Sharpening Question

[jvan]

Once you get a knife to the level of sharpness that you want is it possible to maintain that edge using nothing more than a strop? Thanks.

 

[CShepherd]

For the most part yes. A strop will definetely help you go to much further between actual sharpenings but you will occasionally find it necessary to break out the stones or whatever.

Charles

 

[yablanowitz]

Maybe for you
The way I use my knives, there is no way mere stropping will get the job done.

 

[krazichinaman]

For the most part yes. A strop will definetely help you go to much further between actual sharpenings but you will occasionally find it necessary to break out the stones or whatever.

Charles

This all depends on how sharp you get your knife and how much you use it. In general, yes, if you use your knife to do moderate task and not hack away say 20 boxes a day, you should beable to get your knife back to where it was between sharpenings. Think of stropping as just doing a quick wash of your car. Think of sharpening as doing a full blown detail, clay bar and two coats of wax!

 

[Buck268]

I maintain my blades with stropping after any given day they were used. The only problem thus-far is I don't fancy the highly polished edge on working knives. But basically I'll just strop them to keep them up, until they are too smooth or too dull. Then I'll even strop them on my stones or throw some wetdry on my strop and use that for the abrasive surface.

 

[M. McCord]

Think of stropping as just doing a quick wash of your car. Think of sharpening as doing a full blown detail, clay bar and two coats of wax!

That's probably the best analogy I've heard.