Spyderco Forums

It's been a long day, i'm really tired, so bare with me...

I'm sitting here fondling my Yojimbo 2 and notice there's some tape/glue residue on the bevel, so i wipe it off by running my finger firmly off/along the edge in an outward motion so as to not cut myself. Then it occurs to me:

Could you in fact strop an edge with your bare fingers/skin?

No seriously, stop laughing and think about it for a sec...your skin has to be somewhat abrasive...most people use .5 micron compound on their strops...is my skin not at least that abrasive? The only issue i can think of aside from the obvious scratches you could get if you tried to strop out a nasty burr is that your skin could convex the edge since it can easily wrap around it. Beyond that, i don't see why you couldn't strop a blade gently enough down your bare arm and get some kind of measurable improvement.

*waits for someone to me i can just strop on my jeans/pants/car window/coffee mug/toilet tank rim/cardboard/newspaper/etc etc etc*

:D

Some people strop on their palms. They say it works.

I've stropped on the bottom of my foot before. I generally have the most even callouses there. I wouldn't do it on a finger though.

I'm not sure your stropping as much as you're "steeling" the edge. Unless you have sandpaper glued to the bottom of your feet;-).

Unless you are fairly dirty, there is no way your skin can abrade the steel. Take a satin finished blade and try to mirror polish it by rubbing it on your skin.

While there are people who do strop on their hands, the only thing it can do it mechanically stress the edge, if it is rolled then it can be aligned more or less to one side.

My personality is more abrasive than my skin.

Blerv wrote:My personality is more abrasive than my skin.

Haha, good one.

chuck_roxas45 wrote:Haha, good one.

I had an analogy involving your's being diamond grit but thought it might be seen as too coarse. :)

Blerv wrote:I had an analogy involving your's being diamond grit but thought it might be seen as too coarse. :)

You got me ROFL'ing. :D :D :D

I strop on my arm--- doesnt do anything more than remove the diamond paste off my edge from my strop and clean it up :) .

Now I have used other materials to strop with other than leather or boar hide. Whatever leather or leather type material that they use on New Balance Cross Training shoes worked good for me once.

I've taken and rubbed just plain cardboard with jeweler's rouge and it worked surprisingly well. I've heard some people say that balsa wood is truly the best stropping material there is if you learn the right techniques.

Now one of my cousins down in the state of Mississippi is a barber and one of the old fashioned type to boot and he told me that the very best stropping material is the hide from a Russian Boar. But I'm willing to bet that the hide from several different animals would also be great if it's tanned and prepped properly.

I'm wondering too if the technique you use isn't actually more important than what you use to strop with.

no idea if it would work, i have seen crazier things, like the guy sharpening a knife on a cinder block and then shaving with it.

Folks strop Busses on jean all the time.... Just saying.

Personally, I'm in the 'it's not strong/abrasive enough' camp.

Nice one, Blake!

Ken

tonydahose wrote:no idea if it would work, i have seen crazier things, like the guy sharpening a knife on a cinder block and then shaving with it.

You can do that when you're a 17th generation Japanese sword smith.

My Mother-In-Law sharpens her knives on the bottom of a flower pot. After I shave I strop my razor on my jeans. Some people have very soft hands/skin so they probably wouldn't be a good candidate for a strop but I don't see why not if your skin was rough enough.

I've done it on the palm of my hand to help roll back the edge of my tenacious. I dont think it made it sharper, it did take care of a little catch I had about 2mm long. 8cr13mov helps too.

I wonder if a 5 o'clok shadow is abrasive enough. :p

Leather boot uppers work well because they are impregnated with fine dirt, which is mostly silica, a fine abrasive.

I use my tongue. You guys are woosies. :D

After what I've spent on stropping stuff I'd really be :mad: if I could use my body parts. :mad: :mad: :mad: :)

Barbers and master straight razor makers have been stropping on their palms for ages.

It bears mentioning that traditional stropping is a process that does not involve abraiding steel. The concept of stropping for the purpose of sharpening a knife is a bit different. (sort of like comparing a steel, to a sharp maker....two very different processes )

Start watching at 3:50.

[video=youtube;wXkjXfuNbpg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXkjXfuNbpg[/video]