Fine Leather Bench Strop $14.00 + $2.75 S&H -
Full length 12" - Leather 2-1/8" x 8" (leather 2 sides add $3 / black walnut add $3)
It might be fun for our customers to realize that I actually turn the wood base on a lathe - (since I turned for a living for many years it is actually easier than using a router). I chose a leather that I find is ideal for carving tools - it has a good surface tack for accepting compound - yet is thin to create just enough cushion to maintain a fine micro-bevel.
When you get a new strop it will need a bit of preparation. Take the sharpening compound and rub it diligently into the leather. At least 50 strokes around the entire surface, pushing down fairly hard, to work the compound into the leather. Commence with stropping a few tools, watching for 'dry' spots that will inevitably appear. Rub in more compound, strop tools, repeat..... until it has an even appearance. Before long it will need very little compound re-applied. Long term I re-apply just a couple of strokes of compound after every 2 or 3 uses.
Compound for strops is a formula of super
fine abrasive powder mixed with various waxes. Sometimes called
'rouge' it can be confused with jewelers' rouge, (which is generally
made of very mild abrasives good for only gold and silver, not
for hard steel).
There are many brands of compound to choose from that can work
well. We have chosen "White Gold" to offer our customers
because it is formulated specifically for hand stropping - it
polishes the edge while micro sharpening it. If you have another
type of compound, just check that the leather is turning black
as you strop - this indicates that the compound is strong enough
to be removing metal - (remember that stropping is sharpening,
simply the final stage) - but it must also leave the tool shiny
(not dull) as this proves that the abrasive is a super fine 'grit'.
When stropping, lay the tool flat on the leather and draw it backwards away from the edge. Use a fair bit of pressure, the finger tip turns a little white. This is needed because the compound is so super fine. (Do not flip the tool up and away at the end of the stroke - this usuallly means an unconcious twist of the wrist - which will blunt the edge!) All knives flex slightly toward the tip - so one must slightly raise the handle as one nears the end of the stroke - to provide the same pressure to the last third of the tool as you do to the first third. If you have a tool whose edge is not holding up as well as you'd like after honing - try adding a microbevel to the edge by raising the back of the knife about the thickness of itself off the strop. This will put much more pressure on the edge. Be careful with this technique as too much pressure will round over the edge and make the tool cut poorly. What you are looking for is a compromise between too fragile an edge - and too rounded an edge. It is an important technique to learn and refine, think of it as adjusting the very edge of your tool microscopically. When a edge gets too rounded - that is what hones are for, a strop cannot re-flatten an edge.
These strops are shown on our Knife Catalog Page
Feel free to call or email me with questions
regarding sharpening.
Happy Carving to you all, Del Stubbs, Pinewood Forge.
1-800-423-1844
www.pinewoodforge.com