How to use a strop

[jimmybigfoot]

Hey guys I've just purchased a strop and have never used one before, for sharpening my chisels. Do I need to use any sort of paste? I've attached a piccy
Jim

 

[Steve Maskery]

Jimmy
I think you can use it without anything or with a paste. I've used Autosol in the past, but there are many other rouges.
You might have better luck with replies if you post this on the Hand Tools forum. Perhaps if you asked one of the Mods nicely they would do it for you. Otherwise it is a cut-and-paste job.
S

 

[Glynne]

Have a look at Matthew's Workshop Heaven site, or drop him a message as I know he sells both strops and honing products.

 

[Peter Sefton]

I use the Veritas honing compound on mine. I use advice customers to use baby oil on fresh leather a couple of hours before applying the compound to open up the pores. You can reuse oil every couple of months to clean the leather and remove the metal that builds up on the strop.
Cheers Peter

 

[doctor Bob]

What about brasso?

 

[Graham Orm]

My wife has a strop....regularly. I use aluminium oxide paste.

 

[bugbear]

Hey guys I've just purchased a strop and have never used one before, for sharpening my chisels. Do I need to use any sort of paste? I've attached a piccy
Jim

That looks like a quite a specialised razor strop. You might want to use something more straightforward for chisels.

BugBear

 

[Glynne]

Age has obviously kicked in as I was using a home made strop a couple of hours ago!
I use Tormek paste on leather treated with light machine oil (not as posh as Peter).

At a slight tangent I was watching Paul Seller's on YouTube reconditioning a woody and after stropping on leather, he was polishing on wood treated with honing compound. Just wondering what people's views were on that?

 

[jimmybigfoot]

Thanks for all your replies guys

 

[Peter Sefton]

I do use Autosol on timber but only with students opposed to using leather.
I used to use some diamond paste but find these methods messy. For me the advantage of a strop with a compound is to be able to improve an edge whilst working on the bench without the mess of sharpening or cleaning your tools after, just getting back to work.
People talk about using it on MDF which I am not keen on the MDF will swell when wet and not stay flat but it is also full of contaminates which we know kills the edge of your tools.
Peter

 

[Woodchips2]

My wife has a strop....regularly. I use aluminium oxide paste.

Does she like the taste :roll:

Regards Keith

 

[MIGNAL]

Age has obviously kicked in as I was using a home made strop a couple of hours ago!
I use Tormek paste on leather treated with light machine oil (not as posh as Peter).

At a slight tangent I was watching Paul Seller's on YouTube reconditioning a woody and after stropping on leather, he was polishing on wood treated with honing compound. Just wondering what people's views were on that?

It works fine and there is less chance of dubbing over the edge, at least when compared with leather. If I use a leather strop I tend to lower the angle of the Chisel / Plane blade by 2 or 3 degrees.

 

[bugbear]

At a slight tangent I was watching Paul Seller's on YouTube reconditioning a woody and after stropping on leather, he was polishing on wood treated with honing compound. Just wondering what people's views were on that?

Paul Chapman speaks very highly (and often ) of it. IIRC Garret Hack was one of the early proponents.

BugBear