Do you strop your knives?

[Benjamin DeCorsey]

Basically the title. Wondering if folks here use a strop at the final stage of honing a knife edge, or if you go through the finest stone and leave it at that. 

I’d also be interested to hear any reasons you have pro/con stropping. 

[Shunyata]

Strop, charged with abrasive.  Gives fine control over the sharpening burr and polishes cutting face.  Makes your knives and gouges cut like butter.!

[Woodland]

I usually do a two-stage hone, one with green honing compound then a final polish with a strop charged with White Diamond. I don't recommend performing rapid "barber strokes", rather slow and decisive strokes to avoid rounding the edge.

[Mark Norfleet]

Just on my hand if I can see a burr.  Once it’s gone, I use it.

[Davide Sora]

I strop my knives. Leather strop glued to a flat block of wood and loaded with aluminum oxide compound.

No cons if used properly.

Pro : it creates a micro bevel that extends the life of the sharpening.

[Shunyata]

I Use both a leather strip and a cork sheet, both charged with abrasive.

[David Burgess]

A "real man" strops on his tally-whacker.

[DuffersEdge]

I use a whet stone and then use a strop glued to a paddle. I use a green wax block that came with my knives on the strop. About ten stokes up and down per side on the strop. 

[arglebargle]

No strop after the sharpening, just whet stones.

But when it feels like it lost a bit of it's edge, then strop (tormek leather strop) till it needs another sharpening.

[Davide Sora]

What does stropping do? Here you are, Sirs.

https://scienceofsharp.com/2014/08/13/what-does-stropping-do/

https://scienceofsharp.com/2015/02/09/the-pasted-strop-part-1/

https://scienceofsharp.com/2015/02/22/the-pasted-strop-part-2/

https://scienceofsharp.com/2015/03/31/the-pasted-strop-part-3/

https://scienceofsharp.com/2016/05/29/the-pasted-strop-part-4/

This is a bit overkilling, but it gives some clues.

[Stephen Perry]

So much depends on technique.  Sometimes I have it, sometimes I don't!  

Pocket knife I strop on my pants or a newspaper, in the field.  Helps.  They get set pretty steep, 40 degrees (20 each side) on Arkansas stone with alcohol, left that way, but improvised strops to bring to sharp when needed.

Kitchen knives get the steel, then a stropping motion on a cutting board, very light.  They only need abrasive sharpening if other people use them.  Which happens.  

The shop is another matter.  For utility use, I have a long leather razor strop from long ago, charged with green compound.  And a ca 1900 razor hone / strop for straight razors, stiff.  I level the hone on diamond every once and a while.  The other side is impregnated with something oily and must have some super fine abrasive.  This is the original charge, going strong after 100 years plus!!!  I also have smooth maple with green compound, but I have misplaced it.  And of course, 100 other sharpening things!  No matter what the condition, I can bring a knife up to toasty sharp in short order. 

It's mostly technique. I can't describe, but I'm sure Davide has an incredible video on stropping.  

[bkwood]

6 hours ago, David Burgess said:

A "real man" strops on his tally-whacker.

Is that why you’re a ‘dinky member’?

[David Burgess]

5 hours ago, bkwood said:

Is that why you’re a ‘dinky member’?

It's never good to strop in the wrong direction.

[bkwood]

7 hours ago, David Burgess said:

It's never good to strop in the wrong direction.

Sage advice.

I glued a square from a leather glove on a board and use it regularly as I'm working. I've got a stick of stuff I rub on the leather but don't remember exactly what it is. I also made an inside strop for the other side of a curved chisel by gluing leather around a dowel. I'm not sure how well that works but no harm.

[David Burgess]

1 hour ago, bkwood said:

Sage advice.

I glued a square from a leather glove on a board and use it regularly as I'm working. I've got a stick of stuff I rub on the leather but don't remember exactly what it is. I also made an inside strop for the other side of a curved chisel by gluing leather around a dowel. I'm not sure how well that works but no harm.

The last time I made a strop, I rounded off one of the four edges on the flat piece of wood, and glued the leather around the corner. That convex corner seems to work OK for the inside surface of gouges. One strop rather than two.

I wonder what abrasive compound Norfleet applies to his hand. Or is he a gardener, so the remaining grit impregnated into his hand from the soil suffices?

[Mark Norfleet]

6 hours ago, David Burgess said:

I wonder what abrasive compound Norfleet applies to his hand. Or is he a gardener, so the remaining grit impregnated into his hand from the soil suffices?

I can be abrasive enough on my own, I don’t feel the need to compound it.

[William B]

7 hours ago, Mark Norfleet said:

I can be abrasive enough on my own, I don’t feel the need to compound it.

Badoom Tshh.

 

[Michael Darnton]

I strop very carefully, once or twice only. It gives an advantage, but not one that I usually need except that I like to have it for fitting bridge feet or soundposts. Otherwise I usually don't.

[MANFIO]

I do prefer the edge left by a 8.000 grit Japanese water stone... but it too time consuming...  so I leave it for the plane blades, and use the leather wheel of my Tormek a lot.