Strop Care & Maintenance

I use a 3M green Scotch scouring pad to clean my stropping paddles. You can buy these at any hardware store and in some grocery stores. They are really good IMO since they are abrasive enough to clean off the surface but not enough to cut the surface of the leather. They do roughen the surface of them leather though, but I find this means the compound see adhere/work better. I am just guessing but that is how it seems to me.
No need to rub hard, a light hand does it!Use them dry.

Leo

Hey Dave,

Thanks for writing. I find that I’m ready to re-paste after 100 knives or so. We often go to shows and don’t re-paste for the entire show. If the strops don’t seem to be be performing anymore, I apply a little more. A little goes a very long way. For cleaning, you can scraped them off with a razor blade. I’ve heard of people sanding them, but haven’t tested that yet. I’ll post results once I’ve had a chance to check it out. I’d love to see some of your results if you get a chance to take photos.

–Clay

The strops come clean and free of paste. You add the paste from the vials .

Leo

I’d say way, way less than a whole syringe to recharge – I would guess you can recharge 20-30 times out of a single syringe.

I put a small single ribbon of about 1/2-3/4 inch on and spread it with my finger. Even then I hate them at first because so much paste comes off I feel I am wasting it. The paste also tends to “gum up” on the edge until the fresh paste gets broken in (frustrating as I’m wiping it off with alcohol).

The instructions that came with mine (admittedly a long time ago) say something to the effect of “When no more paste comes off on the edge it is time to re-load”. If that’s still in there, it should maybe be adjusted as it gave me the impression you needed to recharge more frequently.

I think I’ve learned through usage the strop only get good when they blacken up and get a bit “crusty”, and also that it’s very important to wipe the blade with some alcohol when switching grits, and to store them clean (I put them in a baggy with the same grits facing) to prevent contamination, but if you do that, you can use them for a looooong time.

Anyone please correct me if I’m wrong on any of this, as I’m building assumptions based on trial and hoping to help others save time doing the same.

Good information here. I too store my strops in a plastic baggy. I load my strops roughly the same way…a little dab will do you for about 50 knives. After awhile I clean off my strops with a dry 3M Scotch Brite pad, the same as people use for cleaning around the house. It is abrasive enough to do the job, but not enough to injure the leather…just slightly roughens it.
Any more tips? Please share.

Leo

I nicked my strop pretty good, is there anyway to repair it?

If you’re slicing up your strops regularly you might get better results from the balsa hones.

Firstly they’re a bit more robust, and secondly they’re easier to repair if you do take a chunk out of them. The problem with repairing leather strops isn’t the carved out divot, it’s the raised seam around it that then throws your honing angles out!

Just a thought.

How do you repair a balsa strop?

Thanks
Lucky

Ok, I guess I should have read this thread last night before using my strops for the first time. The syringe clearly says single use so that’s what i did, I loaded the blank leather strops with all the paste. Oh well.