STROPS
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Having just received a decent piece of 5mm / 3/16″ thick vegetable tanned butt leather from our local saddler, I’ll be making a few new sharpening strops and hope to add some pictures later and once my wife has returned from work with our can of spray adhesive. 🙂
No need to get in a strop Gary. HaHa Joke I know you have no sense of hummer 🙂 😉
Pmsl 😀  Wor lass might get in a strop with me later marra 😉
HaHa, I think that could be Guaranteed buddy. Good luck with that one 😉
The escape tunnel is nearing completion and I’ve been watching “The Great Escape” for helpful tips 😉
My wife bought me a piece of leather on the market .
It is about 4 mm thick ,i glued it on a 18 mm thick piece of plywood with the rough site up.
Is this the right way or should the smooth face of the leather face upwards.
Also ordered some jewelers rouge as the stropping compound ,is this good compound or
should i use something else?
This stropping is totally new for me so i would like to know what you guys are recommending.
In case you didn’t knew it already ,i am the kind of guy who starts assembling first before
reading the manual.
Lopik - Netherlands
Juryaan,
The strop I have the leather is smooth side up. I’m new to stropping also, and not got as far as the compound 🙂
The compound I use is from a batch I bought during the 80’s and still going strong. Â It’s pale blue in colour, called “Honing Paste” and manufactured by Starkie & Starkie.
I think you’ll be fine with jeweller’s rouge Juryaan, but you can always try something else if it proves too fine or course during use. 😉
and thank you again Gary.
Lopik - Netherlands
Never a problem Juryaan 😉
My strop is a 10 oz blacksmith side (4″ x 10″) glued to a piece of oak. Im using a fine green polishing compound. However, I have the flesh side up. Is this wrong ? Should I have the grain side up ?
Brent
Meridianville, Alabama, USA
It’s normal to have the smooth side up, but if it’s working and producing a good edge I’d not worry too much Brent.  Continual stropping will tend to refine the surface anyway.  I used chamois leather for years without negative effect on the quality of my blade edges. 😉
I also have the flesh side up because that’s what Paul advised if I recall correctly.
I’m using chamois at the moment. Only downside is that it is very stretchy. I keep having to tighten up the nails holding it in place. I did glue it first but that didn’t seem to work.  I saw on another forum someone suggesting buying a leather welders apron and cutting pieces from that.  About £10 from Amazon.
Yorkshireman currently living in Hampshire
Jon, try second hand / charity shops, for leather belts, handbags, old leather gym training belts. I would not let the wife, or the guys see the handbag though. HaHa 🙂
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