Have You Ever Rounded Over an Edge Stropping?

[bandit571]

Stropping in my shop.....it is either on a cloth wheel on a grinder, with the Green Crayon ...or.. if I am sitting down at the bench doing joinery with my chisels, the pants leg of my work jeans works just fine for a quick strop.....and get back to work. 

The Cloth wheel?    David Weaver called it the Unicorn Method.....and, I have yet to "round-over" any edge using it...

[gordon 131]

Timberwolf, are there any power stropping videos you would recommend for proper techniques?
I have a 1x42 leather belt and a 6” leather wheel. Which do you think would be best to power strop with?
Thanks Gordon

[AHill]

Timberwolf, are there any power stropping videos you would recommend for proper techniques?
I have a 1x42 leather belt and a 6” leather wheel. Which do you think would be best to power strop with?
Thanks Gordon

I think you'll get quicker results with the 6" leather wheel, because the rotational speed is much faster than a 1x42 setup. You may get more consistent results with the 1x42, because I'm assuming you could adjust the tool rest to whatever angle you desire.

Go to the end of this video (11:26) where Jonathan Katz-Moses uses a charged buffing wheel on his grinder.  Different than Timberwolf's setup, where he uses a stacked leather wheel.  I use a stacked paper wheel.  Same concept for all three methods - and they are much, much faster than manually stropping on leather or wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YupH1wUC7mE

[Timberwolf]

I think you'll get quicker results with the 6" leather wheel, because the rotational speed is much faster than a 1x42 setup.  You may get more consistent results with the 1x42, because I'm assuming you could adjust the tool rest to whatever angle you desire.

Go to the end of this video (11:26) where Jonathan Katz-Moses uses a charged buffing wheel on his grinder.  Different than Timberwolf's setup, where he uses a stacked leather wheel.  I use a stacked paper wheel.  Same concept for all three methods - and they are much, much faster than manually stropping on leather or wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YupH1wUC7mE

.........................
I think you'll get quicker results with the 6" leather wheel, because the rotational speed is much faster than a 1x42 setup.

I agree with Allan on the leather wheel..the speed is faster so the results are achieved faster...but make one mistake and just like that, the edge is gone. I would say the belt is somewhat more forgiving..especially true if the belt runs horizontally instead of vertical. In addition, the belt grinder is far more versatile..you can do more than just sharpening with it. You can re-establish an edge, or create one from scratch. Or make knife handles, sand wood, bone, metal etc.

IMO, whatever machine you use {Lord knows I have plenty of them} will be better than sharpening with stones. The time you save can be used to work wood. Once you get the results you are looking for with your machine, you can sell your hones....sharpening will be so quick and easy even a caveman can do it.


For sharpness testing, try CLEANLY slicing a paper towel rather than printer paper. It separates the men from the boys.

[gordon 131]

Thank you , I will check it out,
Gordon

[AHill]

I'll add that if you watch any single episode of Forged In Fire, they all use belt sanders (pretty expensive ones) to grind their knives to shape and hone their edges. You don't see disk grinders on the show. It's far simpler to swap out a belt than to swap out a disk.

[hbmcc]

Sharpening is easily the most demanding of our time as woodworkers. On and off the keyboard.

Because I can do it while reading these discussions, I sharpen (strop) my little penknife over 4.5-inches of leather latigo. I've been doing that since I first shaped the bevels to the angles I want. At some point I am sure the edge began to look a lot like that of my Buck 110. Although it is a keen edge there isn't much between sharp and rounded.

[AHill]

Sharpening is easily the most demanding of our time as woodworkers. On and off the keyboard.

Because I can do it while reading these discussions, I sharpen (strop) my little penknife over 4.5-inches of leather latigo. I've been doing that since I first shaped the bevels to the angles I want. At some point I am sure the edge began to look a lot like that of my Buck 110. Although it is a keen edge there isn't much between sharp and rounded.

Sharpening doesn't consume the majority or even the plurality of my woodworking time.  It only takes a few seconds to freshen an edge for me.  The key is to do it often and not wait until things get super dull or damaged.  That goes for anything that requires a sharp edge.  Kitchen knives, pocket knives, pruners, shovels, lawn mower blades, chisels, plane blades, etc.

[FireWood]

mixed results with stropping for me - mostly on knives.

I can usually take a knife freshly sharpened with a jig on stones and make it sharper with a strop.

But usually if I take a knife that has experienced a bit of wear and try and touch it up on the same strop, I'll make it worse.

Not 100% of the time in either case, but say 70%


I'm getting pretty close to giving up on stropping.  I like that it is quiet and low mess.  I can do it while on the phone, etc.


But a few passes on a 8000 grit stone is comparatively fool proof.  I don't have a 12K or 16K, but I imagine those to be expensive, rigid strops.