Reply To: Stropping compound
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For the most part, I use the following compound on a 2×4 of almost any non-open-grained wood that has been planed or sanded flat:
The surface left by 80-100 grit sandpaper is ideal. It also helps if the wood is slightly warm before applying the compound.
Also, for smaller tools or oddly shaped ones, I make strops out of scraps with curves and shapes suited to the object to be sharpened.
The biggest mistake I make is that the compound picks up grit and bits over time and begins to leave coarse scratches. Be sure to scrape it down and apply fresh compound when this happens.
Where leather strops really come into their own is in the practice of straight razor shaving – when the edge is so thin and keen that the act of stropping on the leather will “realign” the “crumpled” edge of the blade.