Stropping compound
Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Tools and Tool Maintenance/Restoration / Stropping compound
- This topic has 7 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 7 months ago by David B.
-
AuthorPosts
-
15 September 2017 at 10:23 pm #315945
Hi Guys,
This is my first post and wanted to know what Paul uses to rub onto his leather stop. Also as I intend to make one, does anyone know which side of a strip of leather is best to strop against….. the smooth side or the rough side?
Thanks for your help,
Regards,
Ricky.16 September 2017 at 12:43 am #315948Hi,
When I made mine I used the rough side of the leather. The stropping compound I purchased is green and was described as being of ‘fine’ consistency. Any good tool store sells this stuff for buffing wheels etc.
Regards,
Chris Wood16 September 2017 at 4:15 pm #315961For 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.
19 September 2017 at 10:48 am #316804I think I’ve heard him mention in one of his videos he uses Chromium-oxide to charge the strop.
Myself I use a pink compound, used for polishing stainless steel. No idea what it is (as it’s pink, I suspect aluminium-oxide, but not 100% sure), but it works fine. I’ve used liquid metal polished too in the past, and that worked as well.
The actual compound you use isn’t that critical, I think. If, after 30 (not 29! not 31! 🙂 and yes, I always count them) strokes the bevel is polished then one can reasonably expect the compound to be suitable.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.