Leather strop for chisels

[Yorkshire Sam]

I hope this is not a stupid question but ....
I am in the process of making a two wood backed leather strops for finishing chisels using green buff paste and metal polish for an experiment. I am assuming that I would mount the leather rough side up ...( ie skin down. ) But would the smoother side give a better polish or would it not 'absorb' the paste?

 

[Racers]

Well skin side down is normal, but mine is up, I put the glue on the wrong side!
It still works, and you aren't going to use much more paste one way or the other.

Pete

 

[JJ1]

I put mine rough side up and it works great even though I haven't gotten around to buying any stropping compound yet. I use a wide piece of leather and it has the advantage of a smoother half where it gets the most use and rougher on the other half, best of both worlds.

 

[lurcher]

i cut up my old nail pouch it made 2 fine strops glued to some old oak offcuts works a treat the leather is just to hold your
stropping compound so either way up is good