I can't believe how much difference leather strop makes...

[CAL]

I've just finished using my first leather strop and I can't believe how much difference its made to my knives.

I've read a lot off here on sharpening and I wondered just how much difference the leather strop would make or whether it only benefitted the real connoisseurs of sharpening. Well I can say that even a beginner really benefits from one.

I recently bought one off Ebay from a guy who makes his own ( Handmade Bushcraft Knife Leather Honing Strop AM Rhodes). I've seen these advertised quite a bit over the last 6 months or so and really liked the look of them.

After 10mins of use on both my opinel and mora both are now sharp enough to shave with. Excellent.

 

[spamel]

Funnily enough, strops were used by barbers!

 

[Eric_Methven]

Yup, I use one with my straight razor. Good bits of kit.

Eric

 

[Singeblister]

I use one for my carving tools they do a great job

 

[helixpteron]

I respect that everyone has their own opinion, but this thread is too stroppy! (o:

 

[JohnC]

I'd never bothered with stropping, but now use it a lot, I was amazed at the difference..

 

[Shewie]

Even though we know folk have used them for centuries there`s something about sharpening a bit of steel on some leather which doesn`t sound quite right until you try it.
I wasn`t a stropper either until a few years ago and now it`s a couple of flicks down the butchers steel and a minute on the strop, job done.


Rich

 

[Tadpole]

I read a post on this site a couple of years ago, about stropping knives regularly replacing the need to get the ‘stones’ out. And since then I’ve stropped my knives after almost every use, I’ve hardly had to use the stones, (other than a chipped tip to a blade from battoning wood with a bit of wire in at the moot) a minute or two minutes with a strop, and you are done. Less effort than trying to struggle with a even a slightly dull blade.
If the blade has seen some real hard use, for example this weekend I spent an afternoon making a two foot by two foot pile of kindling, then chopping a treated bridge pile 6x6x48” in to hobo sized fire wood, followed by making a huge pile of feather sticks. (Practice for when I show my BIL how to do it). I’ve taken to stopping my knife on a belt loaded with Autosol, then finishing off with a quick light go on a plain strop. Razor sharp clean and tres shinny all in one go.

 

[John Fenna]

I have used a strop for quite a while now so I am a true beliver!
Interestingly enough a tightly rolled shiny magazine also makes a fair strop - I have even used a rolled up newspaper with OK results.
I normally use a block of wood with leather glued to the surfaces. One side is loaded with pasted the other was plain, but has picked up a bit of paste over the years - it is about time to change the leather I guess!
In the field I use my (home made) leather belt, which I get tensioned by standing on one end of by looping around a tree.

 

[Andy2112]

sorry for my ignorance but can you use a normal leather belt, i have a swedish army one which is pretty thick ?

Andy

 

[John Fenna]

Sounds fine to me!
Made sure it is tensioned as you strop it or you will round off the edge instead of polishing it!
If the leather is thick enough you could just lay it on a table to strop.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Sounds fine to me!
Made sure it is tensioned as you strop it or you will round off the edge instead of polishing it!

I prefer your first method John,
Loop one end around a branch, stand on the other end, and wait for the tree to grow to get the tension just right

Ogri the trog

 

[John Fenna]

Hmmm looks like not all my typing came out on that one!
Still you get the idea!

 

[Native Justice]

The hard backed leather that comes attached to most legal pads makes a terrific strop. Use it as is or load the cardboard with your favorite honing compound and your blade will get spooky sharp in no time.

Also, the highly polished full color front and back covers on most telephone books are made using a clay like material applied to the cardboard that makes a killer stropping material. Tear them off the telephone book and use as is off a table top, etc. (back them on top of a mouse pad or leather for an excellent convex edge sharpener). The edge you get is even better, in most cases, than even what many get stropping on compound loaded leather! Further refine and polish the edge with stropping on a sheet of newspaper (the ink and fine abrasives in the paper do a terrific job of honing your final edge!).


NJ

 

[edispilff]

The strop is the way to go, just read an article (http://www.kosterknives.com/convexedge.htm) by Dan Koster about his work on convex edged knives. A proper stropping, over a period of time, will produce a perfectly convex edge. Scandi and flat ground edges can becomes notoriously sharp from a stropping regimen
For a quick fix, goto your local saddler/leather shop and ask for a small 10 inch piece of 4-4.5mm leather stirrup strap.... chances are you'll get it for free. double loop a bit of leather lace on the ends so you have something on one end to stick your foot through and also , on the other end, to hold onto. smear a smidgen of that cheap car paint scratch remover (it's like 8000 grit!).... and Voila!, you've got a small folding strop that fits in the kits.
Of course, you can just glue some leather to a flat stick, but it takes up a bit more space.

 

[Ian_The Outdoor Life]

Instead of leather
I use birch bracket fungus, they are absolutly bril i reckon

Ian

 

[Raptor]

I Love the clean polished finish you get after stropping.
I have also used heavy canvas and three ply cardboard as a strop when I didn't have my leather strop handy. These alternatives do work but they require a lot more effort, 50 strops on each side with leather is equivilent to about 100 each side using canvas.

 

[hog]

Is it possible to round off a blade by impropper stropping?

 

[michiel]

Yes that's possible. Use very light pressure. If you're just getting started with stropping, use little more than the weight of the blade.

regards.

Michiel

 

[hog]

Thanks for that nugget.