# Stropping knives



## Radiophile (Jun 30, 2009)

I've decided to try stropping my knives and before I order a bunch of stuff I won't use I thought I'd ask for some advice.

What kind of strop?
Is it glued to wood or flexible like a razor strop?
Smooth or rough?
What kind of compound or no compound?
Why?


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## chmsam (Jun 30, 2009)

Radiophile said:


> What kind of strop?
> Is it glued to wood or flexible like a razor strop?
> Smooth or rough?
> What kind of compound or no compound?
> Why?



- Leather usually works best but even a piece of cardboard or denim can work well also.
- Either. Whatever is more comfortable for you to use and is more appropriate for the blade being stropped (length, width, shape, etc.).
- Smooth -- strops are not for sharpening, they are used to polish the edge of a blade that's already sharp (which can help to make it "scary sharp" -- strops are most often used for razors).
- Depends on the strop and how fine you want to polish the edge.
- As I said before, this finishes/polishes the edge.

Do a web search or check out one of the knife web sites for more info. A strop requires a different technique than honing.

Some sites for reference:

Classic Shaving

Knife Center of the Internet Sharpen a Razor Instructions (look near the bottom of the page for strops/stropping info.)

Joe Talmadge's Knife Sharpening/Strop FAQ from the KnifeArt.com site (stropping info. about mid-way through the page - and Joe knows blades!).

Note: it is VERY important to be sure that the blade edge is very clean before using a strop. Otherwise you will embed small bits of metal ("fines") left on the edge from sharpening into the strop and that will ruin it.


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## tundratrader (Jun 30, 2009)

This is the Bark River knives forum, there is quite a bit of info about stropping there.
http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/s..._session_id/37a5432722ed39b78f9e20ffacb9844f/

I use a strop for my convex edge knives only these days. I think that stropping a standard bevel edge almost acts against it, In that you loose the bite the edge has. It almost gets them too sharp if that makes since. I have been finishing all of my bevel edge knives on either my white spyderco stone or on my 4000 grit norton. These will make any knife scary shaving sharp with good tecnique. 

As for the strop itself one can be made with a piece of belt leather on a paintstick or 2x4 just something sturdy to back it. The leather really opens up after a good orbital sanding or scotch brite session! You do not want to have it flexible like a razor strop. You will just round the edge. I am not super familiar with what the compounds are made from but I think chrome rouge is what you would by off the shelf. The course compounds act as the grit I think I read once that the black is something like 8000 grit and the green is something like 10000 grit I could be wrong about that though. Knivesshipfree.com has a really nice strop and compound combo that that will last a lifetime. They also have some excellent videos. But DO NOT STAPLE YOUR LEATHER DOWN like the guy in the video! Use a glue of some sort. 

Hope that helps. 
Zach


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## Radiophile (Jul 1, 2009)

tundratrader said:


> I use a strop for my convex edge knives only these days. I think that stropping a standard bevel edge almost acts against it, In that you loose the bite the edge has. It almost gets them too sharp if that makes since.


 
Did you get the convex edge exclusively by stropping? I've thought about using the mouse pad and sandpaper method. I don't have access to a slack belt which I understand is the fastest.

Part of why I've decided to try stropping is to get a convex or semi-convex edge on a knife or two to see how I like them. I'll probably start with something cheap I've not bothered to carry for a while, but if I like it I might try to put a convex edge on the knives that I usually carry.

Does anyone here strop with just plain leather to finish the edge? How much does that actually do?


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## tundratrader (Jul 3, 2009)

I did convex a benchmade 151 griptillian from 120 grit sandpaper on up. It took quite awhile but it worked. Kinda fun just to mess around with. Stropping does not really remove metal it more or less just straightens it so that it has no teeth. I dont think that I would do it again by hand. It takes forever to remove enough metal to convex the edge properly and it is also very hard to do anymore than just knock down the bevel from what I expierenced. I think using something like a plastic handled carbon steel frost mora would probably work well and that is what I will try if I do it again. 

I honestly have not seen the benifit of the convex edge. My bark river and blackjack knives that are convex are for sure my sharpest knives. I cannot say for sure if they hold the edge or resist rolling anymore than my beveled edge knives. I think much of it has to do with steel more than anything. My big fat 30+ degree bevel strider takes a wicked edge and keeps it forever. 

From what I have read plain leather does little to help on a knife. It is basically polishing the knife to a point where it has no bite left. 

Hope this makes since. I would try it for sure. Just like flashlights knives are fun to play. 
Zach


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## Trashman (Jul 3, 2009)

I don't remember what show it was on--possibly How It's Made--but they were illustrating what stropping does. I think, it may have been an episode about shaving straight razors. The illustration showed a highly magnified view of a freshly sharpened razor/blade, and that it had micro-burrs on the edge of the blade. The stropping actually smoothed out those micro-burrs. It doesn't actually change the profile of the edge, though. The stuff that is it smoothing out is, basically, microscopic.


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## chmsam (Jul 3, 2009)

Stropping does not really realign the edge. That's what a knife steel is for (you use those the opposite way you would use a sharpening stick). Strops polish the edge since the leather (or other material) is not stronger than steel.

Hones, steels, and strops are all useful tools to keep you blade in great shape.

It is important to remember that strops are best used only on knives that are to be used for fine tasks and not for heavy duty or even most everyday uses. Detail work with paper or shaving edges will benefit from stropping but doing so to knives used to cut rope and heavy cardboard is a waste of effort -- the fine edge will be lost way too soon to make it worthwhile.


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## Radiophile (Jul 3, 2009)

There seems to be a difference of opinion on whether a finely polished edge is inferior to a toothy edge for slicing. That's one reason why I'm going to give it a try.

I've steeled my knives for a long time now with an antique butcher steel that belonged to my Grandfather, and I see the benefit both on kitchen and pocket knives. I see stropping as the next step. Unfortunately I didn't get his collection of straight razors and associated accessories.


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## RA40 (Jul 4, 2009)

Depends what you will be cutting and how aggressive you want the edge to be by polishing the bevel. Just like saw teeth pitch/coarseness in theory. It doesn't take much to polish an edge especially when beveled at 320 grit or finer. You may lose a lot of "bite" in a few passes.

For ease and time, I use a buffer with a light touch or leather mounted on a flat base with polishing compound. Personally, I like leather since it is a more gradual process than by running it across a buffing wheel. YMMV so try it and see what you prefer.


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## THE PUNISHER (Jul 4, 2009)

I use several strops,jemicho makes a top one with a stone also............


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