Question on leather strop

M

myung-gwan

Joined
Sep 27, 2002
Messages
60
I just got a leather strop and tried it with aluminum oxide as written on the instruction. I don't know if it takes time for a beginner to get used to stroping but I seem to get the edges duller than before... :(
What does it take to get a laser edge out of stroping? So far, it's been quite frustrating... Help!!
 
I use the soft backside of an old leather belt that was retired. The length of the leather is approx twelve inches and one inch wide.

My Sebenza and BM705 plus kitchen knives all get stropped on this to a very nice edge.

It's far from fancy and it does the job well.
 
Aluminum oxide? Maybe you mean chromium oxide.

Some of my knives do seem to get duller after stropping. I'm not sure why. Most get significantly sharper.

My newbie mistake was that I was pressing too hard. Maybe this is your problem? Use a very light touch. I do a few strokes per side with chromium oxide and sometimes bare leather and it works well. Also hold the knife at a slightly lower angle than what you were sharpening at.
 
samhain73,

Thanks for the link.

Ryan8,

Maybe you are right. I was pressing a bit too hard. As to the compound, it says "Aluminum Oxide" on the bottle. Is this not for stroping? :confused: And thanks for the tip.
 
When you get to the end of a stroke STOP and roll the knife back over its spine onto the other side... people tend to lift the knife up to rotate it and roll the edge in doing so. Lower your angle slightly... you don't want the whole bevel flat on the strop... pretend that you are polishing the top of the bevel rather than the whole thing... leather is flexible and you want it to just graze the edge as it bounces back up after the blade passes. Aluminum oxide is harder than chrome oxide powder and can be had in 0.3 micron size (chrome oxide powder, like Hand American sells, is 0.5 micron) and works just fine on strops (Sometimes you can get it cheaper from rock shops as "Linde A", as it is a common polish used by rock polishers and lens grinders... http://www.gravescompany.com/polishin.htm ). You can also use 1/2 or 1/4 micron diamond spray though that costs more.
 
Yes, aluminum oxide works. Keep the blade flat. The higher the degree the more chance you have of rounding the edge. Don't press to hard. I clamp my strop (an old belt) to my work bench, pull it out taught and strop away from the edge moving from heel to point. I've taken knives as dull as a butter knife and brought them back to popping hair by stropping. It's just takes some time. Practice is the best advice.
Scott
 
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I use normal-everday Simichrome :). Simichrome is available through almost all knife supply houses, and many knife retail sites. An aliminum oxide compound should work just fine.

I made my strop from 12oz leather which was glued to a wooden board. I soaked the leather in hot water and let it dry and harden before applying it to the board. The size of the strop is probably 4x12". I charge it every few uses, not frequently.

I think the charged strop does a great job maintaining an edge; just give it a few passes after use and the knife can go longer between sharpenings. I like the strops so much I include them with most of the knives I sell :) (occasionally I forget ;)).

For anyone interested in making a strop, they're very simple and very effective. The plus side is, someone who is unfamiliar with sharpening can get a pretty good feel for it without damaging a blade; the strop merely polishes the edge, so there is no danger of deep scratches.

Keep stropping you'll get the feel for it :).

Matt
 
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