly 15,000 grit.

[Larry_Mott]

I strop in order to get a convex microbevel i find useful, and aiding in longer lasting sharpness.

[Xplorer]

.....Green compound varies by manufacturer. I see it listed anywhere from 0.5 - 2.0 microns, and roughly 15,000 grit.

Compounds or any abrasives measured in microns can be confusing to those that don't use them... this list might be helpful for anyone new to microns to roughly translate the numbers grit. (pun intended )

1/4 micron = 100,000 grit
1/2 micron = 50,000 grit
1 micron = 14,000 grit
2 micron = 10,000 grit
3.5 micron = 6500 grit
5 micron = 4500 grit
9 micron = 1800 grit
14 micron = 1400 grit
15 micron = 1200 grit
18 micron = 1000 grit...

Best regards,
Chad

[zacmangray]

I also strobe to maintain the edge of my blades, I find it kind of relaxing at times. I also like the convex microbevel that Larry mentioned. In my experience it leads to a longer lasting edge, and less work when you do go to sharpen with stones. My LW manix is flat ground with convex bevel, it hasn't seen stones in awhile. I strobe on a piece of soft leather with either green or black compound.

[Surfingringo]

Answering my own question above...

Approx SM rod grit (from another post):

Medium:600
Fine: 1200
UF: 8000

Hi mb1, I have seen those numbers floating around for several years and I can attest that they are far from accurate. There is no way to rate ceramics exactly on a "grit" scale but it is easy enough to test the aggression of the edges they produce. For example, compared to the medium SM rods the DMT 1200 will leave a more aggressive edge...hands down. The flats of the brown rods are nowhere near a 600. I would rate them somewhere between 1200-1500. The white "fine" rods will equate to WELL over 2000...probably double that. As far as the UF stones I don't have anything to compare them too as I don't strop with compounds and don't use any xxf diamond stones. The 8000 number might well be accurate on those.

[mb1]

Answering my own question above...

Approx SM rod grit (from another post):

Medium:600
Fine: 1200
UF: 8000

Hi mb1, I have seen those numbers floating around for several years and I can attest that they are far from accurate. There is no way to rate ceramics exactly on a "grit" scale but it is easy enough to test the aggression of the edges they produce. For example, compared to the medium SM rods the DMT 1200 will leave a more aggressive edge...hands down. The flats of the brown rods are nowhere near a 600. I would rate them somewhere between 1200-1500. The white "fine" rods will equate to WELL over 2000...probably double that. As far as the UF stones I don't have anything to compare them too as I don't strop with compounds and don't use any xxf diamond stones. The 8000 number might well be accurate on those.

Yeah, as I poked around I could see there's a lot of subjectivity here. Good to hear your experience.

[Steel_Drake]

I commonly use coarse particulate abrasive stropping to create convex microbevels on my knives and to touch up that convex microbevel between full sharpenings.

Crossposting an explanation of the complex non-linear relationship between stropping compound abrasive particle size and effective grit:

Basically, when you apply particulate abrasive stropping compounds to a compressible surface (e.g. leather, balsa wood) the size of the abrasive particles will not correspond to how coarse or fine a finish they will leave on a knife apex. This is because the abrasive particles get pressed into the compressible surface of the strop, meaning they cannot cut to their maximum scratch depth, and, because the surface is compressible it also cannot press into the knife edge with the same amount of force (and therefore pressure) a solid abrasive would, thereby additionally reducing the scratch depth. This effect becomes more and more severe as the size of the particulate abrasive particle increases up until the abrasive particles get so large that they stop sinking so far into the strop surface (which begins to occur above 30 microns).

In practical terms, this that a 16 micron CBN emulsion on balsa wood will still produce an apex finish with extremely high push-cutting sharpness (high enough to very easily do crossgrain pushcuts on newsprint), while still having enough slicing aggression to cleanly slice through folded over paper towel without slipping.

That 16 micron CBN on balsa will also cut fast enough to create and touch-up (back to ~100% of initial sharpness) a convex microbevel for some time between full sharpenings on a light use EDC knife, and because the 16 micron CBN on balsa leaves some slicing aggression, there is no danger of "over stropping" the apex.

For example, my Spyderco Spydiechef has a ~10 degree per side edge bevel that was shaped to 1000 grit and then a 16 micron CBN on balsa convex microbevel was applied. You can see below that the 16 micron CBN on balsa finish produces a semi-mirrored edge bevel, despite how "coarse" 16 micron CBN emulsion is (in theory) as this convex microbevel has been touched up repeatedly over the last week or so:



Here is another image taken of a different knife stropped on 1 micron CBN on balsa on the left, and a knife with a DMT EEF freehand microbevel on the right. Each half of the image shows a ~1.1mm length of edge:



You can clearly see the similarities between the v-shaped microbevel and the strop induced convex microbevel. This is also why you should never do both on the same apex.

Yeah, as I poked around I could see there's a lot of subjectivity here. Good to hear your experience.

The Spyderco solid sintered ceramic stones not only have an effective grit way different from their stated ratings, but it also changes depending on how much they have been used. My Spyderco M benchstones produces a finish similar to a DMT EEF (i.e. ~4000 grit) at this point.

[bdblue]

I lightly strop after sharpening and it takes the edge to another level.
I use a guided system, the DMT Aligner with its diamond stones, and then strop with a piece that I made that fits in place of one of the stones and using some old gray metal polish that I already had.

[RoLnD79]

I've been thinking about getting the knives plus one, the green one on a block, they claim it's one of the best? Now that I'm getting into more exotic steels (thanks spyderco) it might not be a bad idea?

I just got that one in the mail the other day, it already has the compound on the leather and it came in a resealable bag. I haven't used it yet, I actually just got the Sharpmaker the other day as well, and my first Spyderco knife for Xmas.

[holeshot]

I've been thinking about getting the knives plus one, the green one on a block, they claim it's one of the best? Now that I'm getting into more exotic steels (thanks spyderco) it might not be a bad idea?

Go for it, I have one and it works!

[zeroed4x]

All of my knives get the strop. After sharpening and in between to keep them happy.

[LY4503]

Want to strop my black bladed knives (PM2). Should I use masking tape or another technique to spare the black coating's demise? Thanks for responding.....NOOB here.

[Larry_Mott]

Want to strop my black bladed knives (PM2). Should I use masking tape or another technique to spare the black coating's demise? Thanks for responding.....NOOB here.

That shouldn't be necessary since you just strop the edge, not the entire flat side of the knife.

[ThePeacent]

Answering my own question above...

Approx SM rod grit (from another post):

Medium:600
Fine: 1200
UF: 8000

Hi mb1, I have seen those numbers floating around for several years and I can attest that they are far from accurate. There is no way to rate ceramics exactly on a "grit" scale but it is easy enough to test the aggression of the edges they produce. For example, compared to the medium SM rods the DMT 1200 will leave a more aggressive edge...hands down. The flats of the brown rods are nowhere near a 600. I would rate them somewhere between 1200-1500. The white "fine" rods will equate to WELL over 2000...probably double that. As far as the UF stones I don't have anything to compare them too as I don't strop with compounds and don't use any xxf diamond stones. The 8000 number might well be accurate on those.

Well I am no sharpening expert AT ALL and I am by no stretch of the imagination a knowledgeable person in the grit/ceramics/etc. world, but I can say that I also believe the numbers are way off since I started reading that values years ago on the forum here and at BF.
My SM brown rods produce very similar results to my 1000 grit White Arkansas from Smith and 1000 grit stone from Lansky, so I'd bet they are roughly the same grit
and the white rods on the SM are much more similar to my 2000 stones, like the CS serrations sharpener I got from Lansky.
Just my $0.02