Anyone have experience with Lansky stropping hone

[erhodes]

I just recently got one of these and I have discovered that the edge of my knife doesn't feel as sharp after I use it as it did before hand. I use a diamond hone lansky set and a saphire polishing hone. After I use these my knives feel extremely sharp and then I use the stropping hone and while they still feel sharp and shave hair they don't have that pop that I was expecting. Am i doing something wrong like pressing too hard with the strop or am I doing it correctly and just don't know what a stropped edge feels like? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I think the most common issue with stropping of any kind, when first learning it, is using excess pressure. This compresses the leather against the edge, which will cause it to 'roll' or form itself around the edge. That, in turn, will round off or blunt the otherwise sharp edge. This is much easier to do also, if the leather is not very hard/firm. The softer it is, the more easily it will compress.

Here's a good reference thread for stropping (it's one of the 'stickys' at top of the Maint forum page):
Stropping: angle plus pressure

I haven't tried one of these Lansky stropping hones yet. One thing to check, if you haven't already, is to make sure the stropping hone's surface is at exactly the same height (relative to the guide rod) as the rest of your hones. Per the Lansky instructions, lay the hone & guide rod face down on a flat surface, so the two are flush to it, and tighten the rod in place from that position. This puts the honing/stropping surface in a single continuous plane with the guide rod. If it isn't, the angle won't be the same from one hone to the next, and that could also result in blunting your edge (if the resulting angle is greater/more obtuse).

 

[erhodes]

Thanks for the reply. I am setting it up correctly so I think I must be applying to much force to the strop and end up slightly rounding the edge.

 

[jwblack911]

I have a lanskey strop hone thing also. I don't use compound with mine and I notice no substantial results after sharpening. But if I'm lazy and don't feel like sharping a blade a dozen passes per side seems to make a difference. I also done use the guide when stopping I feel like it ruins my ability to apply correct pressure