Off Topic Stropping on Stones?

Bumblingtinkerer

Bumblingtinkerer

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Jun 10, 2013
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Okay so I'm not new to sharpening or stropping on leather with compounds, but earlier today I found a channel on YouTube where the guy strops his blades edge trailing on stones. Has anyone ever seen this or done this? I usually sharpen on diamond and strops but I am building a collection of kitchen knives, and I bought a 1000/4000 whetstone for them. I have a 2000/5000 and a 3000/8000 coming in. The 1000 gets my edges sharp enough with a few passes on a leather belt to feather paper, but I want to use the 4000 side. I have issues with losing my edge when I try to move up to 4000 so I am interested in this stropping technique for polishing. Any help would be appreciated.
 
I think strops are the best tool for stropping. Strops are meant to straighten and refine edge. Stones are for removing metal. ending on a fine grit stone is fine for edc knives. you dont need a strop unless you plan to shave your face with the blade. The strops are nice for getting a very fine edge. Add a little compound to the strop for the best of both worlds.
 
Some will strop on a piece of paper (copy, newsprint, etc) laid atop a stone, sometimes used with some of the slurry from the stone itself, as compound. It can work well, especially for a coarser, toothy finish. I've used just bare paper this way on my oilstones (minus the slurry), for stripping burrs away, and/or aligning an edge.


David
 
Backhoning (stropping) on a softish waterstone is a good technique to finish an edge. It doesn't work so well on other stone compositions.

Deburr the edge first.

Use very light pressure as it is possible you can fold the edge or raise a burr.
 
I use it to remove a burr on a used edge. Touching up. Which works. I use my fine SiC stone for this. This also prolongs the blade's life. By not taking it for a full sharpening on several stones. Yes, it removes some metal but nothing like a full sharpening. DM
 
I sound like a broken record but on a guided system like the Edge Pro trailing edge sharpening is very easy and accurate. Trailing edge free hand is a night mare but I do it by using a fairly high magnification jeweler's visor and watching for when I tilt the stone (hand held) until there is no dark line / gap at the edge and then I take a swipe. Not your care free flailing away method but I find less is more in sharpening anyway as far as number of strokes so I don't spend too much time on this (I over do it by using "too many stones").

All this really kind of depends on the steel (and the stones). Some combinations it is hard to get rid of the bur with trailing edge "stropping" and so a little edge leading helps followed by some edge trailing. The other day I had jaw dropping results off just edge leading on an ultra fine ceramic stone with my M4 . . . we are talking tree topping and all I was going for was shave / scrape hair sharp.

But yah hand held and the finer stones with the wrong steel, softer stainless or some such, is just asking for frustration IMO.

Bottom line, most of the sharpening I do, when I want a real edge (and I never strop on leather anymore ) I just use the Edge Pro and debur-strop-make-real-sharp with that.
 
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