Getting started in stropping.

[J_SAMa]

Hi guys,

I've been sharpening all my chisels on 1000 and 3000 japanese waterstones and polishing them on 12000 micro mesh sandpaper (which is about as fine as 6000 japanese waterstones). Now I wanna ditch the sandpaper and go with stropping instead. What kind of leather and honing compound should I choose?

The only leather dedicated to tool sharpening that I've found is this:
http://www.mehr-als-werkzeug.de/product ... -Strop.htm
and this:
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/hand-tools/sh ... op---220mm

So which one should I buy? Or do you know any better ones? I'm still a student so money matters. Please try to recommend something under 30 pounds...

Now about honing compound. I really barely know anything about this so please recommend me some nice honing compounds. Try to recommend specific models and not just manufacturers or types of compounds.
Veritas' and Flexcut's honing compounds have good reputations though. Has anyone used these
Some people use diamond pastes on pieces of glass to polish. Are these only meant for glass or do they work on leather as well? And what are some good diamond pastes? How about Norton's?
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/hand-tools/sh ... 1_2-micron

Thanks and sorry for so many questions in one post
Sam

 

[bobbybirds]

I strop using the Veritas green compound on a piece of horse hide. That stuff work amazing! I find it definitely stretches the amount of time working between resharpening.

 

[J_SAMa]

I strop using the Veritas green compound on a piece of horse hide. That stuff work amazing! I find it definitely stretches the amount of time working between resharpening.

Hi Bobby,
What kind of horse hide is it and where can I find it? Can you be more specific?
Sam

 

[AndyT]

Just go to the nearest charity shop and buy an old leather belt!

 

[Racers]

I use a bit of leather (came from an old jacket) stuck to some MDF for chisels, and a leather belt from a charity shop for the kitchen knives.

Pete

 

[Jacob]

Just go to the nearest charity shop and buy an old leather belt!

Or a heavy handbag? Old type school satchel? And use metal polish instead of those daftly expensive compos.

 

[Fromey]

I bought a lump of jeweller's rouge from Workshop Heaven (I didn't realise it's a massive 500g lump that will last a few lifetimes) and I simply rub some on to a piece of photocopy paper (looks like a crayon scrawl). I place the paper on top of my float glass on stop one handed on that. Works a treat!

Prior to this I would 'moisten' a piece of MDF with some 3-in-1 oil and then add a bit of autosol. That also works wonders. I suppose I should now try MDF + jeweller's rouge.

EDIT: I found this interesting thread; http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread. ... MDF-Really

 

[Paul Chapman]

I've found that a piece of leather stuck to some MDF and jewellers rouge and Vaseline works very well. Bought the piece of leather from Mike Hudson who demonstrates Clifton planes at the various shows - he usually has a stack of it

Alternatively, some Autosol and 3-in-1 oil on a piece of flat wood works well

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[J_SAMa]

Just go to the nearest charity shop and buy an old leather belt!

Hi Andy,

Your joking right... -.-
If your not joking, I'm in luck. I got like 3 old belts I don't need at home But seriously, are they going to work as well as real leather strops dedicated to blade stropping?
Oh, yeah, and which side of the belt should I use?

Sam

 

[J_SAMa]

I've found that a piece of leather stuck to some MDF and jewellers rouge and Vaseline works very well. Bought the piece of leather from Mike Hudson who demonstrates Clifton planes at the various shows - he usually has a stack of it

Alternatively, some Autosol and 3-in-1 oil on a piece of flat wood works well

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Hi paul,

What leather is that? Cowhide? Horsehide?
And what do you think about proper honing compound (chromium oxide for example) on a piece of wood?

Sam
PS: I got the exact same Vaseline as you...

 

[Paul Chapman]

What leather is that? Cowhide? Horsehide?
And what do you think about proper honing compound (chromium oxide for example) on a piece of wood?

Not sure what sort of leather it is - but it's not that critical.

Lots of things can be classed as "proper honing compound". The ones I've used are jewellers rouge, Autosol and diamond paste. They all work well. Just try some out and see how you get on. The aim should be to get a good polish on the cutting edge.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[bobbybirds]

I strop using the Veritas green compound on a piece of horse hide. That stuff work amazing! I find it definitely stretches the amount of time working between resharpening.

Hi Bobby,
What kind of horse hide is it and where can I find it? Can you be more specific?
Sam

Mine came from Lee Valley, but I am lucky enough to live withing 15 minutes of an LV store so it is much more cost effective than having it shipped... I got the pre-made strop as I use it for my kitchen knives as well and it is easy to hold.

Old belt or anything like that is pretty much the same thing. Use the raw leather side if the belt is finished.

 

[Lons]

Not sure what sort of leather it is - but it's not that critical.

Lots of things can be classed as "proper honing compound". The ones I've used are jewellers rouge, Autosol and diamond paste. They all work well. Just try some out and see how you get on. The aim should be to get a good polish on the cutting edge.
Cheers :wink: Paul

I agree with Paul.

I doubt the type of leather matters much. If it's thin then stick it to a flat surface, the flatter the better. Thicker stuff is still best stuck down but not so critical. I have both. Bits from an old leather coat but I also have a thick leather sole scrounged from a shoe repairer who was cutting a key for me at the time. Cheap to buy anyway.

I have several polishing compounds, brown, green, white which all work but I get the best polish using autosol. As said, use the back side of the leather though not a lot of difference in the case of the sole.

I'd advise spending very little, if anything before you've given the free stuff a go.

Bob

 

[Sean Hellman]

Why use leather? The strops I make have leather one side and canvas the other. The leather has a bit of give in it and is good for tools like axes that I want a slight convex edge on. The canvas has no give and I use that for my knives and backs of chisels and plane blades.

 

[Simon Wells]

You can buy off cuts from Flea Bay for a few quid.

My first was an old belt glued to a strip of wood, great for chisels but to narrow for planes. For about £4 plus P & P got a 3mm by 12 inchs by 4 inchs that is now glued to a off cut board.

I have been using T cut, as I happen to have some, it seems OK but I shall try autosol.

Each time I have sprayed the glue on the smooth side then stropped on the rough by drawing it back wards to stop be slicing up the leather.

Seems a cheap way to do the job.

 

[Argus]

.

Paul Chapman advocates a piece of wood and I’ll endorse that.

Over the years I’ve probably dabbled in every sharpening technique known to man, but I have now reverted to free-hand sharpening, with two or three grades of diamond plate followed by a dozen or so strokes on a piece of 9” square 18mm Birch ply impregnated half and half with carver’s stropping paste on one side and Autosol the other, both in light oil. You could use MDF if you have it.

The wood block is rigid and allows the front to be stropped without any rounding over and the back of the iron to be stropped flat to produce a mirror finish and I find that it’s all very quick and teases away the final hair-wire strand. I keep the backs flat at all times and don’t aim for a back bevel at all.

It's very quick and gets you back using the blade in a minute or so.

For chisels and plane irons I use the wood block - however, my carving tools still get stropped on leather. If you plump for a leather strop, select a piece on the quality of the back, not the shiny upper side.

Hope this helps.

.

 

[bugbear]

I find the use of Autosol intriguing - I suspect it's used because it's so readily available, and presumably because it works!

But when used as a polish (in the normal way), the grit breaks down VERY rapidly, which is an advantage; effectively it provides the equivalent of moving "through the grits", which is why I like it as a cleaner.

But that doesn't sound desirable for a strop dressing.

I've recently been trying out Windsor and Newton chrome green artist pastel, which is easy to apply (obviously...) and gives a fine finish.

I've seen reports that MDF (or at least some MDF) contains abrasive particles which may be coarser than some of the finer dressing, which would make it a less than ideal substrate.

But strop dressing have something unusual in common with scraper burnishers. The brand new, specially made, "full on" version is so cheap that looking for a clever short cut is a waste of time.

BugBear

 

[Argus]

I find the use of Autosol intriguing - I suspect it's used because it's so readily available, and presumably because it works!



BugBear

Got it in one!

Available and works - also lasts for years at the rate I use it.

Dunno about the rest of it and I won't touch MDF with a barge-pole.

But it's a metal polish and that's what I use it for on the last few strokes - principally on the the backs - which work up to a very fine finish over time when used on the flat.

.

 

[J_SAMa]

Does anyone here use diamond pastes? How well do they work? How fine in micron is it? And what brand do you use?
Sam

 

[Paul Chapman]

Have a look at this video clip by Garrett Hack in which he demonstrates honing a chisel and finishing with a wooden strop and diamond paste http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAn ... x?id=28819

I've met Garrett Hack and seen how sharp his blades are using this method. They are very sharp.

You can get two types of diamond paste - one water-based the other oil-based. I use the DMT one which is oil-based, available from Classic Hand Tools http://www.classichandtools.com/acatalo ... mpund.html

Cheers :wink:

Paul