Show us your strop

[UKRay]

This week I have made a batch of strops. Mine are pretty simple double sided 3.5mm leather on oak with a little turned oak handle. I sell them on eBay but, given their essential nature, I keep thinking I ought to be selling more of them. Maybe I haven't got the design right? Maybe they need something else to make them more attractive - I believe they work just fine.

What sort of strop do you guys favor? Can you share a picture please? Any hints or tips as to size and materials?

What about jeweller's rouge? Grinding paste? What do you use? Should I supply this with the strop or sell it separately?

Any help or suggestions gratefully received.

Ray

[Rayban]

Here's mine, with the compound I use....it's called Green Compound, go figure. I just glued some 8-10oz. to some laminated wood, drilled a hole in it so I could hang it on the wall.

I can't think of anything I would change about it....I also glued some anti slip rubber to the bottom of it....Yours are sure purtee.

Edited April 6, 2009 by Rayban

[wildrose]

I use one that I've had for years from Tandy. It's a strip of leather on one side, wood in the middle, and some sort of pressed wood on the other. I use jeweler's rouge. I have a ceramic blade which is all I use for carving.

[gtwister09]

Here's a strop, burnisher, maul and a couple of weights that my son make 3 years ago for Christmas(2006) for my Dad.

The strop has 2 oz leather on the backside. As seen it is out of 1/2" oak. We sent green compound with it as well as some 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper and some 3M adhesive for this side.

The maul is out of mesquite that was sent to us specifically from New Mexico. It is not a design that we normally would have made but it was done specially shaped per request.

The leather weights weren't quite finished. They needed to be slicked and dyed on the edges.

The burnisher is out of a small piece of Brazillian redwood that we were given....A very special piece of wood since you can't get it anymore.

Regards,

Ben

[carr52]

I'm rather partial to mine. I like it just the way it is.

Tom

[rdb]

Well, this just gives me a chance to show off the strop and case jbird made for me during the last PIF. Pretty dang neat, I thought.

[UKRay]

Rayban - Green compound huh - it figgers! Thanks for the kind words.

Gtwister - Those are some very lovely bits of wood...

At this point I have to 'fess up and show you the rather disreputable pair of strops that live on my own bench... I can't justify a new one until I wear these out!

Tom - you made me blush... LOL

RDB - I thought I'd just share a 'pile of things' moment with you... Nobody else understands... LOL

Josh - love the shape on that strop and the case... well!

Thanks for the info, Holly. I use the red stuff myself as you can tell but I also use aluminium oxide (yes that is how we spell it over here!) and beeswax although not in that order!

The design of the strop is quite important to me as I have to feel I can hold it securely. Anyone got any tips on design?

Edited April 6, 2009 by UKRay

[CitizenKate]

Mine's just a 5"x15" piece of illustration board. I used to use the white stuff all the leather suppliers sell, but then saw some of the red buffing compound at Sears and decided to try it. I like it much better. I inadvertently got some oil onto it when I was re-sharpening one of my blades, and discovered the oil seems to improved the performance of the strop, as well.

Kate

[esantoro]

Thanks to this thread, I got the idea to glue some 8 oz veg tan to six inches of 2" x 4" as a strop for my pull-through six inch splitter.

Very nice.

I also decided to sharpen my splitter blade by dragging the sharpened bevel across 600 grit sand paper on top of a granite slab. I think I'll go to the auto parts store and get some finer-grain sandpaper.

Prior to using the 2x4 as a stropping platform I had been using a fiber board clipboard. I now prefer the 2x4.

ed

[howardb]

Ed,

Try 800 or 1000 grit. I've got some glued to the back of posterboard and it is great for a quick re-edging if I don't want to fire up the wheels.

Brent

Thanks to this thread, I got the idea to glue some 8 oz veg tan to six inches of 2" x 4" as a strop for my pull-through six inch splitter.

Very nice.

I also decided to sharpen my splitter blade by dragging the sharpened bevel across 600 grit sand paper on top of a granite slab. I think I'll go to the auto parts store and get some finer-grain sandpaper.

Prior to using the 2x4 as a stropping platform I had been using a fiber board clipboard. I now prefer the 2x4.

ed

[ArtS]

Here are two of mine. The green one is one I just bought from Bob Beard that is a conveyor belt I believe loaded with green rouge. The other one has two handles so I can use either hand and turn it either way. It has 1000 grit sandpaper on one side (needs to be replaced) and matting board on the other with green rouge (over the red I had on it before and removed). The Beard strop I use for my swivel knives.

Art

[jbird]

this is a great topic, and I will say this I am glad I had the chance to make that for RDB it was fun and I think it was a

Good trip down thinking out of the box lane.

Josh