If you need a strop

Thanks for the tip! I’m curious – the only thing I’ve ever used for a strop is MDF (with green buffing compound) and it’s very effective. Does leather work much better or is it just a preference thing to strop with a softer substrate?

-- Optimists are usually disappointed. Pessimists are either right or pleasantly surprised. I tend to be a disappointed pessimist.

Good question. I dunno if one is better than the other. I’m a bit of a traditionalist. I suppose that’s what makes me lean into the leather camp.

It’s amazing how well stropping keeps a sharp edge
when you’re working.

Some folks like the smooth side of the leather while
others prefer the rough side.

Maybe the rough side holds more compound?

Good job on the strop Tedstor.

I can see the leather being better in some respects because the angle of your stropping doesn’t matter as much due to the softness of the material…vs. dead flat MDF where if you’re freehanding, you have to make sure you’re right on the bevel or secondary bevel. I’ll just have to try it. :)

-- Optimists are usually disappointed. Pessimists are either right or pleasantly surprised. I tend to be a disappointed pessimist.

I have a lot to learn here.

My father shaved with a straight razor and always had two strops—one leather, two different kinds, two sides, and one was a heavy fabric. I’d liken it to fire hose fabric. I don’t recall his putting any compound on them, but the razor always got stropped by both materials before the shave began.

The technique was to draw the tool toward himself with the cutting edge trailing, the blade nearly parallel to the surface. It was a long stroke.

Kindly,

Lee

-- "...in his brain, which is as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd with observation, the which he vents in mangled forms." --Shakespeare, "As You Like It"

I also have purchased a strop from this seller. I was able to obtain a custom size and I also asked for (and recieved) some scrap pieces to glue to the end of my holdfasts and clamps. Highly recommended.

I recently purchased some leather off of amazon to place on my vice faces. With the extra I cut myself a strop. For $10, you get 2 square feet. The seller also has other sizes for reasonable prices.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003X3VZA0/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

Wunder,
Have you found that leather to be adequately thick? Some of the reviewers seem to indicate it to be under 1/16”.
For all I know, that could be more than adequate. If so, I might order some. Leather is a good material to have on-hand.

The leather I got was just shy of 1/8”, but I can see how it may vary somewhat. Mine is also a bit of a rough surface (it’s not top-grain), but I actually prefer a rougher surface for a honing strop, as it allows for better charging. At $10, it’s worth a try IMHO.

I buy my scrap leather from Hobby Lobby with their weekly 40% off coupon.
You will have enough leather for 10-20 stropes.

-- I'll be a woodworker when I grow up. HHHOPKS