stroppingleather

[Two Socks]

First of all: I am not quite sure in what section to post this. If this is wrong, please move it around.

Ok, for the question. I want to go about sharpening my spoonknives the way Ben Orford describes in this great video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDjGbx7jIt0

My problem, though, is that I can`t seem to find a place here where I can find the thin soft leather he uses. Are there alternatives? Would the 'inside' of thick denim/jeans material work? Or does anybody happen to know where to look for leather in the west of Holland?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Baggy]

Here you go

http://www.nicwestermann.co.uk/sharpening/cat_9.html

 

[Two Socks]

Great site, but they do not seem to ship to the Netherlands. Thanks though

 

[robin wood]

The thing with stropping leather is it's very easy to get stuff that is too soft or too thick and end up rounding the edge of your knife. I find putting compound onto a piece of MDF is perfect. It has just the right amount of give and feel without rounding the edge. For compound I use autosol metal polish available from most car or DIY places designed as chrome polish but it is a very even very fine abrasive that cuts fast.

 

[Two Socks]

Thanks, I can give that a shot! MDF I had lined up to glue the leather on in the first place. This makes it simpler then I thought.

 

[santaman2000]

TBH I've never had much luck with stropping. That's why I prefer a proper butcher's steel.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Dude a butchers steel puts a terrible edge on your knifes, I know its sharp but its a quick edge, and quick to blunt, butchers only use them as they are always in the butchers shop and always have the steel in the shop. Sorry I hate them.

 

[sasquatch]

I'm a bit of a sad sack when it comes to knives and razors. Stropping is awesome. Chef steels are great for butchers and chefs, but you'll never see a barber use one before shaving someone. You'll never see a wood worker use a steel either, it's a different kettle of fish. You can use leather, newspaper on flat wood, seatbelts, linen, balsa, cardboard, mdf with compound and countless other things to strop. It'll make something sharp scary sharp once you've had some practice. Well worth learning to do in my opinion...

 

[santaman2000]

Dude a butchers steel puts a terrible edge on your knifes, I know its sharp but its a quick edge, and quick to blunt, butchers only use them as they are always in the butchers shop and always have the steel in the shop. Sorry I hate them.

All very true. But then again, the only time I really need a knife to be that sharp is when I'm processing meat.

 

[santaman2000]

I'm a bit of a sad sack when it comes to knives and razors. Stropping is awesome. Chef steels are great for butchers and chefs, but you'll never see a barber use one before shaving someone. You'll never see a wood worker use a steel either, it's a different kettle of fish. You can use leather, newspaper on flat wood, seatbelts, linen, balsa, cardboard, mdf with compound and countless other things to strop. It'll make something sharp scary sharp once you've had some practice. Well worth learning to do in my opinion...

LOL. I'd love to just find a barber that still shaves customers. No matter what he uses.

 

[robin wood]

folk talk about butchers steels as if they are just one thing where in fact there are huge variations, I have a ceramic one from IKEA which was about £10 and is very similar grit to a spyderco sharpmaker, perfect for quickly touching up knives with a secondary bevel, like kitchen knives, pen knives, mora clipper knives. Not good for woodcarving knives or other zero ground scandis but brilliant for general purpose knives.

 

[Silverclaws]

I agree leather does not have to be used, it was used in the past because that was the most suitable material given synthetics were not yet available, but now we have all manner of materials we can use and I shave mostly daily with a cut throat razor and it has always been stropped on the inside face of a leather belt I wear which is great for when one is travelling but good enough at home too. But I have used other surfaces at a pinch, cardboard seems to work pretty well and the cut side of MDF.

You have to understand what you are hoping to achieve with processes and when that understanding is gained one can apply that understanding to whatever is available. Stropping is just polishing the edge and something else about aligning some microscopic particles into a straight line, the latter being mostly lost on me as I understand polishing is enough to know, a smooth polished edge travels better and when that travelling medium is skin, you want the best you can get and so if you can strop an open razor for shaving you have got it pretty much down to the ground with any other requirement.

But the desire for traditional materials today is a desire for the past, it worked in the past so it will work now and some think past materials were somehow magical and one just has to have those past materials for something to work, it is not so as past materials have their obvious limitations, wet leather is no good for polishing and we live in a wet climate where organic materials attract bacteria which grows and if the application is for use on the skin, well you are transferring bacteria to somewhere were the possibility exists to provide a fresh open wound, not good.

But if leathers are the desire, try chamois leather, the type used for drying the car after it has been washed and from that with modernity in mind, try synthetic chamois and anything else readily and cheaply available until you find your ideal.

 

[sasquatch]

LOL. I'd love to just find a barber that still shaves customers. No matter what he uses.

Lolz. You wouldn't enjoy a shave after stropping on a steel! Straight shaves can be found in america but they're done with a shavette with a disposable blade now. They're very sharp. A chef's steel is great for food prep, no argument there.

 

[Silverclaws]

Different blades have different requirements and so their sharpening is different, a butcher's blade sharpened on a steel provides more of a serrated edge so cutting is not only sharpness but almost a sawing action. Aside from my razor my blades I sharpen to 'catching sharp' that is they sightly catch the skin when lightly rubbed across the blade length. The razor does this I know it needs honing and of course the proof of the pudding is the dry removal of arm hair, it will do that it will work fab when the lube is applied.

 

[sasquatch]

A razor honed perfectly will cut arm hair without touching your arm. Thats proper hair popping sharp! We all know knives don't need this treatment but it sure is fun!

 

[Hugo]

I'm with Ben on this one, after a while stropping his way it becomes a natural thing to do for me.
I like Ben Orford do I.

 

[grey-array]

Hey man I will Pm you, there are plenty of leather shops in Holland, if you know where to look, I will also gladly send you some
Yours sincerely Ruud

 

[Retired Member southey]

you could go to a funiture shop that sells leather covered sofas and ask for any oof cuts or old swatch books, then glue the leather fluffy side up onto a bit of pine and Roberts your mothers brother!

 

[roger-uk]

First of all: I am not quite sure in what section to post this. If this is wrong, please move it around.

Ok, for the question. I want to go about sharpening my spoonknives the way Ben Orford describes in this great video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDjGbx7jIt0

My problem, though, is that I can`t seem to find a place here where I can find the thin soft leather he uses. Are there alternatives? Would the 'inside' of thick denim/jeans material work? Or does anybody happen to know where to look for leather in the west of Holland?

Thanks in advance.

send me your address and I'll post you some - will repay some of the favours done for me.

 

[santaman2000]

Lolz. You wouldn't enjoy a shave after stropping on a steel! Straight shaves can be found in america but they're done with a shavette with a disposable blade now. They're very sharp. A chef's steel is great for food prep, no argument there.

Yeah, back when I could find them they were already using a disposable single edge blade (although it was mounted into a cut-throat type razor) And that was back in the mid 1970s! Any more it's hard to find a true barber to be honest. Mostly they're licensed cosmotologists who happen to cut men's hair. I know there are still real barbers out there who still do shaves but they are awfully hard to find.