Leather Strop – Best side to use
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- This topic has 9 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 4 months ago by Larry Geib.
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6 November 2017 at 9:02 pm #357736
I have finally got hold of a good piece of leather from ebay its 2.5mm thick and only cost me £1.97 including postage!
My question is, which is the best side to strop on. Is it the smooth side or the rough side, which isn’t too rough? I guess that the smooth side would be best to glue onto the block, but so would the other side.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ricky6 November 2017 at 9:27 pm #357760Most work, rough side out. (holds more compound)
Really fine work, smooth side out.
Read this:
https://paulsellers.com/2013/02/on-strops-and-more/
11 November 2017 at 9:30 am #363266Thanks Debra,
I know what you mean, I always thought my edges were sharp but honing takes it to another level.
11 November 2017 at 7:38 pm #363678i glued both sides to both sides of my block , now i have both. thats a lotta both
16 November 2017 at 10:12 am #368654Thanks Ray.
I’m thinking of getting another piece of leather to glue to the other side of my block so that I would have coarse and fine.
Cheers,
Ricky.I’m a bit confused about this rough side smooth side talk. My understanding of the leather hone was that it was the aluminium oxide that you charged the leather with that sharpened the tool, not the actual leather itself. If so, how does the smooth side create a sharper tool than the rough side when they’re both charged with the same compound?
29 November 2017 at 7:34 pm #386659There might be some application where you charge the tool, but for woodworking, the standard is to charge the strop. You get more compound in play.
Maybe you are thinking of metal polish cream, which is different stuff.
( though in a pinch I have uses Maas polish on a strop and it works)From Paul’s post on compound, he tells you where the compound is applied.
Chromium oxide abrasives suspended in a suitable compound are readily applied to leather strops for polishing the bevels of chisels and plane irons alike.
DSC_0053
https://paulsellers.com/2014/05/buffing-compound-for-chisels-and-plane-irons/
With the smooth side, you get a thinner and smoother layer of compound.
It is quite possible to hone with just leather, though that is slower.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Larry Geib.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Larry Geib.
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