Leather strop usage and care

[johnlives4christ]

i made this strop tonight. took a piece of old belt i had, sanded off the finish that was on the surface to expose the fine leather then glued it to a piece of plywood

also have this little strop block i made out of a piece of a swanky womans boot. i been using some honing compound on this one.

should i use the compound on the new one too? will it make a finer edge just with the leather or with the compound? i know the compound will cut faster.

i know that stropping can and will produce a razors edge. and i've dont this over the years with everything from my belt to these strops.

any advice on usage or care?

[Bill DeShivs]

Use the plain leather. You can put compound on a paint stick.

[johnlives4christ]

well i tried it with the plain leather and it wouldnt give my knife an edge. but the old one i normally use does pretty good. the only thing i can think of is that the leather is too hard? cause the one i been using is real soft. and the one i made is stiff as a board before it was glued to a board

bill, could you recommend a book about knife sharpening? im interested in some of the finer points about it, and also the history of it.

would also be interested in a book about knife history if you could recommend one of them also.

~john

[Insulation Tim]

Originally Posted by johnlives4christ

well i tried it with the plain leather and it wouldnt give my knife an edge. but the old one i normally use does pretty good. the only thing i can think of is that the leather is too hard? cause the one i been using is real soft. and the one i made is stiff as a board before it was glued to a board

bill, could you recommend a book about knife sharpening? im interested in some of the finer points about it, and also the history of it.

would also be interested in a book about knife history if you could recommend one of them also.

~john

John,

This is probably one of the best reads on knife sharpening that I have ever come across. It will help you to understand the "whys and the "how-to's"

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?...nd-sharpening/