strop block ??????

[trigger666]

hi all im luke .. new to the forum and was hoping one of you could help ???

im in the process of making some snooker cues and have found that one of the key elements is having a razor sharp plane blade. i thought i was getting it sharp with an oil stone but after talking to a friend im not getting anywhere where sharp enough !!!!
so my question is what is the best way of sharpening ??? ive heard of a strop block ??? but is there any other ways ??..
any help would be much appreciated
p.s im a novice when it comes to woodworking LOL

 

[Boz62]

Hi Luke, welcome to the forum.

If you do a search for "sharpening" on the forum you will find many methods, and long discussions on the best ways If you are happy with an oil stone for now and just want to improve on that, the simplest strop is a short length of MDF with a blob of Autosol chrome polish on it. The MDF is a simple flat surface and the Autosol is an effective, and easy to obtain from a car accessory shop, very fine grinding paste to polish the blade.

For the cheapest way to progress further try searching the forum for the "scary sharp" method.

Good luck

Boz

 

[gidon]

Hi Luke - welcome!
Yes as Boz says lots of ways of getting a sharp blade for your plane iron. Have a look at some of my vids in my signature for some methods I use.
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Paul Chapman]

ive heard of a strop block ???

A leather strop will give you good results if used properly. Here's the one I use - a piece of leather glued to MDF. I rub a small amount of Vaseline on it, then jewellers rouge

If you use a honing guide, after honing on the stone leave the blade in the guide, wipe the guide and blade clean then draw it backwards on the strop a few times to polish the bevel. Then take the blade out of the guide and holding the flat side dead flat on the strop, draw it backwards a few times. Be careful not to round over the edge at all.

This should give you a sharp, mirror finish.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Karl]

Hi Luke

I use these honing soapsfrom Axminster. After sharpening the blade in the normal fashion (I use a diamond stone), rub a little of each soap onto a piece of MDF, and "strop" the blade; first on the green, then the white. I find this method produces a razor sharp edge in no time, and the results are perfect every time.

I've tried various methods of sharpening blades (waterstones, scary sharp etc), and this is by far the best - IMO.

Cheers

Karl

 

[oddsocks]

ive heard of a strop block ???

A leather strop will give you good results if used properly. Here's the one I use - a piece of leather glued to MDF. I rub a small amount of Vaseline on it, then jewellers rouge


Paul

Paul, why the vaseline? I have a leather strop glued to MDF and use a blue soap bought at a show last year. Does vaseline make much of a difference?

Dave

 

[Woodmagnet]

Paul, why the vaseline? Does vaseline make much of a difference?

Dave

No Kev, don't say anything.......................... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Paul Chapman]

Paul, why the vaseline? I have a leather strop glued to MDF and use a blue soap bought at a show last year. Does vaseline make much of a difference?

Hi Dave, I can't give you the technical reason, but it does make the stropping process better. I picked up the tip from Rob (Woodbloke) but have since read that some of the old-time woodworkers used to use it as well. It also keeps the leather moist and helps stop the build-up of gunge.

I only use a little Vaseline and not very frequently. Just put some on a finger and rub it well into the leather.

There are various honing compounds but they vary in the base material they use. I have some which is blue in colour and which I bought from Mike Hudson of Clifton planes. It works very well but in the winter can go hard and be difficult to apply to the leather or MDF. The jewellers rouge I use (the maroon block in the picture) has a different base material and stays soft, even in winter, as well as being the finest of all the various compounds. Don't use too much. Those stripes you see in the picture are about as much as I apply at a time.

If you ever get a build-up of the honing compound on the leather, you can simply scrape it off, but if you apply it properly and use Vaseline, you won't get a build-up.

Like Karl, I use diamond stones (with oil) then finish on the strop and get razor-sharp blades

Hope this helps.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woodbloke]

I picked up the tip from Rob (Woodbloke) but have since read that some of the old-time woodworkers used to use it as well.
Paul

Hi Paul - does that make me an old time woodworker?...now I feel really old ... :lol: - Rob

 

[bugbear]

ive heard of a strop block ???

A leather strop will give you good results if used properly.

It's probably worth pointing out (if only for the OP) that stropping is normally a final, extra stage in a sharpening sequence of successively finer abrasives, not a "sharpening method" in it's own right.

BugBear

 

[Paul Chapman]

I picked up the tip from Rob (Woodbloke) but have since read that some of the old-time woodworkers used to use it as well.
Paul

Hi Paul - does that make me an old time woodworker?...now I feel really old ... :lol: - Rob

Didn't really want to mention it, but.....err......yes :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[trigger666]

hi all im luke .. new to the forum and was hoping one of you could help ???

thanks alot for all your help now its just practice !!!!
will post some pics of my projects when i get a chance

p.s is there anybody on the forum who deals in handtools ect..??? new/2nd hand ???

 

[mahking51]

p.s is there anybody on the forum who deals in handtools ect..??? new/2nd hand ???

Err possibly! I have one or two bits & pieces....
PM me, I'm in Dorset.
Martin

 

[woodbloke]

p.s is there anybody on the forum who deals in handtools ect..??? new/2nd hand ???

You might try PMing Martin (Mahking51) as duty rumour is that he's got a few surplus hand tools :shock: :shock: :wink: knocking around his 'shop

Edit - damn, beaten to it! - Rob

 

[lurker]

Hi Luke

welcome to the forum.

A cheap way to strop is to get a thick lump of MDF and use this with Autosol chrome cleaner

I've tried the more elaborate methods as others describe but find the mdf easiest

 

[newt]

You know the mdf/autosol is working because it goes black quite quickly.

 

[Harbo]

As anybody tried using Brasso for honing?

I have been reading some stuff on polishing steel and brass parts (for clocks).
It seems that Autosol contains particle of Aluminium something?? which cause minute scratches - Brasso does not?

Rod

 

[bugbear]

As anybody tried using Brasso for honing?

I have been reading some stuff on polishing steel and brass parts (for clocks).
It seems that Autosol contains particle of Aluminium something?? which cause minute scratches - Brasso does not?

Rod

All polishes cause scratches - it just a matter of how big they are.

Think of sandpaper, and working through the grits; there comes a point when the surface is considered "smooth".

I think the aluminium compound you're thinking of the Aluminium Oxide, the stuff used in some modern "sandpapers" (e.g. "Liberty Green"). From memory Autosol is more mineral based.

Hang on.

(googly)

Ah - this quote: (from http://aic.stanford.edu/jaic/articles/j ... 1-004.html)

After using progressively finer grades of abrasive paper, the surface may be polished using, for example, Solvol Autosol (kieselguhr or “infusorial earth,” a methylated soap, white spirit, and ammonia) on a tiny buffing wheel held in the drill head.

kieselguhr?!

More googly:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservat ... index.html

Solvol Autosol: Contains mainly Kieselguhr, potassium oleate - a methylated soap and white spirit. Available from automobile repair shops.

BugBear

 

[Boatfixer]

I've been avoiding more varnish stripping jobs by tidying up the workshop... displacement activity at its most productive! Whilst doing it I came across some old glass shelves and an elderly eclipse honing guide. In order to avoid the work I should be doing for longer I decided to give "scary sharp" a go for the firs time - it was truly amazing how fast it was to get a pretty good edge on my much abused old plane. I then decided it could be better and used a scrap of 18mm MDF with the only abrasive polish I had to hand - 3M marine gelcoat rubbing compound. Just a few strokes and the blade was truly sharp enough to shave with. In fact it is now probably the sharpest blade I have ever used....