Strop Compound

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bugbear

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Wow they seem to be more fanatical about sharpening than we are, but then again they getting very close to skin? :)

Interesting that the Veritas compound is not what it says on the tin and much coarser?
I have some green compound that I bought from Clifton (I think) but never used - must "dig it out"?
I wonder if artist's green oil paint tubes work - the £2.50 pack comes to £10.80 with delivery and tax?

Rod
 
I just bought the Spyderco triangular knife sharpening system and recollect that in one of the Utube clips, the owner of the company talks about stropping and mentions that with a traditional razor, the strop has the action of elongating the burr to produce a very fine, but extremely delicate edge (which is why he advocates that it's not touched by fingers in case it gets damaged) To my way of thinking, this sort of edge is probably too fine for woodworking tools which is why I've stopped using a strop and just use the light green 3M film from WH for the final edge and to polish the back (ruler trick) - Rob
 
Harbo":2wqkbrk0 said:
Wow they seem to be more fanatical about sharpening than we are, but then again they getting very close to skin? :)

Interesting that the Veritas compound is not what it says on the tin and much coarser?
I have some green compound that I bought from Clifton (I think) but never used - must "dig it out"?
I wonder if artist's green oil paint tubes work - the £2.50 pack comes to £10.80 with delivery and tax?

Rod

Oil paint tends to set (well, that's the point of it).

I too found the shocker of the tax + delivery after I posted :-(

BugBear
 
I've just checked - the Clifton compound is blue.
I've never used it as I use the 3M films.

Rod
 
woodbloke":384kjm95 said:
I just bought the Spyderco triangular knife sharpening system and recollect that in one of the Utube clips, the owner of the company talks about stropping and mentions that with a traditional razor, the strop has the action of elongating the burr to produce a very fine, but extremely delicate edge (which is why he advocates that it's not touched by fingers in case it gets damaged) To my way of thinking, this sort of edge is probably too fine for woodworking tools which is why I've stopped using a strop and just use the light green 3M film from WH for the final edge and to polish the back (ruler trick) - Rob

Yeah - there's some funny stuff going on with razors. They certainly believe in edges degrading with TIME, even if unused.

BugBear
 
There's also another wacky cult based around scissor sharpening!

I work in London's West End and there's a little place near by that sharpens barber's scissors (barber's are supposed to only use disposable cuthroat razors these days for insurance reasons, it's about AIDS apparently) and uber expensive Japanese chef's knives. All day long there's a queue of slightly fanatical looking folk with expensive looking boxes heading through the door.
 
A while back I mentioned that I saved some powder from flattening a (now confirmed) Charnley Wood hone...mostly because I didn't want to waste it. It's in this cute little pot on my bottom shelf...

DSC_1711.JPG


One one of these Sweeney Todd forums there was a thread about using powder from flattening hones...mixed with a light oil...on leather to polish an edge.

I sharpened a kitchen knife in the normal way and just stropped it on said mixture and it is seriously sharp now.

Not sure that edge would hold up on chisels or plane irons as previously pointed out but it certainly worked on a hollow-ground knife edge...a bit to dangerous for an open kitchen as it happens!

Jim
 
Oil Stone Dust must have been readily available a few years ago, as it is mentioned frequently in my older Clock Making Books. Used for polishing hardened pinions and arbor ends.
I now use Autosol.

Rod
 
Stropping is something I'd really like to experiment with I do have an old motorcycle bag made from thick leather. I only need to cut it up. I have no idea where to buy polishing compound overhere. But I do have a set for polishing all the metal parts from my motorcycle days. It includes two sticks of polishing compounds and some buffing wheels. Could I use that stuff on a strop too with some oil mixed in?
 
Corneel":6luysakc said:
Stropping is something I'd really like to experiment with I do have an old motorcycle bag made from thick leather. I only need to cut it up. I have no idea where to buy polishing compound overhere. But I do have a set for polishing all the metal parts from my motorcycle days. It includes two sticks of polishing compounds and some buffing wheels. Could I use that stuff on a strop too with some oil mixed in?

Any fine enough, hard enough powder will serve.

Some woodworkers use the dried-out slurry from their finest waterstone.

BugBear
 
When you use the slurry from your finest stone, then you won't get a finer edge on your strop I suppose?

Oh well, I have enough leather, I'll just give it a try.
 
Corneel":1ib34may said:
When you use the slurry from your finest stone, then you won't get a finer edge on your strop I suppose?

Oh well, I have enough leather, I'll just give it a try.

"back in the day", stones in the UK were certainly coarser than rouge particles, so strops were definitely going to give a finer edge.

In the modern era, you pose a very fair question.

I suspect that the abrasive particles in a strop become broken and/or rounded, and (thus) give the effect of a finer grit.

But I get the impression that stropping has a slightly different action to fixed abrasives, at least in some circumstances.

Certainly the razor and knife crew, who have paid the big bucks for extremely fine stones (0.4 micron), also use strops (0.5 micron chome oxide)

BugBear
 
I use a straight razor and I just strop it on plain leather with no compound and it works well enough for me. I'm sure it's possible to get it sharper but, since is shaves well, I can't see the need.

Every now and then, I hit it up with some 3M paper to "refresh" the bevel but I'm not sure that's really making much difference.
 
bugbear":38c731yu said:
I suspect that, used on a strop, 75g of pigment, sorry 0.5 micron compound would last "a long time".

BugBear

I bought some of this two years ago.


chefknivestogo_2210_23415303


I use it on a strop for polishing my carving gouges.
I put three or four drops on two years ago and haven't had to add any more.
So it's had chisels and gouges run over it thousands of times and still makes steel very shiny and a little bit easier to push through wood.
St.John
 
jimi43":2u0irb6l said:
bugbear":2u0irb6l said:
jimi43":2u0irb6l said:
...one of these Sweeney Todd forums...

Nice! :lol: :lol: :lol:

BugBear

In the nicest possible way BB....don't want to get banned...its my home for hones.... :mrgreen:

Jim

You mean - they don't know that natural hones are only a coupla' quid at car boots? I thought everyone knew that :D

Since I don't deal for profit, I've stopped buying them - I've pretty much got "at least one of each", even an actual "labelled and branded" Turkey Stone.

BugBear
 
The problem is BB that most of the members are over the Pond and the concept of bootfair is not directly copied. Flea markets are the nearest equivalent or garage sales but then the only examples usually found are Arkansas, Wachita etc...

As you know...these were very popular over here when they became available...replacing the Charnleys and Slates and other local stone. Isn't it funny that these are now the ones sought after by our colonial friends.

I like collecting these things for my interest in their historical origin...the geology and the practice of finding what is available locally to grind and hone the tools of the working man.

My workshop manager held the ladder....

DSC_1717.JPG


...while I photographed the current collection....

DSC_1724.JPG


...over to ALFIE....

DSC_1728.JPG


HI BB! We are presently concentrating on natural stones....they taste better...not those smelly oily ones with gritty bits...

This bone for instance is OK for sickles but no good for chewing....

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Jim
 
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