Starkie, available in North America?

[Geoffrey]

Hi all looking for a source for the Starkie leather and paste here in North America. Shipping from UK was over 2x the cost of the leather and paste.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Geoffrey.

 

[Paganwolf]

Do a search for Flexicut compound or just flexicut you will probably have that over there and its the same as the starkie stick or use a chrome polish such as autosol this will be your honing compound then you can use any piece of leather. sorry jake :rolmao:

 

[Squidders]

lol... I can't believe you're saying sorry to jake for any advice that isn't starkie ):

 

[Paganwolf]

He will only throw a tantrum when he sees it :rolmao:

 

[bryanr]

if chrome polish is good enough, you can pick up a tube at any Harley Davidson shop near your house.

Bryanr

 

[Paganwolf]

Doesnt need to be leather either a bit of MDF board works well too..

 

[al]

its good for a crook knife and buffing your nails but thats about it ,aint no different to a belt and some paste of some sort viva la water stones

 

[martin]

Take a visit to your local charity shop and have a look in the handbag section. :roll: If your lucky you'll find one made of decent leather. Take it to bits and you've got leather for strops or what ever else you care to make. Cheap as chips too.

 

[Paganwolf]

Yes Martins a wizard with a handbag, thanks for mine mate :biggthump my strop my strop :roll: i havent got a handbag honest :shock:

 

[JakeR]

Geoffrey, these guys like the challenge given to them by second rate strops. Thats why their knives aren't as sharp as mine

Don't know how you can get one into N America, but you must try....it's worth it

 

[Andy]

Jake. Have you felt other knife edges from other people. I doubt your is better, no offence mate but they are very hard to beat (yes I know what a cut thoat razor feels like)

 

[Martyn]

Geoffrey, these guys like the challenge given to them by second rate strops. Thats why their knives aren't as sharp as mine

Don't know how you can get one into N America, but you must try....it's worth it

*Martyn puts moderator hat on.

OK Jake enough.

This Starkie thing/joke you've got, has gone too far when you start advising new members from other countries to get one at all costs.

Geoffrey doesnt know your history here and is getting mixed (bad) information because of it.

Now I'm sorry to come over all heavy like your dad or something, but you really must think about the advice you give out here, especially to new members and especially if your advice is going to cost them money.

To import a Starkie into Canada would be stupidly expensive. I own a Starkie and it's nothing more than a cheap piece of leather and a bar of blumax polising compound - both of which (or thier Canadian equivalent) can be had domestically in Canada for very little money.

You've advised Geoffrey to spend considerably more than he needs to (the shipping alone would make the purchase ridiculous), in the interests of perpetuating what can only be described as an "in joke". Think about what you're doing Jake, have a laugh with the regulars by all means, but when a new member asks for advice, take it seriously. You know as well as I do, the Starkie is as good as any other strop and paste, but only because it's relatively cheap at £6. Factor in trans-atlantic shipping and it becomes a daft purchase.

 

[Hoodoo]

Geoffry, as a Canadian you have access to one of the best strops around. Check out Lee Valley. Not great as a field strop but excellent for the shop.

They also sell a leather strop pack so you can make your own strop.

Also, the green compound they sell for stropping is absolutely excellent!

 

[JakeR]

I didn't think know how much shipping was, all i was doing was recomending them highly...
And if we were to be warning people for giving expensive advice, then there would be alot of warnings going about the place :?:

 

[Martyn]

I didn't think know how much shipping was, all i was doing was recomending them highly...

Actually Jake, you recommend them above any other piece of leather + compound, repeatedly. Given that this was the first (and possibly the only) strop you've used, and therefore lack any realistic frame of reference, I'm struggling to see on what basis you make such strong recommendations.

I'm glad you've discovered the benefits of using a strop Jake, but (please correct me if I'm wrong) the Starkie is just a piece of (quite cheap) leather isn't it?

I'm sorry if i'm comming accross a little heavy handed here Jake, but it's my job to inject balance once in a while. Your relentless pimping of the Starkie unrealistically tips the scales so far to one side, that it cant go unchallenged.

Inject a little balance into your rhetoric, and you wont here a peep from me.


...as you were. :biggthump

 

[Geoffrey]

Thanks guys, and thanks Martyn for your advice. I think I will take hoodoos advice and get mine from Lee Valley

Thanks again all

Geoffrey.

 

[Geoffrey]

OK a question, how do I load my strop?

Thanks.

 

[Martyn]

OK a question, how do I load my strop?

Thanks.

Hoodoo's suggestion looks good. :biggthump

Just rub the compound into the rough side of the leather and strop away. You might find that initially, you'll load it up pretty heavily, but you should probably find that once you have your razor edge, loading with compound is less frequent. Lay your strop onto a flat surface and as a very rough guide, with your thumb centered on the spine of the blade, drag the blade towards you with the downside of your thumb just brushing the surface of the leather. This will give you an approximation of the right stropping angle, but it will vary quite a bit from one knife to the next. When stropping, try not to roll the blade too far. A leather strop is far more forgiving than a stone, but you can still blunt a blade by tipping the blade too high. Try and get a feel for the edge angle and do your best to maintain it. Check the edge often, you should be polishing the edge bevel all the way down. If you are plishing the very edge but not further back, you have the blade at too high an angle. If you are polishing the start of the edge, but not all the way, you're stropping with too shallow an angle. It takes a little practice, but you'll get the feel for it. Dont be tempted to whip the blade back and forth like you see em doing with a razor in the movies. Take it steady and keep a good angle, alternate sides frequently. You'll be impressed with the results.

One final point, a strop will give you a razor edge, but it's not a method of sharpening a blunt knife, it's a finishing and maintaining solution. Get a good edge first with stones, then strop to a razor and strop frequently to keep the razor. Some people prefer ceramic hones to leather, they are less prone to "rounding" your edge, but they are less forgiving bucause it's much harder to maintain a consistant angle, which is crucial with stones of any kind.

 

[Hoodoo]

When it comes to strops my friend, the world is your oyster. You need venture no further than your closet or, if necessary, a second hand store.

The red strop in the middle of the pic is one I made over 30 years ago. On one side is a strip of web belt (scrounged from my brother's USMC gear) and on the other, a piece of sturdy old belt I wore through high school. I've probably stropped on this thing a thousand times or more. The cost: a little glue and some elbow grease.

One little trick you might want to try when loading your leather strop is to first give it a coat of mineral oil. That will help you get a nice smooth coat of abrasive on your strop.

 

[JakeR]

The balance comes from Majikelly et al! :rolmao: