Can you all tell I am sharpening things that have been left alone too long? Many sharpening questions...
I have a couple of means to sharpen. I own a Lap Sharp, which is a fantastic sharpening machine. I use that quite a bit. I also use my Shapton stones as an alternative, particularly if I just need a quick hit. Either way has merit. My question is about what you do to "freshen up" your edge. I bought a strop a while back. I have it loaded up with compound and have run my chisels across it and it sure does seem to freshen the edge. however I am not sure if I am using it correctly. Basically I find the bevel, and then run the blade quickly down the strop, rinse and repeat. Is there anything more to it? Do you do anything to the back of the blade? I can't see how, but I have been shown the light many times. Is stropping a recommended practice? Will I go blind? I am sure, like many things in our world, there will be differences of opinion, but isn't that what the forum is for?
Let me know if you can shed some light oon this. I really qappreciate the help!
Joe