draw knife sharpening advice

[mac1012]

hi I am purchasing a flexcut draw knife 3 inch blade I am also getting a leather strop that is 2 inch wide for my knifes etc

would I be able to hone the draw knife on the strop ? obviously only pulling towards me on the flat side and the on the bevel side working across the strop as I pull towards me ? with some compound on the strop ( I mean with the blade furthest away from me so as not to cut into the leather)

with the new knives I have and the new draw knife how long can you just keep stropping to keep the edges before you have to resharpen on a stone ?

how do you tell ?

mark

 

[Silas Gull]

You'll know when a regrind is necessary when the stropping no longer achieves a razor-sharp edge. To maximize the life of the edge, always use a strop in one direction only, so that you are always working with the nap of the leather, and never use any more than very light pressure - it's the compound that does the business - not the muscles in your hands and wrists, and keep checking you are keeping the angle as shallow as you can get away with. That way you won't round the edge over for a long time.

 

[mac1012]

ok thanks for the advice , yeah as i have been practicing with single bevel chisels on a old oil stone and the first think i learned is i was tending to have the angle steeper than needed

just one question about what you said of one direction (not the group) for use of the strop

i can understand that for chisels and my pull knife but with my flex cut knives the videos i have seen somme people like pull towards themselve on one side on the bevel turn the knife over then push away on the flat side you like like the technique you used to see old barbers using is this the best way ?

mark

 

[Silas Gull]

The theory is that going with the nap of leather, you work the edge across a flattened and compact surface, ensuring that the micro-bevel (the sharp edge) is maintained accordingly. If you go against the nap, then the fibres will ruck-up beneath the edge, and over time, round it over.
The kind of back and forth strumming technique, beloved of TV chefs, Mr Mears and some barbers may be ok for a while on very hard steel, but long term it's not the way to go.
Having said this, I firmly believe that sharpening is not an exact science, more of an art. I hone all my tools free-hand and over the years have become more than satisfied with the results.
At the end of the day, it's a personal thing. Nobody else is going to use my tools while there's breath in this body, so I'm the only person I've got to please.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Since we're talking about flexcut tools - the flexcut knife I have came with reasonable sharpening instructions, a but of MDF with various profiles cut in it and a piece of leather stuck on. There was also a yellow crayon of stropping compound, which works very well for me. Don't know if any of the things you've ordered come with the same accessories and instructions ?

 

[Silas Gull]

Tony, the leather that came with my flex cut set seemed decidedly hairy, hairier than a widows minge, in fact.
I use a strop made from the back seat of a dead gangster's Bugatti. Liberally soaked in 3in1 and well dressed with compound, it hones like a dream!

 

[Corneel]

What is a "widows minge"? Something hairy I guess?

 

[Carl P]

Minge - colloquial term for a woman's pubic hair - HTH!

Carl

 

[Corneel]

Oops, maybe I shouldn't have asked.