Stropping Questions

[Timberwolf]

You can also strop on plain leather, or so I hear tell.  I've read accounts of guys stropping edges on the sides of their boots--or even the palms of their hands.

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They're just removing the wire edge..Stropping on a boot could even cause dulling a really fine razor edge because of the silica on the boot from dust etc, but I have done it plenty of times with pocket and belt knives....In a pinch, you use what you've got.

[spowers]

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Why bother to strop???..To remove the wire edge and reduce or eliminate microscopic serrations which weaken the edge....I imagine stone-age men learned to strop early in their existence because they found out it works... it is pretty fast, and even faster if you power strop on leather or other material....
   Check Youtube and see how power stropping is done..

Ditto on power stropping.  I rarely have to use stones anymore for the sharpening process.  Make one for a drill press using MDF with leather attached.  This gives you a flat surface from which to strop.  We are talking less that a minute to restore an edge.  Then KEEP the tool sharp as opposed to GET the tool sharp!

[ZachDillinger]

Stropping is great as an edge "band-aid" while working. If I'm using a chisel and it starts to cut slightly less cleanly than it did before, a few swipes on the strop will extend the life of the edge before requiring a more in-depth solution without distracting me too much from the job at hand. I can usually get 2 or 3 such extensions, sometimes enough to get me through a particular task, before the diminishing returns of the practice pretty much require me to stop and properly sharpen the chisel. I never do this to plane irons, just chisels, as if I'm taking the time to take a plane apart I'm just going to do it properly. That said, I will finish plane irons with a few swipes on the strop before reassembling just to ensure the edge is as good as possible before putting the plane back together and resetting it.

[Scoony]

Son brought home some scrap 1" thick MDF from his work for a project that I was making. I cut some strips for stropping and with some green compound rubbed in, it works great. Of course I have a few leather strops as well.

[WoodTinker]

There is—or was—a member here who was selling nice thick pieces of horse butt leather very reasonable in the S/S section.  I bought two and it was money very well spent.  Glue it to a piece of mdf or ply and keep it near the bench.  I charge mine with Tormek diamond paste typically.

I have sold some here on two occasions. It might be time to do it again.

As to the question about stropping, test it for yourself.

[hbmcc]

Also, as a final strop, I use a brown paper grocery bag on my jointer bed; there is some level of grit in recycled paper.  Try it, you might like it, I do.

From experience, don't clean your eye glasses on any paper towels, new or recycled. Because, yes, paper is gritty and scratches glasses horribly. It should do well on steel edges, perhaps gouge less than on polycarbonate.

[Timberwolf]

From experience, don't clean your eye glasses on any paper towels, new or recycled. Because, yes, paper is gritty and scratches glasses horribly. It should do well on steel edges, perhaps gouge less than on polycarbonate.

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QFT !!!!! It's a great way to scratch your eyeglasses !!!!! DAHIKT !!!

[Admiral]

From experience, don't clean your eye glasses on any paper towels, new or recycled. Because, yes, paper is gritty and scratches glasses horribly. It should do well on steel edges, perhaps gouge less than on polycarbonate.

I learned that lesson decades ago.  My bride is constantly embarrassed when I pull my cotton undershirt out of my pants in the grocery store to clean my glasses!  Me, I don't give a chit..... I'm shameless.

[jgourlay]

Such a great thread!  My two cents.  For woodworking, I do prefer the edge I get just with stones.  But I have fancy rocks, and am very fast.  But every so often, when I;ve got parts stacked everywhere, the strop is the easiest thing to get to and it'll polish up an iffy edge quickly.

Despite being taught by Paul Sellers how to sharpen, I opted for rocks.  What I will say, however, is that any clumsiness on his part that you see is just visual misinterpretation.  That guy with a diamond stone and strop gets VERY sharp edges, very very fast.  He noted that I spend (spent at that time) way too many steps going back and forth to the strop in class.  Which I interpreted as being way too ticky about my edges.  By "too ticky", what I mean is that my desire to keep a razor edge at all times wasn't necessary and...if I was doing it for money like Homestead Heritage, would be an impediment to making a living.  My work can't hold his works' sandals, so there you go.

As Timberwolf and Ahill have said, stropping is absolutely essential to a shaving edge. But...they're not talking about a strop charged with compound.  A compound charged strop CAN be used with razors, but always has to be followed by a totally uncharged leather strop.  Actually, your dry palm makes a pretty good razor strop.  Also, stropping a razor is a 15-30 stroke on each side after every shave operation.  By which I mean to point out that the edge on a razor and how you get it isn't so very close to what you need to consider for woodworking.

Here's the thing.  Strops are cheap.  If you want to try one for free, sacrifice the BACK of an old leather belt the woodshop.  There is absolutely zero reason not to try it. If you like it....there you go.