Strops and Stropping...

[BentonTool]

Eshmiel and CabinetSage​

Brothers,
A collection of various strops. Please excuse the one-handed photographs.
The strop at the bottom left clamps into the vise by means of an applied timber forming a "T" shape. It stays in the vise (if not needed) for quick-access while I am working:

Various stropping compounds and sanding sticks:

Spoons and curved gouges are dealt with by simply using an unattached piece of leather to get into the concavity. Obviously, the convex side can be applied directly to any flat or concave strop:

A bevel on the end of one of the strops gets into tight areas:

Dowel-strops of various sizes for stropping the concavity of straight gouges. Home-made with handle:

A purchased strop/sanding stick (originally for my hook knife but finds other uses since it has both a concave and convex strop). This would be a good one to emulate:

 

[BentonTool]

On the topic of my rather crude sharpening process during which I go directly to the strop after only using the grinder and a 1,000 grit diamond stone:

In honour of our friend Jacob, I sharpened freehand:

 

[BentonTool]

BTW, I used a 50% mix of water and Simple Green® as a lubricant/cleaner for my Diamond "Stones"... NO RUST!

 

[Eshmiel]

Great info and illustrations. I'll be spending time gawping at them and probably copying avidly.

I see you like the Beavercraft rounds & hollows stick. I have two of them and, as you suggest, that would be a good one to emulate, perhaps with a variety of radii. There are several cheap cove and bead cutters of various radii ready for the job in the router table.

I'm going to try using one of my Beavercraft sticks in the vise, too, as you show. Why didn't I think of that!? I was seduced by its handle.