I have seen many people get hair popping edges with green compound on a strop. I have some on a barbers strop i bought and i can get my blades to the point where i can shave with them and i can whittle thicker hairs if i'm lucky. But not as sharp as others i see. The steels i have tried with so far are s30v 8cr13mmov and whatever steel is on the kershaw leek (sucks to sharpen) and a few other random knives like the gerber remix. and i can get all of them to the point where i can shave with and not feel any drag what so ever but there just not fine enough to slice through a strand of hair. Any stropping tips?
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Hair popping edge with Chromium oxide (green stropping compound)
- Thread starter Nogorn
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Bigfattyt
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- Jun 23, 2007
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Light touch!
Use a marker to make sure you are getting the apex.
Simple carbon steels are much easier to get hair whittling sharp.
What angle are you at?
It is easier to get a hair whittling edge if you are going from a fresh wire edge.
I spend very little time on my edges.
I will go from a 120 grit belt (though a bit worn) straight to the cromium oxide on the strop.
Use a marker to make sure you are getting the apex.
Simple carbon steels are much easier to get hair whittling sharp.
What angle are you at?
It is easier to get a hair whittling edge if you are going from a fresh wire edge.
I spend very little time on my edges.
I will go from a 120 grit belt (though a bit worn) straight to the cromium oxide on the strop.
Last edited:
I sharpen at 30 inclusive on all my smaller blades. Which is what this pertains to.
Bigfattyt
Gold Member
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Do you ever use sandpaper?
Sandpaper on a stiff backing (I use a hard rubber strike pad I got from Tandy Leather).
Automotive sandpaper. Higher grit. Start at 200+ and up to 1000 or more.
I use a 1x30 el cheapo harbor freight sander. But when I started, I did it all by hand, up to and including 10 inch choppers that took a lot of elbow grease!
Sandpaper on a stiff backing (I use a hard rubber strike pad I got from Tandy Leather).
Automotive sandpaper. Higher grit. Start at 200+ and up to 1000 or more.
I use a 1x30 el cheapo harbor freight sander. But when I started, I did it all by hand, up to and including 10 inch choppers that took a lot of elbow grease!
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Green compound won't likely be very effective on S30V; it's not aggressive enough to effectively abrade the vanadium carbides in that steel, but it will still abrade the basic steel in the surrounding matrix. End result is, edges tend to become rounder/blunter as the matrix steel (iron + carbon) abrades away, exposing the much, much harder and blunter carbides. Diamond compound works best for steels like this, because it's much more effective at abrading and shaping the carbides to a crisp & sharp edge. Obviously, this can also be done on the hones (diamond), and the better the work is there, the less additional work is needed on the strops. Focus on getting the edge as pure as you can on the hones, and the rest will be much easier.
On 8Cr13MoV, green should do OK, assuming the edge is ready off the stones. Very similar to AUS-8 steel in makeup, and not too much carbide content. On this steel, I'd more likely prefer using aluminum oxide compound (most often 'white', but may also be pink/blue/grey) or silicon carbide (black or very dark grey). Either of these is a little more aggressive on higher-alloy stainless (chromium carbide content). BUT, if the edge is really in good condition off the stones, the green compound will still work well. Otherwise, it may take a little more time, and may tend to round off an edge instead.
Factors which will more greatly affect shaving sharpness, even more-so than the stropping compound:
If the above-listed factors are adequately taken care of, stropping to shaving sharpness gets a whole lot easier. When an edge is done right, stropping should only take a handful of passes to really make an edge pop.
David
On 8Cr13MoV, green should do OK, assuming the edge is ready off the stones. Very similar to AUS-8 steel in makeup, and not too much carbide content. On this steel, I'd more likely prefer using aluminum oxide compound (most often 'white', but may also be pink/blue/grey) or silicon carbide (black or very dark grey). Either of these is a little more aggressive on higher-alloy stainless (chromium carbide content). BUT, if the edge is really in good condition off the stones, the green compound will still work well. Otherwise, it may take a little more time, and may tend to round off an edge instead.
Factors which will more greatly affect shaving sharpness, even more-so than the stropping compound:
- Edge angle: 30° inclusive or less will make a big difference.
- Full apex of the edge: If the edge isn't fully apexed off the stones, stropping usually won't help get it there.
- Obviously, inconsistent angle control or too-heavy pressure on a soft(ish) strop, like leather, can be counter-productive, especially as the edge becomes finer. Only takes an errant stroke or two to round off or blunt the edge, if the edge is very fine and 'almost there'.
If the above-listed factors are adequately taken care of, stropping to shaving sharpness gets a whole lot easier. When an edge is done right, stropping should only take a handful of passes to really make an edge pop.
David