Honing angle for Bench Planes

[Timberwolf]

Yep.  Done that.  Also used "white" paper bags, copy paper and even just plain old MDF.  They all work.  Some work faster than others based on the steels.  Since I've got a mix of O1, W1, A2, D2 and rando-cheapo-hardo-no-idea, I really like the power strop.

And I've mostly given up on the green crayons of stropping compound in favor of Autosol polishing paste.  Seems to work better for me when used on leather. No scientific testing, just how it feels. 

Always wondered about "cheap" toothpaste as a stropping compound.

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I have tried toothpaste...the abrasive used in some cheap toothpastes is calcium carbonate or feldspar...with a hardness of 6-6.5..Hard steel can be up to 7 {a file is 6.5}..so hard steel is harder than either mineral and is not effective as an abrasive IMO...It didn't work out well on my powered leather wheel...Auto rubbing compound works pretty well on a high-speed leather wheel...So does cerium oxide which is used for polishing optics and other things like gemstones. You can buy it in several grit sizes from Ebay dealers. I have it in several grit sizes. I like to experiment with various abrasives.