Reply To: Help with strop frustration
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I certainly agree on all the differing options involved Kev and as for the internet, well that can be an absolute minefield. You really have to be able to sort out the wheat from the chaff, especially on Utoob. There are so many out there who have all the gear but no idea but because it’s so easy to put up a video they are free to corrupt the mind of the innocent so to speak. There are too many wannabees doling out unverified or even misinformation that can trap the unwary.
I watched one guy who had this absolutely scratchless, mirror-like Roubo bench and an equally shiny LN plane and for a split second I thought he was going to try to mount the plane, as in sit astride it, to plane this piece of wood he had in the vice. It was at best 18″ long but it took him 4 steps to reach the end of the block of wood because he was bearing down so hard on it. Steps being the operative word as I bet he had 4 steps in that short piece of wood. When he mentioned something about only taking off a ‘whisper’, not ‘whisker’, that was my cue to leave.
Right, back to things stropable. My ‘professional’ double-sided strop arrived this morning and once again I have the feeling of gullibility as I was initially thinking of ripping it down the middle and making two strops out of it but it is so thin I doubt if my basement skill level will enable me to do that. I think even Paul would give it careful consideration before attempting it. It is made up of a 10″ x 2″ layer of 1.5mm leather glued either side of a 6mm piece of compressed fibreboard. Yet another case of spending a pound to save a penny methinks.
Anyway, a thing to note is contained within the one page set of destructions that came with the strop. It advocates just a small amount of compound “rubbing a wavy line of compound down the length of one side and then swiping the blade 10 to 12 times”. Then it goes on to say ” turn the board over to the non-abraded side and repeat the 10-12 strokes. After this the edge will be at it’s sharpest”. Make of that what you will Kev??
I’m going to finish this coffee then pop down into my hutch and give it a go. Catch up later.
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