Strop Care & Maintenance

This topic has 34 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 04/16/2012 at 10:32 am by Bill.

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08/21/2011 at 9:17 am #114
Dave Schur
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Clay, I was wondering if you could share your routine for strop care and maintenance.

How often would you guess you reload diamond paste on your strops? For example In how many knives (at say 100 or 200 strokes per knife)? Do you get through 5, 10, 25, 50 knives? How do you know when to reload?

Do you ever totally clean them (i.e. scrub them down with a brush/soapy water, dry and load new compound)?

Thanks for any tips! I already picked up off your vids to alcohol wipe between strops, and store them same size together in a ziploc.

If you don’t mind, I’ll post some of my newb questions here rather than calling so all can benefit.

Thanks
Dave
08/21/2011 at 1:50 pm #115
wickededge
Keymaster
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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

-Clay
09/01/2011 at 11:41 pm #244
Leo James Mitchell
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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
09/10/2011 at 2:41 am #343
Matthew
Participant
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Does anybody know if the strops that come with paste (14/10 5/3.5) have the paste already on the strops? Or do you get blank strops with the paste in the syringe?
09/10/2011 at 3:02 am #344
Leo James Mitchell
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The strops come clean and free of paste. You add the paste from the vials .

Leo
09/24/2011 at 1:23 am #495
Larry
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- Topics: 5
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Does it take the whole vial to charge the new strops or is there numerous doses in the vials. I hope to get mine Monday so I would like an idea of how much to add to the new strops. Do the new strops take some kind of conditoning or just use them as they are. These are the leather strops not the balsa.

Thanks
Lucky
09/24/2011 at 1:44 am #496
Dave Schur
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- Topics: 7
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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.
09/24/2011 at 11:13 pm #501
jeff williams
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What dschur said…right on the money..
09/26/2011 at 1:51 am #519
Leo James Mitchell
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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
10/05/2011 at 11:19 am #621
ToJo
Participant
- Topics: 3
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I nicked my strop pretty good, is there anyway to repair it?
10/28/2011 at 1:50 am #755
Gary
Participant
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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.
10/28/2011 at 1:53 am #756
Gary
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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 agree with that…but oddly when I’m using the honing wheel on my Tormek sharpener I charge the honing wheel with fresh paste every time. I guess I’m as random and inconsistent in my strategies as the next sharpener!
10/28/2011 at 1:57 am #757
Larry
Participant
- Topics: 5
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How do you repair a balsa strop?

Thanks
Lucky
10/28/2011 at 2:06 am #759
Gary
Participant
- Topics: 2
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How do you repair a balsa strop?

Thanks
Lucky

Well firstly I’d argue that if it’s just a guouge in the surface it may not even need repairing at all, most defects that are depressions below the surface don’t usually need any corrective action. It’s the raised defects that cause the problems as they screw up your honing angles and can catch on the blade’s edge.

But with balsa you don’t usually get these raised areas, and if you do you can sand it flat by laying some wet and dry paper on a flat surface (granite slab, piece of float glass, etc) and just rub the balss hone on it. And if you’ve a serious depression that’s causing problems (by catching on an edge say) you could fill it with any wood filler and then sand it flush.

The leather strops are more fussy, any deep nick will usually produce a hollow and a corresponding raised section around the lip of the nick, and these are that bit trickier to deal with on leather.
01/19/2012 at 3:22 am #1394
Kevin
Participant
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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.
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