Stropping Success, and a Double Success!

[Stew Denton]

Hi All,

Thanks to everyone who gave advise on my basic stropping question post. The advise and information was much appreciated, and very informative.

I put together a strop, gluing the leather on it Saturday, and finally getting a chance to give it a go today. I do want to put some spar varnish on the wooden part, but haven't yet.

For the strop, I planned down an old piece of 2X4 that came off a fence stringer, got it flat, smooth, and planned it down to where the corners were sharp and square on the face where I glued the leather. I used some vegetable tanned cow hide which is about 3/16" thick, and ended up with a strop about 15"X 3&1/4" X 1&1/4." Probably bigger than it needed to be. The leather is not a hard finish leather at all, but is a medium leather. I glued it down rough side toward the board and smooth side up, using too much spray adhesive, I thought, but now think I should have used more.

I used white gold honing compound and gave it a go with the iron off a Record 778 rebate/fillister plane that I have been tuning up. I had sharpened the iron, finishing up with a 6000 grit water stone I bought 30 or more years ago. It was pretty sharp before I started the stropping, but after it was noticeably sharper.

After reading the comments on the Basic Stropping post, I decided to stop it about 20 strokes on each the bevel and the back, using only mild pressure.

After the stropping, I finally put together the 778 that I have been tuning up, and gave it a go. It cut a very nice rabbit, and it was a double success for me, success stropping and the tuning up of the 778 turned out great!

I goofed, putting a finger against the iron while getting ready to start the rabbit, and had a cut immediately. I just basically touched it, but that was all it took.

Again, thanks for all of the comments and advise.

Stew

[steven c newman]

Sounds great to me! Have to be careful around them sharp objects....

[Ron Patrick]

Good job, I know that I didn't reach that "super sharp" (hair jumps off your arm, lol) until I started stropping.

[Jim Koepke]

After reading the comments on the Basic Stropping post, I decided to stop it about 20 strokes on each the bevel and the back, using only mild pressure.

This interests me to some extent. My blades are usually only stropped 3 to 10 times per side. Thinking about it a bit it seems to be a matter of strop firmness, the firmness of the stroke and how the edge was when presented to the strop.

Often after working an edge on a stone it is tested on my arm. In some cases it seems too good to be made any better by the strop and returns to work with only a few drags across my palm.

Testing before and after stropping is what led me to lessening the stropping after the stones.

Again, it may be my stropping technique needs some refinement.

jtk

[Patrick Chase]

This interests me to some extent. My blades are usually only stropped 3 to 10 times per side. Thinking about it a bit it seems to be a matter strop firmness, the firmness of the stroke and how the edge was when presented to the strop.

It also depends on what strop material is used and whether it's "bare" or treated. 20 strokes on a bare leather strop is reasonable IMO, while that might be excessive (and lead to excessive rounding) with green compound. IIRC the straight-razor crowd sometimes make many more passes than that when using clean linen.

[David Ragan]

That is excellent, Stew.

This thread has been reassuring to me that stropping is still useful-I would be doing well to remember that more (pressure and times of strop) is not better

[Stew Denton]

Jim,

My method for choosing to stop stropping at the 20 passes point was based on the "wild guess" method. There were a lot of different methods, and I had watched some youtube videos that showed a lot of times on the strop.

I had guessed that: 1. how hard the leather is, 2. whether is is rough side or smooth side up, 3. how much pressure is use, (and now also have thought that: 4. how hard the chisel steel is), etc. probably all contributed to what number of strops is the best for a given combination of those factors. I had read your note on the technique of 3 to 10, and also saw some where the guy stropped 30 to 50 times, and quite firmly too. After a little thought, and after getting started, I decided on the 10 to 20, and also considered that since I wasn't putting a lot of pressure on the iron that going a few more strokes than you use probably wouldn't do any damage. However, I didn't want to go more strokes than that because my leather isn't very hard and also based on your warning (and others) about rounding over the edge, just arbitrarily stopped at the 10 to 20 strokes.

Thus, I decided to go for the middle ground and decided on 10 to 20 strops, but actually went to the strong end of that range, and had planned to check it when I got to that point. When I checked the iron it seemed pretty darned good, so put it in the plane and gave it a go. Maybe as I get more experience with it I can fine tune a bit, as I have no idea whether it would have been better to just use the 3 to 10 you use, or to go a lot more.

For the first go round, however, I was pretty pleased.

Regards,

Stew

[steven c newman]

Remember to strop the backs as well.....

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Stew,

The number of strokes on the strop is unimportant compared to the results. If you are getting the results you want, what someone else says is superfluous.

Recommendations are all over the place. One well known carving enthusiast says more than 10 is likely to round the edge. Another well known woodworker uses 30 or more, iirc. There really isn't a right or wrong answer, especially with all the variables.

What works for a person is what is best for that person.

My experience is with the strops in my shop and is based on checking the edge after it has been honed on my finest stone and then after stropping. The testing helped me to improve my stropping and sharpening. It also led me to see how incorrect stropping can degrade an edge.

Sometimes to not do something in a way that is detrimental, one has to identify what caused the unwanted result.

jtk

[Mike Holbrook]

I recently got interested in cooking and decided to upgrade my kitchen cutlery. I found a guy “ Burrfection” on YouTube, who reviews knives. He also has some interesting reviews of sharpening stones and more recently strops. He started making strops from very good materials. One can buy high grade leather, $4, for those who want to make their own. He has been experimenting with materials to back the leather up with and various compounds on the leathers. I ordered a strop he made, which I have been using without a compound. Just ordered another that I plan to use some compound, paste.....on. Mine get used more in the kitchen. Still if I feel that a given woodworking tool is not sharp enough.....I typically use Spyderco medium and ultrafine ceramic stones for my woodworking tools. I have LV green compound on MDF too, which translates to a relatively complete “maintenance” system for woodworking tools.

May be a source for some interested in the subject, with the understanding that Burrfection is more interested in razor sharp kitchen cutlery. Certainly kitchen knife maintenance may have significant differences from woodworking tool maintenance, still there may be similarities as well.

I might add that my sharpening techniques all revolve around getting the tool sharp enough for the work so I can get back to it. My interest in strops and sharpening compounds has to do with some evidence that more regular, less dramatic, refreshing of ones edge, may in fact save sharpening time and provide an improved edge for longer periods. I am not claiming that I necessarily believe this premise for woodworking tools. I am trying it for kitchen knives before I test it on woodworking tools.

[John C Cox]

Remember to strop the backs as well.....

I don't like to strop the backs... I have had issues messing up edge geometry of chisels pretty bad stropping backs on a charged strop. I prefer to touch the back on a finishing stone when stropping bevels...

But there may well be merit in stropping the back of a chisel or iron on an uncharged strop - to help straighten the edge.. I just haven't fooled with it (yet.. )

[steven c newman]

I do strop the backs...being careful to keep the blade flat on the strop, maybe 2-5 swipes. Just pull across the strop, keeping the blade flat on the strop...do NOT raise it until you are off the strop..

( used this a lot, on those Aldi's chisels....)

[ken hatch]

Congrats Stew....Good on you.

Finding what works takes time and observation along with kissing a few frogs. BTW, never be afraid of kissing frogs while it is not the only way to learn it can teach the needed lesson quickly.

ken

[michael langman]

I just made a strop 2 days ago with plywood and an old belt. I put the rough side of the belt up.
I found that stopping the chisel on the leather, and lifting it off of the strop, before getting to the end of my stropping stroke, helped to keep from rounding the sharp edge of my chisel.

[Bob Leistner]

i have a leather strop, but I've been trying just a piece of MDF with the green compound. Seems to work well and no chance of rounding the edge from the bevel or back side.