Originally Posted by
Derek Cohen
An important point about stropping has been overlooked.
Stropping on leather or MDF (to revitalise and edge, that is) is about convenience. Not many woodworkers have a dedicated sharpening area where they have easy access to their stones - which can be a messy affair. It is convenient to hang a strop under the bench, or nearby, and reach for it when the blade begins to dull.
Strops are not a substitute for stones. It is not about the grits available in paste form, or in diamond solutions, or cakes of rouge that may be used on leather or MDF more cheaply than a Shapton 30000. Charles (Sandy on this forum) is correct when he says that a strop will dub an edge where a stone is less likely to do so. But that is how strops work, and as long as they are used for revitalising an edge - which means that their lifespan in this regard has a finite number before returning to a stone - then they perform a valid task in my opinion.
In fact, Charles, using a plain leather strop to remove the wire edge, as you say you do, is likely to do harm since this can dub the edge of the blade.
I said earlier that I strop on either leather or a Shapton 12000 (my finest Shapton). I can do both because I do have a dedicated and accessible sharpening area in my workshop. For the past 12 months I have not needed to rely on a leather stop under the bench. Nevertheless, although I increasingly turn to the Shapton, I still pull out the strop with the green rouge, and it does the job perfectly well for that moment in time. But I think the point made by Charles is valid - a hard, flat surface is preferable to a soft, pliable surface.
The other point about strops is when they become substitutes for stones, such as recommended by Jeff (who sell Tormeks and Tormek paste). The common principle about efficient sharpening is that angles must be reproduced reliably. One of the problems I have with the Tormek leather wheel is that a round motorised strop is not predictable (holding the blade against this rounded face is anything mut predictable). Now Jeff I am not saying that the Tormek wheel is incapable of creating a sharp edge, and I am not criticising the Tormek (I love mine). I am simply saying that a round wheel is less predictable than a flat surface. In the same way that a pliable surface is less predictable than a hard, flat surface in the long run.
The theme of my message is consistent - for me, stropping is about short-term convenience. Others may take a different view (of course they will - there are many, many different ways to a sharp edge). If it works for you, them well and good.
Regards from Perth
Derek