Stropping compound

[Slaphead]

Well, I now have my strop set up and have managed to get some of the green compound on it, although it was as hard as nails, and I think I will have to melt it a little and add more later. I'm not even sure how much compound is enough.

Made me wish I had gone for that German paste which spreads more easily.

So I have another question for which answers will be gratefully appreciated.

If I want to change to a different compound at some stage, is this possible?

I have heard that compounds shouldn't be mixed, but I just wondered how one might remove old compound before applying new.

 

[Kepis]

Scrape it off with the back of your knife, or an old Stanley blade works well too.

 

[Slaphead]

Thanks.

 

[Brizzlebush]

Scrape it off with the back of your knife, or an old Stanley blade works well too.

Yep, that's what I do.
The leather needs a clear out of old compound every so often.
I bought a block of green compound (Veritas I think) years ago with a view to using others later on. But the green works so good, and will last forever I didn't bother trying any others.

 

[gra_farmer]

I use green compound, and mine is quite hard, just rub on use and repeat. Keep in a sandwich bag after you have removed the top layer

 

[C_Claycomb]

Hard compounds need to be rubbed on the strop hard and fast. The friction melts them and allows them to transfer to the strop. You want to really see the strop changing colour, and having the fluffy surface getting matted down with compound. Rubbing the compound around as if it was a rubber eraser and you are cleaning light pencil marks doesn't do much with the hard compounds I have used.

My green compound, bought for buffing and grinder belt dressing, is a HUGE great brick size block and is much softer than the small block of "Smurf Poo" I bought for strop dressing.

Personally I do not like the block compounds much because the strop surface soon gets glazed and needs to be scraped often. At least that is my experience. Longstrider likes the hard compound and accepts that he has to scrape and renew often. I prefer Tormek or Autosol paste, which comes in a tube, and does not mat down so much and does not require scraping before renewing since the carrier evaporates leaving powdery abrasive.

 

[demographic]

Another vote for the green, the one currently on my strop was packaged by Veritas but I bought some waaay cheaper polishing blocks off Ebay and its got to be said the cheap stuff seems fine to me.

 

[B.L. craft]

I got some brown blocks, it came with the strop board and seems to work well on Bushcraft knives and axes and my leather skivers if they shave my arm then it's sharp enough. Not used any of the other compound but may do now.

 

[eraaij]

Have the hard green compound and use it on the inside of my belt as a portable stropper in the field. On stropping boards I usually apply some chrome polish. Cheap, easy to obtain and works a treat.

 

[Slaphead]

Thanks very much.

 

[Murat_Cyp]

I like the CBN emulsion best. Very easy to apply, only a few drops is enough, stays on the strop and keep removing the metal forever. I only cleaned the strop once in a year, and it was not because it lost it's effectiveness, I just wanted to practice removing and reapplying the compound!

 

[MartiniDave]

I've been using T-cut scratch removing polish, since I found a tube in the back of the shed when I replaced the floor a few months back.

 

[Nice65]

I like the CBN emulsion best. Very easy to apply, only a few drops is enough, stays on the strop and keep removing the metal forever. I only cleaned the strop once in a year, and it was not because it lost it's effectiveness, I just wanted to practice removing and reapplying the compound!

And £25 for a tiny bottle! I’d like to try it, but it’s very expensive. Two grits and you’ve spent £50.

I‘m with Chris on block compounds. Everyone raved about the Starkie Blue because Longstrider loves it and his sharpening is the stuff of legend. Personally I didn’t like the glazing, having previously used an emulsion made by a guy on BritishBlades that was awesome.

It’s made me wonder if it’s worth finding a solvent for the block compounds and dissolving them to make a paste?

 

[Murat_Cyp]

And £25 for a tiny bottle! I’d like to try it, but it’s very expensive. Two grits and you’ve spent £50.

I‘m with Chris on block compounds. Everyone raved about the Starkie Blue because Longstrider loves it and his sharpening is the stuff of legend. Personally I didn’t like the glazing, having previously used an emulsion made by a guy on BritishBlades that was awesome.

It’s made me wonder if it’s worth finding a solvent for the block compounds and dissolving them to make a paste?

Yes, I agree that they are expensive. I haver tried cheaper alternatives, but they did not impressed me as much! The best combination I have found is CBN emulsion and kangaroo leather.

 

[Ch@rlie]

Just reading through posts not been here in ages, I use AutoSol its a polish compound in a tube (get from a car shop) works great on leather strop.