# Hides for Strops



## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

I've seen a few mentions in the fora recently about strops. Do animal hides other than cow hides make for good strops? Like pig skin, deer hide, etc. From my reading of advice posted here, it looks like the material of the strop is immaterial (pun intended) and it's the loading with compound on a base material that make the stropping work. Am I close?

Also, my wife and I went to a few flea markets today and I almost bought a leather weight lifting belt to cut up an use as strop material, but they were asking $10 for it and wouldn't budge.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Don't know for sure, but shoe shop or Tandy leather should have scraps.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

Don't think the material makes much of a difference. I bought a large piece of split cowhide and it is working great. It is the pretty rigid stuff that is about 1/8 to 3/16" thick and very light tan. I love that freaking thing. Best bang for the buck of ANYTHING I own other than my cast iron pan. By the way, I strop on the rough side even though many say to use the smooth side. Rough side seemed to work better after testing them both.

Ditto on the tandy scraps. That is where I bought mine.

Do yourself a favor and make yourself a strop. You won't regret it.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

I've already picked up some leather scraps from a local saddle shop, some of which I need for projects. I will make a strop for my chisels and plane irons though. I do need to pick up some compound for the strop while I'm out too.

Thanks for the quick feedback!


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

Don those scraps should work fine, I think almost anything would work.

I picked up a bag of scraps from Hobby Lobby for like $10, I've used it for strops, vise faces, etc and still havent used half of it.

As far as compound I use Flexcut Gold and it works great. Red has been using it too and seems to like it a lot.


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## terryR (Jan 30, 2012)

Don, I would stick with cow…pigskin is too textured, never seen it tanned very smooth. Deer hide is too valuable. LOL. The cow scraps from TL are the best! Sometimes they have belt blanks on sale cheap!


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## smokie (Dec 29, 2012)

Don I'm using a piece of an old belt. 1 1/2" wide, about 10" long. I stapled one end to a 8 X 1 1/2" piece of pine ,stretched it tight down the length of the pine and stapled again. I tacked a long flat piece to the bottom for a handle. Load it up with yellow stropping compound and it works like a hot damn.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

@Maur-I'll have to check out Hobby Lobby for a bag of leather scraps. Also, thanks for the recommendation for the Flexcut Gold-do you know where you got the compound?

@Topa; @terryR-I sorta ruled out pig skin due to the texturing, and I was thinking that deer skin was too thin, and I wondered about the value too. I looked online and the closest Tandy Leather to me is over 2 hours away (in Metairie, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans). Looks like it's Hobby Lobby for me.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

@Mark-Are you using the smooth or rough side?


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## nicholasrhall (Aug 19, 2012)

I use the green polishing compound from harbor freight. Paul Sellers who generally recommends the green compound from lee valley says that it compares favorably. It's $5.00 a stick, and it will last for years. I've been using it with an old strip of welding apron and it puts a mirror polish on anything. I use the rough side not the smooth side. It'll take any steel you put on it to a 15,000 grit polish. If you're near a Harbor Freight its a cheaper option than getting in one mail order, where the shipping costs more than the compound itself. Another place you might look to avoid shipping charges is an autobody shop.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

@NicHall-Thanks for the HF tip. I do have a HF relatively close to me, so that's a good option.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

After much reading before making some various sizes and shapes of strops I found that horse hide is the traditional favorite. It is a little hard to find though so I used some cow leather from Tandy. Kinda wish I could have found some horse hide though. A little payback for the numerous times I was bitten, kicked, stepped on and thrown when I was stupid enough to ride horses when I was young.

Planeman


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/250477127822?lpid=82
http://www.flexcut.com/pw11-flexcut-gold-polishing-compound/

Here's some sources for flexcut.


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

I have used cowhide and suede, oil tanned leather, chrome tanned leather both the rough and smooth sides. I have also made strop wheels from just MDF and it seems that it is just what you charge them with that does the work not the material itself. I charge all my strops with jeweler's rouge. Works for me.
MIKE


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

More good ideas.

@planeman-I like the idea of a traditional strop, but I don't know where I could get horse hide.

@waho-Thanks for that resource. I think I'll try the HF green compound and see how that works for me.

@mt-I've seen someone post the MDF wheel before. It does look like it's the compound that does the work and not the base material.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

I've read that you can get leather at a tack shop, and maybe even horse hide, though horse hide is rarer now than it used to be. Now people like to act like horses don't die and would rather their bodies aren't utilized for anything. So apparently most tanners in the US won't handle horse hide anymore.

Oh and here's a source for the hide but you may have to tan it yourself.


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## dawsonbob (Aug 5, 2013)

You might want to do a search for "razor strops" on Amazon. Haven't checked for awhile, but they used to carry a good selection.


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## nicholasrhall (Aug 19, 2012)

I think your right that it doesn't matter what the compound goes on, nor does it really matter where you buy the compound. Chromium oxide isn't really a new technology.

BTW, I also have a $60 strop from Dovo, a centuries old razor manufacturer from Solingen Germany. I use it to sharpen my straight razors for shaving. It doesn't seem to give me any better edge than the $1.00 scrap of leather and $0.50 worth of chromium oxide. I use these blades on my own throat in the morning before I drink coffee; I'd say that counts as putting my money where my mouth is.

People seem to fetishize sharpening these days. Sometimes I think it's a miracle our ancestors were able to sharpen anything without a $400 Worksharp, $600 worth of Shapton waterstones, and an IPhone app that calculates microbevel angles.

My two cents is that you try a cheap piece of leather and some cheap chromium oxide unless the metal your polishing is being used for telescope optics, or a military satellite  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

@Tim-I've pretty much dropped the idea of using horse hide. Even if I found a piece, tanning it myself sounds like a big production, especially when a piece of cow hide or MDF will suffice.

@dawsonbob-I found an old barber's strop at an antique store today, just a single 2" wide strip of leather-they wanted $18 for it. I had to walk away from that "deal".

@NicHall-I'm on the same page with you. Hopefully, I'll make it to HF tomorrow.

Thanks again for the information and advice.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

depending on your last grit, you may not works need compound. I only use mine to strip the burr, it works fine without the compound. If your looking to polish, then compound works best. Green or red will work. Green is finer.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Sorry Don, I was kidding about that supplier. It looked like a wholesaler that sold by the pallet.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

@DonW-Is the compound the same as jeweler's rouge? I have a red and white bar already. If that works, I might save the drive to HF.

@Tim-No worries and no apologies needed. I thought it was funny!


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I have no idea what jeweler's rouge is, but I'd give it a try. I bet it'll work given the description google gives.


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## WhoMe (Jul 9, 2009)

I think I was the one who brought it up recently in the plane thread.

Some more great info on this thread.

In my case, I got the green jewellers rouge and a neighbor gave me some thin leather from a kids leather vest kit. 
It is 1/8" - 3/16" thick and fuzzy on both sides. Used some 3M spray adhesive to adhere a piece to a board. Charged it up and played around. It does polish stuff nicely but it currently doesn't seem to give the fine edge that the green compound does with a piece of straight pine. 
I have found that it must take a while to"tune" the Leather. Currently after about a dozen rounds of charging and honing, the Leather still seems fuzzy and I don't see any improvement. I'm not seeing the blacking of the rouge like I see on the pine either.
BUT, having said that, this is the first time working with a strop. And I'm using this after a run over a 6k waterstone.
For me, the 6k gets a sharp edge but not a "shave your hair" edge.

I'm still playing with it though.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

For what its worth, you can "strop" an edge using a hard felt buffing wheel and some buffing compound. Its faster and produces a razor sharp edge. The compound I use is the black emery compound. Other compounds are finer and take longer. Knowing someone will try this the wrong way and find his chisel thrown across the shop, the rotation of the buffing wheel turns AWAY from the tool edge, not toward the tool edge. I always sharpen until I can shave the hair off my left arm. As I am now working on polishing and sharpening 62 new carving chisels, my left arm is now bald.

Planeman


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

I do the exact same process and Nicholas Hall up there. HF green compound works like a charm.

He's right about the mystifying of sharpening too…

Don't become one of those 20000 grit zombies. 8000 is the highest stone you might ever need. But strops make much quicker and easier work of it, though there are some times when a high grit stone is necessary.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

@Planeman-I wonder if the chisel edges could shave the hair off a woman's leg? Win-win! Sharpening and testing 62 carving chisels is going to take a lot of hairy arms! I do have a buffing wheel that I charge with jeweler's rouge, but I haven't tried using it as a strop. Sounds like a test is in order.

@Oyster-I'm still using sandpaper for sharpening, so no water or oil stones for me at this point. That's not to say that I won't eventually use those. I do have my eye out for an Arkansas black stone.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

Forgot to mention earlier that the highest sandpaper grit I use is 1000, so I'm thinking stropping will be helpful to the process.

Thanks again for the education!


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

I use the rough side of the leather, why? I just do what Paul Sellers says and it works great so I stick with that.

Also, just in case you dont know, EZ Lap diamond stones are $35 on ebay with free shipping. You cant beat that for 8"x3" stones.

Otherwise I think 1000 grit sandpaper followed by the strop will work fine.


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## Farkled (Jan 23, 2012)

Tools for Working Wood sells premium horse butt (Cordovan) which, I believe, is widely acknowledged to be the best hide material. Use either side out, with or without compound, MDF also makes a very effective stropping material - just rub some compound and go. Probably less of a dubbing effect than with hide.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

This thread finally got me off my rear and I made a strop. Already had the green compound from Lee Valley, a scrap of leather, and some contact cement someone here recommended for bonding leather to wood. And wow what a difference. I could already get to shaving sharp with just the 300-600-1200 set of pocket sized DMT plates but the strop really makes a difference in how it does on pine end grain. I used the rough side too because everyone else on LJ said to and because on the leather I had it seemed like tooling leather and the rough side was kind of like suede anyway.

If it matters to anyone the directions on the side of the green compound said hard pressure will remove more metal but lighter pressure will leave a smoother surface. Thanks for the tip on the EZ lap stones Mauricio.

Edit: Can't find them Mauricio, the only 8×3 that I see are 54 or something.


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## smokie (Dec 29, 2012)

Sorry 'bout the delay Don. I used the coarse side. I "think" jewelers rouge might work…It sure shines up the rings. If not you can always make the trip to HF….Pick up a couple of their F clamps.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Jeweler's rouge works. but is so fine (it is meant for gold which is soft) it is so slow in cutting it is better to use a coarser compound for steel. Black emery compound would be better or one of the compounds made for strops.

Planeman


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

@Maur-I'm staying with the sandpaper process for now, but at $35 those 8×3 stones sound pretty reasonable.

@Farkled-I've decided to stay away from horse butt for the strop, especially since I already have strips of cow butt. Thanks for the resource though.

@Tim-Good tip about the pressure for removing or polishing.

@Mark; @Planeman-I tried the red jeweler's rouge on the buffing wheel, and I find that it burns too easily and turns the piece black (not a good thing). I still haven't made it to HF yet, so the trials with actual green compound are still pending.

Thanks again to all for furthering my education!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

These guys say green is for SS only. http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/images/Buffbook.pdf


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## nicholasrhall (Aug 19, 2012)

+1 eze lap diamond stones or dmt diamond stones.
+1 Paul sellers no nonsense sharpening approach.

In eze lap, get the coarse, fine, extra fine and follow with and green paste. Amazon consistently has low prices on eze lap. Given the choice of $1000 of waterstones or the $130 kit described above, I'd take diamond stones every time.

There are a million ways to sharpen though. With a small amount of practice, every one of them will work.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Thanks for the link Topa!

If I'm understanding it correctly we should be using red compound to
polish the edge. Green compound is for Stainless Steel, Oops.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

U R welcome. I saw green for SS a couple of places so I thought I'd post it. I have always used red since I was a kid tooling leather.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Interesting, I have some of the red compound and shall try 
it and see if there's a difference.


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## nicholasrhall (Aug 19, 2012)

Green compound from Harbor Freight works for me. It cuts quick, and leaves a mirror polish. There aren't too many firms that take sharpening more seriously than Lee Valley and they sell green compound for use with carbon steel. Take a look at the link below and you'll note that there is a picture of a chisel next to the green compound that Lee Valley sells and Paul Sellers recommends:

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=32093&cat=1,43415,43439&ap=1

Here is a link from a company that says that their green is good for steel as well:

http://www.pjtool.com/jewelers-rouge-chart.aspx

Here is the link from Harbor Freight that says green is good for steel, stainless or otherwise:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-lb-green-polish-compound-96778.html

It should go without saying that not all green compounds are identical. Most are just chromium oxide suspended in wax. It should also go without saying that red compound probably works as well. Try'em both and see which one gives you a mirror polish the fastest. If all you have is green, use it. If all you have is red, use that. I'm sure they both do the job just fine.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Yeah I don't know what to make of it either, but the Veritas green compound specifically says it is good for the steel on chisels and plane irons. It definitely works.


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## mpounders (Jun 22, 2010)

If you use leather, you don't want something too thick or too soft, or it can lead to rounding over the edge of the tool. It'll be shiny, but won't cut as well as it could. That's why some people prefer thinner leather or pig skin. But you can get the same results with other materials, like MDF or plain wood, denim, or even cardboard (from cereal boxes). I've tried a variety of compounds: yellowstone, red rouge, chromium green, and white. They all work about the same, so don't obsess too much about what color you have.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

@mpounders-Good idea on using denim. It seems like I always have a beat-up pair of jeans looking for another job. I've also heard that plain paper bags are good for shining up an edge, but I admit that I haven't tried that.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

This http://www.pjtool.com/jewelers-rouge-chart.aspx shows the green for multiple uses. I wonder if there are different formulations of the "greens" or just different opinions? This http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/polishing-tools-accessories/polishing-compounds/polishing-compounds-prod44983.aspx is from Brownells. Gunsmiths are very demanding in their polish of custom firearms.


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