Stropping Questions

[Stwood_]

My Dad's strop somehow fell into and got burnt up in the gas furnace in the basement.

[Admiral]

I'm having a hard time figuring out all these emojis.......

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

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.

[salmo]

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.

^^^^  +1

It is also used to polish and restore fountain-pen nibs...

[knockknock]

   
I hover my mouse over the smiley, and up pops a box with what it is.

[Admiral]

I hover my mouse over the smiley, and up pops a box with what it is.

Ah, thanks, never knew that....

[Bibliophile 13]

1. Is it worthwhile?

2. I have seen Paul Sellers do it. Is that a curse? (Actually, I like Paul Sellers)

3. Most sharpening videos don't even mention stropping. Is it obsolete?

Any info greatly appreciated. Vic M

1. Yes.  If you're sharpening with most conventional media, stropping is absolutely necessary to remove the wire edge, polish the cutting edge, and achieve a truly keen cutting edge.  

2. I learned it from Sellers.  I like him, too.  He knows how to sharpen. 

3. You don't need to know anything about sharpening to make a video. You just need to know how to operate a camera and a computer. 



There are some super-fine stones (ceramic, water stones, even some Arkansas stones) that will do the same job as a strop, only for a lot more money.  If one of those super-fine stones imparts the same polish to your edge and effectively removes the wire edge, then you don't need to strop.  But if you're using normal Arkansas stones, diamond stones, sandpaper, or the coarser waterstones, then you really should be stropping at the end.  I strop on a piece of leather glued to a flat scrap of hardwood.  I charge the strop with the green honing compound from Lee Valley.  The stick of compound I bought a decade ago for $10 still hasn't been used up. 

If you are using vintage steel especially, your edges will benefit from frequent stropping.  I have found that I can keep a vintage paring chisel sharp almost indefinitely by frequently stropping it.  This, I think, is how old professional woodworkers managed to keep their tools sharp enough to work even with the fairly mediocre sharpening media they had available.  A frequently-stropped edge will stay sharp for a very long time.  Now some of the newer, harder steels don't respond as well to frequent stropping, and I find that I need to take those blades back to the sharpening stones each time they begin to get dull.  But even then, I finish the sharpening job by stropping.  I've not yet found a usable tool steel that didn't benefit from stropping.

[Skip J.]

If you are using vintage steel especially, your edges will benefit from frequent stropping.  I have found that I can keep a vintage paring chisel sharp almost indefinitely by frequently stropping it.  This, I think, is how old professional woodworkers managed to keep their tools sharp enough to work even with the fairly mediocre sharpening media they had available.  A frequently-stropped edge will stay sharp for a very long time.  Now some of the newer, harder steels don't respond as well to frequent stropping, and I find that I need to take those blades back to the sharpening stones each time they begin to get dull.  But even then, I finish the sharpening job by stropping.  I've not yet found a usable tool steel that didn't benefit from stropping.

Well said Steve....

[wmickley]

 I strop on a piece of leather glued to a flat scrap of hardwood.  I charge the strop with the green honing compound from Lee Valley.  The stick of compound I bought a decade ago for $10 still hasn't been used up. 

If you are using vintage steel especially, your edges will benefit from frequent stropping.  I have found that I can keep a vintage paring chisel sharp almost indefinitely by frequently stropping it.  This, I think, is how old professional woodworkers managed to keep their tools sharp enough to work even with the fairly mediocre sharpening media they had available.  A frequently-stropped edge will stay sharp for a very long time.  Now some of the newer, harder steels don't respond as well to frequent stropping, and I find that I need to take those blades back to the sharpening stones each time they begin to get dull.  But even then, I finish the sharpening job by stropping.  I've not yet found a usable tool steel that didn't benefit from stropping.

Craftsmen used Turkey stones for centuries. They were fine stones similar to Arkansas stones. In 1796 Benjamin Seaton paid 8 shillings for his Turkey stone, as much as he paid for 20 chisels. I have not seen historical references to green compound.

[Bibliophile 13]

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.