what's your favorite stropping

T

tonymp

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Jun 15, 2014
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what's your favorite stropping setup? after reading my question, I realized that there could be multiple answers for different types of steels, different types of knives, (edc, work knives, collection knives) so for your EDC knives what would your favorite stropping combo be? and if you use a guided system to sharpen (KME, WICKED EDGE, EDGE PRO, ect.) do you strop using the guided system or do you strop freehand?


what's your favorite stropping medium, leather, balsa, nano cloth, bass wood, denim, cardboard, newspaper, your hand, what's your favorite compound? green white compound, diamond spray/paste, emulsions?
 
Edge Pro, cow, horse and kangaroo with 1m diamond paste.
The kangaroo is some pretty tough material and I have better results refining tougher steels with it.
The cow strop takes forever to get those last micro burrs off my edges.
I'm subscribing to get some better solutions from more knowledgable users, there are quite a few around here.:thumbsup:
 
Barman1 said:
Edge Pro, cow, horse and kangaroo with 1m diamond paste.
The kangaroo is some pretty tough material and I have better results refining tougher steels with it.
The cow strop takes forever to get those last micro burrs off my edges.
I'm subscribing to get some better solutions from more knowledgable users, there are quite a few around here.:thumbsup:
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I'm subscribing to get some better solutions from more knowledgable users, there are quite a few around here

yes there are, that's why I asked here, I also get great results with kangaroo leather, I think because of the stretch you get with that type of leather there's not as much give to it, kangaroo leather with .5 micron diamond spray from chefs knives to go gets me my best results
 
tonymp said:
I'm subscribing to get some better solutions from more knowledgable users, there are quite a few around here

yes there are, that's why I asked here, I also get great results with kangaroo leather, I think because of the stretch you get with that type of leather there's not as much give to it, kangaroo leather with .5 micron diamond spray from chefs knives to go gets me my best results
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That's where I get most of my EP supplies as well.
Might be a little more expensive but always seems to have what I need on one site and ships really quick.
That's value added right there.
I haven't tried a spray yet, I'll definitely give it a try.
 
Far and away my favorite stropping media is copy paper over a hard surface, single sheet for a toothy edge, multiple sheets for slight covex and higher polish.

A sheet of baking parchment for more aggressive reconditioning.

Reclaimed SiC from a combination stone is a great stropping abrasive, otherwise a pinch of diamond with any other abrasive works very well on everything.
 
HeavyHanded said:
Far and away my favorite stropping media is copy paper over a hard surface, single sheet for a toothy edge...
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Interesting! I've never heard this before regarding stropping toothy edges.

I was trying to figure out why this is so, but I'd only be guessing. Would you please explain what stropping this way does to a toothy edge (does it just preserve it or improve it in some way?) and why it doesn't smooth out the edge? Is there a special way to strop using copy paper over a hard surface?

Thank you!
 
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MtnHawk1 said:
Interesting! I've never heard this before regarding stropping toothy edges.

I was trying to figure out why this is so, but I'd only be guessing. Would you please explain what stropping this way does to a toothy edge (does it just preserve it or improve it in some way?) and why it doesn't smooth out the edge? Is there a special way to strop using copy paper over a hard surface?

Thank you!
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I was thinking the same thing
 
MtnHawk1 said:
Interesting! I've never heard this before regarding stropping toothy edges.

I was trying to figure out why this is so, but I'd only be guessing. Would you please explain what stropping this way does to a toothy edge (does it just preserve it or improve it in some way?) and why it doesn't smooth out the edge? Is there a special way to strop using copy paper over a hard surface?

Thank you!
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The stropping surface is so damn hard that the failure mode of you press too hard isn't rounding over, the last few microns break/fracture down off the edge. If the edge rounds it is from user error, the degree of sink is almost certainly less than a degree across a 2mm edge bevel.

If you put the paper over a nonuniform surface, like a coarse stone, it creates higher spot pressure - is the same principle as using a serrated contact wheel on a belt grinder. It makes it work like a much more aggressive abrasive. It almost doesn't matter how fine the abrasive is as it works in a unit along the high points in the underlying surface.

There is definitely a limit to the effect, and will still be a good bit finer finish than you'll get off most stones, but it won't have that loss of catchiness that accompanies an over stropped edge. Also, on lower carbide content and lower RC steels you can indefinitely maintain the edge using this method - I have machetes and a hatchet or two that have not seen a stone in a long time that still have good edge geometry.

As a drawback you have to change out the paper often - it loads up rapidly. This is a particularly effective method to use with a combination SiC oil stone using the mud reclaimed off the fine side of the stone itself. These are minerals that mostly have been snapped off, so are pretty sharp-edged compared to the stuff that comes graded in a bag. Just have to make sure there isn't too much oil on the paper or the abrasive will have too much mobility to effectively cut the steel. You can also gently drag a sheet of paper across a muddy waterstone, let it dry and use that for a strop surface.
 
Mr.Wizard said:
Is this mere speculation?
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Whoops, didn't read your entire question. Yes this was verified with the same microscope. I cannot claim this to be true for a lot of abrasives, but SiC off of a vitreous stone definitely. The graded forms of this look like jellybeans, the reclaimed grit looks like jagged pieces.
 
HeavyHanded, thank you for your detailed explanation!

I've backed off stropping toothy edges because I'm not confident I'm doing it correctly. As you said "If the edge rounds it is from user error...". I don't know if I'm doing this and don't have a way to find out without getting into more time and buying more magnification equipment. If I were sharpening smooth edges (which seems to be what stropping is more appropriate for) I'd be more open to experimenting, but don't want to risk smoothing out toothy edges.

On the other hand, I like to feel confident I've eliminated all burrs and stropping seems to be the best, or one of the best, ways to do this.

I much prefer toothy edges for knives, but smooth edges are best for chopping wood. I don't know if a compromise between these two opposites is possible for my wood chopping knives, but if it is then correct stropping could be the answer.
 
M MtnHawk1
"most" wood choppers are somewhat lower RC and low added carbide content, they respond very well to a hard backed strop. I've proven to myself repeatedly the advantage of a more refined edge when chopping, so long as it is fast and easy to craft and maintain on these tools.

When camping, I usually bring a puck of some sort, and strop on ashes from the fire smeared on smooth bark or a piece of wood I've flattened/smoothed. The silica the trees uptake from the soil is fairly high concentration in ash, and by nature on the small side since it had to be absorbed through capillary action.

Another example - last night was dicing up tomatoes somewhat past their prime and my chef's knife was not quite up to snuff. A half dozen passes on baking parchment loaded with compound over one of my old Washboards (coarse side of a vitreous stone is a good stand in) and the edge was dicing mushy tomato into 1/2 cm pieces.

Everything is a trade off, my utility knife in the kitchen is left at a coarse edge and maintained on rim of coffee cup, glass rod, traditional steel etc until it draws out. The next closest stand in for a toothy edge and "stropping" is to backhone on a soft waterstone. This makes a nice burr free edge that is also very catchy. This method is not better than/only marginally easier than just resharpening, as it takes a lot of familiarity to backhone just a few passes and hit the edge just right. The Norton waterstones are very good at this, and of course there's always wet/dry sandpaper...
 
I have been using a cheap peice of leather off Amazon with green compound which has been getting the job done after taking a my knives off a KME. I would like to upgrade to a nice kangaroo strop with diamond emulsions for my next touch up.
 
Zerobladeplay said:
I have been using a cheap peice of leather off Amazon with green compound which has been getting the job done after taking a my knives off a KME. I would like to upgrade to a nice kangaroo strop with diamond emulsions for my next touch up.
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you won't be disappointed that upgrade
 
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