Strop leather

[BluegillUK]

Afternoon peeps,

Anyone have an idea of where I can buy a blank of the right kind of leather for chisel/plane iron stropping during the sharpening process?

I really want to make my own stropping block but haven't really got the knowledge of the right kind of leather etc.

TIA!

 

[AndyT]

From my own experience, you can get perfectly good results with an old leather belt from a charity shop or a piece of leather from an old pair of shoes.

There are many different approaches to leather strops - some say the leather must be thick, some say thin. Some want the smooth side up, some the rough. Some use abrasive paste, some use powder, some use nothing.

And, according to their owners, THEY ALL WORK. So don't agonise too much about getting the 'right kind'.

Stropping is a bit like sharpening - there are many right answers.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

One source is this one - https://www.workshopheaven.com/hand-too ... ounds.html

However - and I sincerely mean no disrespect to Matthew Platt here - almost any piece of leather will do - salvage or scrounge a bit from somewhere. If the leather's thin, glue it to a piece of wood (shaped pieces of wood can make bespoke strops for curved-edge tools). The 'old boys' used to strop on the palms of their hands; this works very well, but keep the skin taut and concentrate on what you're doing!

Also - if all else fails, just use a scrap of wood. You can dress it with the compound or gloop of your choice, or just leave it bare. In the latter case, it'll serve to chase off the last of any burr from the sharpening stones, which is a step in the right direction. In the former case, it may also refine sharpness a tad, and nicely polish the metal nearer the edge as well. I gather some carvers use a piece of wood into which they cut channels a few inches long with each gouge they use regularly, dress it with Solvol Autosol or similar, and use it frequently during carving to keep the gouge edge in good condition.

(Edit to add - I agree with Andy; this is a subject on which much has been earnestly written about do's and don'ts, but pretty well any of the methods espoused work. It's probably fair enough to try the cheapest available ones first, and only upgrade if they don't work for you.)

 

[BluegillUK]

Thanks chaps, I'll see how I get on!

 

[ED65]

My experiments and those of a friend confirms all said above, that if you're using a stropping compound of some kind (any kind) it seems to make almost no difference what leather you use, and in fact my mate showed me that facing a strop with fabric can work just as well as leather.

If you're not planning on using a compound however then the kind of leather does matter much more, and the rule of thumb is the firmer the better in that case.

 

[BluegillUK]

My experiments and those of a friend confirms all said above, that if you're using a stropping compound of some kind (any kind) it seems to make almost no difference what leather you use, and in fact my mate showed me that facing a strop with fabric can work just as well as leather.

If you're not planning on using a compound however then the kind of leather does matter much more, and the rule of thumb is the firmer the better in that case.

Ah OK, thanks for the extra info. I was planning to use a compound as I want to explore as much as possible!

 

[AndyT]

I wonder which compound is best... [-(

 

[AJB Temple]

Anecdote. I collect Japanese kitchen knives and have spent a good deal of time in Japan with knife makers. They can get long lasting razor sharpness. What do they strop on I hear you ask? Answer: trouser leg (with leg still in), newspaper, cardboard, piece of balsa wood. Not sure I have ever seen them using a leather strop but you can buy them. I just get old leather clothes from charity shop, stick to a board and strop away. You can use whatever you like really. Everything works!

 

[memzey]

I use a piece of mdf with some autosol smeared on it. Used to use leather but the mdf seems to work a bit better.

 

[thetyreman]

I use this one https://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/produ ... 0mm-x-70mm if it's any help, I've been using it over 12 months now with heavy use glued to a piece of 18mm ply and it's great quality.

 

[MarkDennehy]

I just searched for leather on ebay (I used these guys but there are dozens of them) and got a nice piece for not a huge amount that made my two strops and lined my bench vise and holdfasts.

 

[nabs]

I made my last two strops from bits of leather obtained from a pair of my wife's old leather boots and it was perfect.

For unknown reasons my missus has hundreds of black boots, so finding a surplus pair was not a major problem. However, this is not really a sustainable solution for others since she is already married (to me), but you may be able to devise your own leather boot acquisition strategy.

 

[n0legs]

If anybody wants some leather.
I have six A4 sized pieces of upholstery grade leather. PM me your address and I'll get it in the post for you FOC
If there's a rush on I'll send it out in the order I receive the messages.

 

[MattRoberts]

Good on you buddy

 

[xy mosian]

If anybody wants some leather.
I have six A4 sized pieces of upholstery grade leather.

Similar here. The last lot I got was from the back of a damaged leather sofa in a skip. Quite a few about, unless you're looking for them of course.
Stuck to an odd piece of softwood, and around an edge from the inside of gouges.
xy

 

[nabs]

actually, old sofas are an even better idea than my old boot suggestion!

 

[gwr]

I could use a piece of that leather please.

 

[graduate_owner]

I have several worn out leather moccasin type slippers in the shed, ready for use as strops. I also have a leaky pair of leather rigger boots which not only provide strop material, but the soles are good for abrasive disc / belt cleaners.

K

 

[whiskywill]

I also have a leaky pair of leather rigger boots which not only provide strop material, but the soles are good for abrasive disc / belt cleaners. K

I liked this idea so much that I tried it on my belt sander......but I fell off. Should I have taken the boots off first?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

I also have a leaky pair of leather rigger boots which not only provide strop material, but the soles are good for abrasive disc / belt cleaners. K

I liked this idea so much that I tried it on my belt sander......but I fell off. Should I have taken the boots off first?

Not necessarily. However, since most belt sanders are not long enough to allow a full running stride, you may have to develop the ability to shuffle very fast.