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.
