Strops

[john brenton]

3" wide, by 10" long minimum, IMO. You could get by with less, but why?

What is a good size for stropping plane blades?

[george wilson]

If MDF has dirt and other trash in it,I would think it might not be "pure" enough to strop my tools on. In fact,if it has dirt,bits of metal,etc. in it (was this on another forum?) I don't want to be cutting it with my expensive table saw blades,or any other blades.

[Jay Maiers]

3" wide, by 10" long minimum, IMO. You could get by with less, but why?

Thanks John. I can go longer and wider if it would be better / easier to use. I have a piece of veg. tanned leather approximately 3' x 6" average.

[David Weaver]

If MDF has dirt and other trash in it,I would think it might not be "pure" enough to strop my tools on. In fact,if it has dirt,bits of metal,etc. in it (was this on another forum?) I don't want to be cutting it with my expensive table saw blades,or any other blades.

It's not too bad, it shouldn't actually have dirt or metal in it - just a formaldehyde resin, wax and modified wood fibers. When I planed it, I noticed how fast it dulled edges, so I figured it might be nice even as a bare material for a strop.

I found out quickly that it's not as abrasive as you'd want for a bare strop (it doesn't do anything productive), it has to have some green stuff on it. with the green stuff from LV and a little bit of lubricant, it significantly improves the edge of a tool that came off of a shapton 15k stone without doing anything to the edge that might show up on something like a nice smooth planed surface.

BUT, since it's just like using another stone, and not as quick or convenient as using a leather strop to move the edge around instead of continuing just to hone it, and you have to fiddle with same things as you would with a stone over time - it loads, cakes up with swarf, etc.

After working in a cabinet factory where there was way too much exposure to formaldehyde vapors (from finishing, and ply, and possibly from MDF core RTF doors), I'm not sure I want much MDF in my shop, anyway, especially with the dust. I've had my share of formaldehyde already, i'm sure.

[john brenton]

I would cut that up to 3" X 12" then, so you have six pieces. You can charge one up with rouge and leave the other natural, and still have four more just in case you damage the others. It may be nice to have a longer strop though so you can take longer softer strokes instead of short choppy ones that make you want to put more pressure and go faster. My razor strop is about 3' long. Just a preference thing I guess.

Thanks John. I can go longer and wider if it would be better / easier to use. I have a piece of veg. tanned leather approximately 3' x 6" average.

[Trevor Walsh]

I've actually used mdf with green polishing compound, it works just as well and is easier for me to get at least. The polish is way cheaper that way.

[George Symula]

George,
I don't understand. After you've stropped a couple of blades isn't there a residue of metal from the blades left on the strop? Am I missing something? (wouldn't be the first time)...George S

[john brenton]

This is why I like a paddle strop. Even though I don't see the residual metal as a big deal on woodworking tools, I also don't carve beautiful lion's head violin heads in boxwood like Geroge W. has done. I like the paddle strop because refreshing is as easy as scraping the rouge off and making sure you have a flat balsa surface. Cleaning a leather strop can leave you with a leather surface that is unsuitable for stropping, and may need to be broken in again...that's if it's not ruined. A lot of time goes in to breaking in a leather strop properly and you don't want to mess that up.

On straight razor strops, especially the linen one charged with rouge, that strop will turn black in no time with that high carbon steel. In the case of straight razors, I do worry about that as the thing touches my face, and my razors are very valuable to me. I periodically clean the linen strop...but not too often, maybe once every couple of months or twice a year, and I've had no problem. I also rarely use the rouged linen strop as I use the leather prior to every shave. Again, when cleaning even a linen strop there is a lot of care to be taken in not ruining it, or having to break it in all over again.

Again (do I say "again" alot?) when talking about straight razors you're talking about a whole different world of sharp, evidenced by the hundreds of "enthusiasts" on a never ending search for the perfect edge that they'll spend any amount of money on stones to achieve. Tool edges aren't as critical.

George,
I don't understand. After you've stropped a couple of blades isn't there a residue of metal from the blades left on the strop? Am I missing something? (wouldn't be the first time)...George S

[george wilson]

MDF can have steel bits like staples,etc.,not microscopic powdered steel leavings from stropping.The dirt is even worse. I mean,what grit is it. Probably not as fine as you might like.

They get the sawdust from dirty sawmills,pick it up with front end loaders from laying on the ground,and process it. No telling how much dirt and sand,or whatever crud is in the tree bark or on the ground. No,I don't want it being cut with my good blades. If I HAD to use it,I'd put on some old blade I didn't care much about anymore. Possibly an OLD carbon steel blade I could sharpen up. Certainly it isn't going over my jointer.

Maybe I'm getting too anal about it. Goes with the territory,though.

[Jim Matthews]

Hard rock maple with stropping compound for mine...

Leather doesn't do well in my coastal Mass basement.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi all

I'm a little late to the thread, but here's my 2c worth on strops ...

The horse butt leather from Joel at TFWW is excellent. The only modification I make is to the instructions, as I would recommend glueing it permanently to hardwood. And I prefer the smooth side up.

A few years ago I wrote up a tutorial on stropping. This was at the end of an article comparing green compound with diamond paste on the leather: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Woodwor...mondpaste.html

These days I strop much, much less. I do turn to the leather every now-and-then, but my preference has changed.

The usefulness of a strop (in my shop) is to re-new an edge. Now I have a sharpening centre alongside my bench, and this uses either Shaptons (which require a quick misting of water) or diamond paste on cast iron (and only need to be re-charged on a weekly basis). Consequently, it is actually more effort to strop than to touch up an edge.

Strops are also used for sharpening. Just like any stone, they abraid a metal surface, the degree to which depends on the compound used. Consequently some use it as a finishing "stone". This is unnecessary if you have a high grit/low micron alternative (eg 8000 or 12000 waterstone).

They are useful for removing a wire edge or, rather, ensuring it is gone. Still, this is really an issue of technique.

Another alternative to leather or MDF with green compound is to glue the .05 micron micro mesh sheets (I get them from LV) to glass (I have a couple of small rectangles of glass glued to hardwood. These are the size of a waterstone). This creates a hard, non-flexing surface that will not induce any rounding over ... which leather does.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Joe Fabbri]

Hi guys,

I'm a new member here, and I just tried out an old leather belt I had laying around. The back side seemed to be good untreated leather, nice and smooth. I took two chisels and a plane blade, went to my stone (just an old carburundum), and then I went to the belt, without any compound. I got both of them pretty darn sharp with this homemade strop. I can cut paper clean across, and shave some hair. But then I went to do another plane blade, and it seemed like the belt started to dull the blade. I'm not sure if I was pressing too hard. I tried starting over on the stone and then again on the belt (more than a few times), pressing more lightly, but no luck. The belt got a little rough after the first couple of blades/chisels. If it starts to get rough, should it then have compound? I guess my question is, when dealing with suade textured leather (which is how some of the belt got), is compound necessary to get good results?

I hope I'm not hijacking the thread, but just curious if anyone else here has ever used an old belt.

Joe

[George Symula]

Thanks to all. I'm off to fish the Delaware system in NY. E+W branches, Beaverkill, etc.

George

[george wilson]

I wear a 1 1/2" wide belt made of English harness leather. When I use my razor sharp knife,I often pull out the end of the belt,which is about 8",and strop the knife on the back of the belt. It seems to restore the very
slightly dulled edge . I have no compound on it,but remember that the knife is already nearly razor sharp,and I'm just renewing the edge a little.

[David Keller NC]

Hi guys,

I'm a new member here, and I just tried out an old leather belt I had laying around. The back side seemed to be good untreated leather, nice and smooth. I took two chisels and a plane blade, went to my stone (just an old carburundum), and then I went to the belt, without any compound. I got both of them pretty darn sharp with this homemade strop. I can cut paper clean across, and shave some hair. But then I went to do another plane blade, and it seemed like the belt started to dull the blade. I'm not sure if I was pressing too hard. I tried starting over on the stone and then again on the belt (more than a few times), pressing more lightly, but no luck. The belt got a little rough after the first couple of blades/chisels. If it starts to get rough, should it then have compound? I guess my question is, when dealing with suade textured leather (which is how some of the belt got), is compound necessary to get good results?

I hope I'm not hijacking the thread, but just curious if anyone else here has ever used an old belt.

Joe

Joe - Dumb question - you are pulling the blade toward you, are you not (i.e., runnign the blade in the opposite direction of how you would use it to cut something)? I ask because it really doesn't make sense that you would have roughed the leather up from stropping a couple of blades....