OMG...strop

[Koop]

I've always used the SM ceramics to sharpen my knives and I thought I had them sharp. Then I found a strop on Amazon - it's a wood paddle 2-1/2" wide and about a foot long. It has leather glued on both sides and came with sticks of compound. The green compound is reported to be about a 15,000 grit and the red compound is 30,000.

I loaded the leather with green on one side and red on the other. After a few minutes of stropping, I found sharpness at a whole 'nother level. Hair popping sharp is redefined. I didn't shave the hairs on my arm, I merely ran the blade across the hairs and they fell like grass from a lawnmower! How could I have gone all these years without a strop!

[Bloke]

I generally don't set a micro bevel with a stone so I use a strop after sharpening and to maintain the edge between sharpening. :rolleyes:

I don't think that strops are a magic bullet or a short cut to high level sharpness but they will let you refine the edge a little.

Anyhow, it sounds like your new strop is serving you well and that can only be a good thing. :)

[ZrowsN1s]

....I found sharpness at a whole 'nother level. Hair popping sharp is redefined. I didn't shave the hairs on my arm, I merely ran the blade across the hairs and they fell like grass from a lawnmower! How could I have gone all these years without a strop!

I thought the same thing after I started stroping. Now I've got strops ranging from 5micron to .25 Micron. I love the nice clean apex you get, smooth shaving. I find I can go a long time in between sharpenings just using the strops to touch up the edge.
And just like regular sharpening, the more you practice the better you'll get at it. Although it sounds like you got the hang of it already:D

[JD Spydo]

I got one of those paddle type strops from Garrett Wade some time back when I bought one of their top notch straight razors. That strop has been a really nice addition to my set of sharpening tools. I will most definitely take a look at this one you're speaking of.

What types of compound are you using with it?

[Bloke]

What types of compound are you using with it?

Hi Joe, :)

It seem there are numerous manufacturers and types of compounds on the market and I've only tried a few.

I've happily settled with Dialux Polishing Compounds on leather strops. I've tried Blanc (White) and Vert (Green) and I think the others are way to fine for my needs. Of the two I only use the green which is Chrome Oxide to the very best of my knowledge.

Dialux tell you the compounds are "Uniformly blended with a carrier wax" which seems about right but they go on dry which I believe is a plus compared to oil based compounds.

My strops are all home made jobbies and nothing fancier than pieces of vegetable tanned cow hide with the flesh side ground and freely available in the off cuts bin from the local Leather and Crafts Store.

Anyhow, I don't glue the leather to anything but I cut it long enough so that it will easily double back on it self and I just rub the Dialux into it (flesh side) as best I can, double it on itself and rub it together to get a fairly uniform covering. I set it on a flat surface and strop away till my little heart's content.

When it glazes/clogs up (and it will) I take it outside, stand up wind, double it over on itself and give it a rub. That cleans and un glazes it. I give it a few smacks (fur side) against our mango tree and it's clean and ready for fresh compound.

The only other strop I use is 5µm Diamond Compound on balsa wood and a clean piece of leather to remove any residual compound from the blade after stropping. :rolleyes: