Strop Cleaning

[dsolsbery]

Do you clean your strop with saddle soap or something, or is it easier to replace it?

[TwinOaks]

The compound I use seems like it's in a hard wax base, as it won't build up on the leather unless a lot of friction heat builds up. As such, I think you could scrap it off, if you needed to. Most of the time I just apply more compound over the old. If it builds up to the point that it's starting to flake off, I just replace it. There's LOTS of scrap pieces that can become a new strop.

[dsolsbery]

Does this compound you use replace jewelers rouge?

[Tree Reaper]

I use WD40

[dirtclod]

A few times i scraped it off with a knife the last time i used a belt sander to clean it off. Mines glued to a board.

[TwinOaks]

It's buffing compound....basically the same stuff.

buy it at lowes...next to the grinding and buffing wheels

[Trox]

I use a German aggressive compound named Menzerna. When it starts to flake of i use more on the top. I never had to resharpen any of my tools, just stropping them, a very good compound. My current strop is seven years old, used every day and never cleaned. The steel mix with the compound and stick to the strop

Jewelers rouge is not good enough it only give a light top polish. Get a more aggressive compound.

Trox

Edited October 28, 2012 by Trox

[King's X]

I have been doing like Dirtclod for a couple of years and reapply the green rouge until it is fully covered. It has worked just fine with no issues that I am aware of.

[Neillo]

Most of what clogs a strop is just the steel you polish away, shouldn't do any harm to just reapply compound over it, unless the leather is starting to tear up.

Ideally you'd have 2 strops anyway for real sharp tools: 1 with a mostly aluminium oxide compound like flexcut or pfeil for fast cutting and one with chromium oxide for final polishing. I end up replacing my alox one much more often.

Also, it's pretty cheap to just buy compound powders and mix them with camellia or baby oil, you can get 'em at jewellery tooling supply stores.

[dsolsbery]

I sure do appreciate the responses. You have answered my question.

[Bigfoot]

Do you clean your strop with saddle soap or something, or is it easier to replace it?

I did occasionally scrape off the leather strop with the back of a steel ruler...Right or wrong? but I now tend to just use thick, firm cardboard with compound on it as it's easy to replace and I seemed to gradually round off the end of my swivel knives using my leather strop. The card is dead flat on the table and has no "give" like leather so makes a good edge for me.

My leather strop is glued to a wooden handle but is now covered in nicks from trying to learn how to keep my round knives sharp!

I use WD40

For what?

[Bigfoot]

I use WD40

To clean compound?...i wish I'd invented WD40, it does soooo many things!

[Tree Reaper]

I spray the leather strop and wipe off the deposits.