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Thread: Let's talk about strops (and ceramic stones)

  1. #16
    20151221_142329_resized.jpg I have a Surgi-sharp leather belt on my old 42" sander that does what I need

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    NE Ohio
    Posts
    1,029
    Derek, it sounds like you (and George) are using the setup I eventually want to adopt. I was experimenting some last night using plain MDF with green compound. I Applied it scribbled like crayon. I worked the edges by applying pressure only on the back stroke.

    However, the surface undulates slightly from the compound. I'm not sure I could ever get it applied in a perfectly even coating. The edges seemed quite sharp but I'm concerned that I'm missing something obvious.

    As a side note, I like the polished look I get from using the compound. It's a purely aesthetic thing, but I enjoy using a tool with a mirror finish

    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    First off, I use Spyderco Medium and Ultra Fine, and most of the time I spray on a little soapy water to lubricate and wash off swarf.

    Secondly, I no longer use leather strops. I have used them for many years, and there are articles on my website comparing bare, diamond-impregnated and green compound-added strops. They are work well. However green compound (from LV) rubbed on planed hardwood is just awesome. It avoids any danger of dubbing, and is cheap and replaceable.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    -- Dan Rode

    "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,468
    Hi Dan

    If you have "clumpy" crayon on the strop, run the back of the blade on it first. This will remove the clumps. You could also dribble a tiny amount of mineral oil (baby oil) on the wax. It will dissolve and you can work it into the surface, as well as remove the extra layer.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Williamsburg,Va.
    Posts
    12,402
    Yes,horse butt,called CORDOVAN leather,is the best leather for many things. You can't make belts from it because the whole piece of horse butt is not large enough to make a long strip for a belt.

    As I mentioned,I,too,used a leather strop for decades myself. I liked to use it hair(smooth) side up. This was less edge dubbing than using the suede side up(which most others seemed to use. The problem with using the smooth side up is it is easy to gash the leather,hurting the surface. But,like everything else,it required FINESSE. Everything requires FINESSE!

    So,at this stage,Derek and I are,without knowing each other,have been using the same sharpening setups.

    I do not recommend using the ceramic,or ANY OTHER stone dry. The swarf will end up stuck to the stone. That is minimized by use of a lubricant to float particles off,leaving gray water to wipe off. That gray is the swarf. I use a squirt bottle of water with a few drops of detergent in it. Something is needed to keep the stone from prematurely loading up,or it won't cut effectively any more. the small amount of water I use is enough to do the job,but easily wiped up with a bit of paper towel. With water stones,I just don't like the mess they make. And,they somehow always managed to leave a bit of light rust on my tools,though I wiped them quite dry after honing. Somehow,my present system does not make my tools rust.
    Last edited by george wilson; 03-04-2016 at 9:31 AM.

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