Strop Compound

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12GA00buck

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Evening,

I thought I was ordering some Dovo stropping compound; turns out it was the white non abrasive kind. Anyways, I was wondering if there was a stropping compound which could be found at your average hardware store; or whether you can only find it online.

My second question is whether you apply the strop compound to the smooth or course side of full grain cow hide.

Thanks in advance
 
Happich Semichrome

-Back of legal pad
-Old belt
-Old Jeans on part of old yard stick.


hso does the proper tools and sites.
I do the traditional, and poor Southern Boy stuff.

Between the two of us, ya'll ain't got no excuses.


*smile*
 
poor N. woodsman traditions

"SM:"

I've enjoyed your extensive knowledge of blades and sharpening, and think the traditional and poor Southern boy methods suit me just fine.

I had taken the trouble to learn to shave with a straight razor prior to being grubby all of the time in the jungles of S. Vietnam, so I also had purchased a leather strop.

The razor was purchased from an old fellow here in Pgh. called "Binder the Grinder," who had his shop in one of those "old" parts within the city.
He sold me a "C-Mon" straight razor; "ice hardened" and the strop is "Ace High," made in the USA.

The strop has two straps. One leather, and the other is a course fabric like a fire hose. It has imbeded in it a gray powder for polishing. I used that side first in stropping, and finished with the leather.
I'm guessing, but the gray powder may be a fine pumice.

When I do my hunting knives, I find that the strop produces a finer edge than I like for the knives. They cut better when polished (some people call it sharpened) -to a "toothy" edge. I don't know how to describe that edge otherwise, but it is not as smooth as the razor edge, and what I like about it is that it lasts longer in field cutting than the smoother razor edge.
For the shaving -a smooth razor edge, but for field chores, a more "course" edge worked better for me.

I made the mistake of buying the s.razor with a sharp ninety degree corner at it's tip, and boy did I nick my ears until I learned to take more care!
I still have both the razor and the strop.
The safety razor would clog with all the dirt and sweat in the field, so I could just wipe my straight razor and it was good to go.

Another strop compound is Rouge. That's right, red powder, rouge (SP?)
 
James T Thomas,

I appreciate the kind words sir.
It is I that thanks you.

Since I have been asked, I will start another thread on my take.
Why me?
I guess some folks just want a Southern Boy that don't knowed nuttin' take.


Steve
 
Another strop compound is Rouge. That's right, red powder, rouge (SP?)
Click to expand...

Frequently called Jeweler's Rouge, and comes in varying grits.

I made the mistake of buying the s.razor with a sharp ninety degree corner at it's tip, and boy did I nick my ears until I learned to take more care!
I still have both the razor and the strop.
Click to expand...

Take the razor to the side of a fine stone and carefully round that corner off!! No need for a straight razor to have that kind of a painful corner on it.
 
homework

Rounding off the corner of that razor is on the "DoDad" list; though near the bottom. This Summer.

I still have two ears, so maybe I do not need to. ?
 
I still have two ears, so maybe I do not need to.
Click to expand...

I always heard if you nick one ear , just a wee bit, one only has to do 1/2 of a honey-do list.

Honey-do list is doubled if'n you reach for the "good hand towel", you know the one you don't dry hands on, it just hangs there, with monogrammed initials, taking up space on a towel rack...

You can forget "honey, I just decided to hand laundry that nice towel out of the goodness of my heart".

Women might have some quirks about "good towels" , but they ain't stupid.


Rouge comes in red, green , white and black.
Green is what I prefer, if I use a rouge.

I once told a ex MIL, she needed to start with Tripoli, as that rouge she was using on her face, just was not going to cut it.

We razzed a bit...just a little.
She cracked up over that suggestion.
 
No sir,
I have not.

Green Rouge, in a paper sack, hit with a hammer, makes a nice dust.
Used on a old belt, old blue jeans , canvas , chamois leather, smooth of wood, and other ways is what we did.

Rolling mills, with this busted stick, in a canvas bas, or cotton sache (sp?) works.

Oh I and mine had nice strops, just they might mess up our reputation.
[Folks that know me, understand how true this is].

Old yardsticks (free) or paint sticks (free) and we made our own strops.

Rouge , no matter what color, gets all over everything, and is hard to clean up, like in clothes.

Fabulustre [tm]came out back...decades ago (forget, I am getting older) and most folks lessened the use of Rouge, any color.


Hang on...<gets the Dawgie at Dogpile to Fetch>...

http://www.grobetusa.com/ProductDescriptions/fabulustre.html

Good Stuff! Highly recommended!


Old Trick:
Single Shot shotgun, or most often some Custom 1911 with duck butts and fuzzy dice...
Mix some Fabuluster "dust" with machine oil and put into action of Single shot, or slide rails of a 1911 that instead of being "right not tight" is "tight to sound good on marketing , it won't run, but sells guns".

That slurry will polish what needs polishing.
Then clean out...
Re-lube properly.

That is one way to smooth the trigger on a single shot, and how to get a $3,100 custom gun, that won't run, but you do get the free VHS tape, logo case and free oil that was made by ____ and you get for 1/4 the price from them direct.


Semichrome by Happich is great for this, just Semichrome is too good for some custom guns...*tacky*


Dead Serious.
If any of you have some honest to goodness John Deere Green Paint, get a nice pc of hardwood, and get it baby butt smooth.

Paint it with JD Green.
It is the Chromium Content of JD Green that is the huge reason this will strop and polish a edge as it does!

If...you ever are priviledged to be in a shop where a person does Scrimshaw on Ivory, or Hand engraves firearms, or the wood stocks...and you see a John Deere Green "block" , that is what he/she uses sometimes to strop a Mueller graver made of tool steel.

That smell is Wintergreen , the metal engraver uses to lube his/her graver when cutting metal.

*now-you-know*
 
I use 1,500 grit SiC W/D first - then the tube-type Flitz or Semichrome on the backside of a 'mouse pad'. Great for intentional convex edges, too.

Stainz
 
I thought the point of stropping leather is that you don't need any type of abrasive compound - that there's something in the leather that does the polishing?

So I'm a real noob to this subject, but I now have acquired one of these:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyId=5883

It has the leather stropping wheel. So do I, or do I not, need to put some compound on the leather wheel? If so, what can I find at my local ACE hardware that will do it?
 
I guess my last question is really the exact same question asked originally. Problem is, the answers given here are kind of convoluted/confusing (too many abbreviations and assumed knowledge), and go off on tangents a bit.

So can anyone tell us, what's the consensus, in very plain simple noobish terms? What is the best recommended compound to walk into Lowe's or Ace and come out with?

Thanks.
 
Dry strop is my preference.

Semichrome by Happich, is my preference, if I should choose to use a compound.

Flitz works fine if that is what your local store carries.

I have some nice strops, and I do not use any compound on them.

The fact is for me, one should only have to use light strokes to strop.
Many folks are IMO applying too much pressure.

For me, and with the blade steels I prefer, I may not want a polished edge, or one "that" polished for tasks.

I am often one to sharpen freehand out and away from home, and touch up, light strop as I use the knife while using it.
Add, if in heavy use, I will freehand sharpen extensivly to remove nicks, chips and get a knife sharp to continue with tasks.

Such as in the wee hours, during tornado/ aftermath, and by the light of a truck headlight, flashlight, or whatever.

I am going for user knives, blade steels,and getting knife for use, not a paper cutting contest or sharpening skills contest.

Those that do use more Professional tools and methods, have their place as well, such as The Tourist does.

It is all good - one just has to access tool for task in environment being used.
 
DAVIDSDIVAD,

Yes, that works quite well.
Just a nice piece of smooth wood.

Old trick, going back to when I was a brat, was painting smooth wood with John Deere Green paint for some applications, with certain tool steels.

It has to do with the chromium content of JD green paint.

Chromium being one of the compounds many folks use for stropping, be it a paste, or green rouge.

Still, it depends on the steel and what level of sharp one needs for task.
I often use Norton coarse / fine stones, India or Crystalon, and the trick is getting the knife sharp, before changing grits.

I "might" use a hard stone to "polish" the edge.
Just the final strokes, on a stone, then light strop on dry , clean, leather.

Another old time tip, and most often applied to Appleseed, or as some call it Convex, or Moran is to get the edge sharp, then pull blade spine back, akin to stropping, to finish the edge.
Then clean dry leather.

There are a number of ways to accomplish the same results.
 
I also use Hand American's chromium oxide pastes and liquid. Keith has also been very kind in sending me several grades of leather and polishing felt. These products can be applied/substituted to strops or polishing tapes.

But think outside the box. As you know, some firearms enthusiasts use Mothers Mag or Billet paste to polish a matte' finish stainless revolver so it shines like chrome or nickel.

There is no reason why a knife edge cannot benefit from the same application. After all, a feudal Japanese sword polisher used pumice from ground up shale or mica. He did not go to a "sharpening K-Mart" and buy a name brand Katana Kleaner.

Obviously, a pocketknife is not a sashimi knife. However, I have several EDCs that are. That's the great thing about a hobby. Your allegiance is to no one.
 
So when does one just use the leather "plain and dry" and when does one use a strop compound? Sigh - confused as ever.

I've got that contraption I referenced above with the leather strop wheel - is it good to go as is, or do I need something?

Dry strop is my preference.

Semichrome by Happich, is my preference,
Click to expand...

So what does that mean? You have two different preferences, or that semi-chrome is a TYPE of dry? Man, I need a basic, basic, stropping 101 guide - can this be found on the net handy?
 
PremiumSauces said:
So when does one just use the leather "plain and dry" and when does one use a strop compound? Sigh - confused as ever.
Click to expand...

I have three (free-hanging) strops. If you also count the rougher obverse sides, I have six.

Now granted, I use strops more for sharpening problematic gremlins, but this is truly a case of "cut 'em if they stand, shoot 'em if they run." You have to use what works. Sadly (at least in my case) it's a system of trial and error.

By the way, if you have any of that mechanics' liquid hand soap (the green glop that comes in a flat container), you can wash the strop, hang dry it, and the strop is as clean and supple as brand new.

Word of advice, put the strop and the glop down into the sink before you start to clean. As you work, swarf will start coming out of everywhere, and it's a mess.
 
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