To strop or not to strop? That is the ...

[Rich Seifert]

Excellent advice. Again, thanks for sharing your wisdom! I just ordered the Lee Valley Strop & Compound Set, 05D1101, and I'll also try mounting cardboard or mdf on the WorkSharp platter to experiment and determine which method works best for me, pick one, and stay with it. Thanks again! - Rich

[Metod Alif]

This
Paul Sellers - How to sharpen a handplane - YouTube or
Plane and Chisel Sharpening - YouTube.
might be all that you need to know about stropping. It is also free (maybe not a drawback).
Best wishes,
Metod

[Bill White]

Want a smart a$$ed answer? Send me $1,000. I'll make you a fine leather faced paddle (2 sided) with some green rouge on one side, alum. oxide on the other, 2 water stones, and a greeting card.
Seems that sharpening today has become an excercise in how much one can afford.
Told ya it was a wise..............
Bill

[Tri Hoang]

I don't think the Lee Valley green compound will do much good after your 10K stone because it is (was?) considerably coarser than your 10K stone. I used to struggle to understand why stropping with LV green compound leave more scratches on the tools than the finish off my 12K Sharpton Pro stone. After some research, I believe LV green compound has some coarse aluminum oxide (to help speed up the cutting action).

I had good experience with TFWW green bar...very fine and does not seem to mess up the mirror finish off my 12K stone.

Excellent advice. Again, thanks for sharing your wisdom! I just ordered the Lee Valley Strop & Compound Set, 05D1101, and I'll also try mounting cardboard or mdf on the WorkSharp platter to experiment and determine which method works best for me, pick one, and stay with it. Thanks again! - Rich

[Trevor Walsh]

I also use the TFWW green compound. The strop touches every blade I have multiple times before re-honing. I even have loose leather with compound on it for hard to strop items and dowels with compound for stropping travishers etc. Try it, I think you'll find that you have sharper tools with longer edge life. A strop is also easier than dealing with the water that would accompany another waterstone, especially when paring a DT carcass you'll be hitting the strop 4 times a side. I do anyways.

[Jim Koepke]

I use a green stick that was purchased at a lapidary shop. They use it to put a high gloss on gems and other stones.

It seems to polish out any "haze" that may be left by my 8000 water stone and shines up the finish left by my translucent Arkansas stones.

jtk

[Jorge Rico]

Rich,
If I am using waterstones on plane blades or chisels and finish them with an 8000 grit waterstone, no stropping is needed. However, I should add that when using an 8000 grit stone the stone is prepped by rubbing it with a Nagura stone (a natural stone similar to chalk) prior to the final polish. If I am lazy and don't go the waterstone route, then Arkansas stone sharpening is followed by stropping on a thick old leather belt charged with jewelers rouge that is sitting flat on the workbench. Both methods will get any blade to an arm hair shaving level. To answer your last question, when stropping I take two swipes, one where the back of the blade is dead flat on the leather and the other where the bevel is held flat against the leather. In both of those passes the sharp end is pointing away and the blade is pulled towards me.

Hope this helps.

[Bobby O'Neal]

It is very cheap to make a strop, so just try it and see, I say. I am another in the camp that says stropping very often is a great way to maintain the edge. I am a scary sharp user (for now) and go from a 2000 paper to the strop and its night and day difference. Luckily, I don't have to consistently visit anything other than the strop. Its a great way to maintain and edge. Last sandpaper polish seems sharp but the strop will really go on and make 'em tell the truth.

[Rich Seifert]

Okay - thanks to your posts, I just discovered TFWW. Thanks gentlemen! I think I have everything I need to give it a try...

[Rich Seifert]

I just thought I'd return to share what I've done. I returned the Power Select II stones and worked with Stu (I wish I knew about him and toolsfromjapan.com before I bought anything) ... I am sure I wouldn't have bought 100 sheets of 6" disc PSA paper in every grit. Perhaps just 80-320 in 3M Cubitron? Anyway, Stu hooked me up with the Sigma Power 1000-6000-13000 set and I upgraded the Power 1000 stone to the Power Select II 1200 stone at his recommendation. I put my first blade (A2) through the finishing schedule: PSII 1200, PS 6000, and PS 13000 ... then stropped a few laps on a piece of horse butt and holy crap! I cannot describe the edge I attained ... an absolute best-ever for me! Now I understand the phrase, "hairs literally jumped of my arm!" The stones stayed pretty flat ... and flattened with the included Atoma 400 diamond stone very quickly as well. I chose to add a separate iWood rubber base and I couldn't be happier! Thank you for everything and special thanks to Stu for all of his time/attention explaining the differences between the Power Select II and Power stones! I will be back! And I will continue to strop (the main reason for this thread in the first place). ;-)

[Curt Putnam]

Power stropping (as in your WS with leather wheel) can do some pretty powerful sharpening (not as fast as a belt sander or circular wheel). If you are so inclined, it has a place. I can take a double iron from a Bailey style plane and stick on my 30° angle guide (with groove down the center for the screw), strop the heck out of it on the WS in 20 seconds and drop it back in the plane and be back working a lot faster than I can have a keen edge any other method with that style plane.

Short answer: Strop

[Jerome Hanby]

Power stropping (as in your WS with leather wheel) can do some pretty powerful sharpening (not as fast as a belt sander or circular wheel). If you are so inclined, it has a place. I can take a double iron from a Bailey style plane and stick on my 30° angle guide (with groove down the center for the screw), strop the heck out of it on the WS in 20 seconds and drop it back in the plane and be back working a lot faster than I can have a keen edge any other method with that style plane.

Short answer: Strop

I used the leather wheel to finish off a block plane blade i was using to play with the WS. It really finished it off well.

[jerry nazard]

Rich,

You have discovered two wonderful go-to people: Stu, and Joel at TFWW.

I always have a stropping block on the bench charged with green compound. I also have a 3 x 8 block of MDF covered with suede and charged with paraffin. Every so often I will strop the sole of my plane BACKWARDS on the waxed block. This really makes your plane glide across the wood. Try it... you'll like it!!

Best!

-Jerry