Stropping Compounds

[rickdroid]

Stropping compounds have always been a mystery to me. There are a lot of sites on the internet that offer compounds but what to order/use has always been foggy to me.

I have for quite a while been getting compound from a local jewelry supply dealer, and while he has a pretty varied selection his knowledge doesn't seem any more complete than mine.

Recently I ordered some online wanting to see how what the differences might be from what I have been getting. Along with the compound this card was included which offered some information, most of which I didn't know.

Anyhow, I have a lot of questions on this subject and if anyone has some experience with compounds, any knowledge that you might share will be appreciated.

[King's X]

What application are you looking to use this on?

I primarily use white and follow up with green rouge for most if not allow leather tools. I feel like I should warn you that not all rouge is made equal. You can purchase lower quality rouge, so I would make sure to trust your outlet for rouge.

[rickdroid]

What application are you looking to use this on?

I primarily use white and follow up with green rouge for most if not allow leather tools. I feel like I should warn you that not all rouge is made equal. You can purchase lower quality rouge, so I would make sure to trust your outlet for rouge.

I will be using this for knives, my leather knives, pocket knives, pretty much any knife that I have.

I know that the compounds are not made equal but who do you trust when making a purchase. There don't seem to be any standards on compounds and I understand that one companies compound may nor be anywhere near another companies. How do you make an informed choice?

For my leather knives I use green followed with red then a bare strop. While this works fine for me I would simply like to know more and perhaps make a smarter choice.

[Art]

The composition, effect, and packaging of buffing compounds is really all over the board and has been for years. A good buffer (technician) can make anything work on darn near anything. A felt buff with anything on it can be used to cut anything, but obviously the right compound will make the job easier. When you are talking the compounds on your list, these are meant to be used on buffers, not strops. Jewelers tend to use compounds from jewelry supply houses they know and deal with e.g. Rio Grande. Fore working with tools, you use stones, and you strop. For stropping, you just need something fine enough to polish an edge, 3 micron diamond paste will work fine, but I use .5 micron green compound from Formax. If you use a small jeweler's buffer, you can use the red jeweler's rouge to buff and color any of the soft metals like brass, gold, and silver (including nickle silver which is basically brass). You can also use buffs on a Dremel or Foredom to accomplish the same. You might see white compound also, it is .25 micron and in my opinion too fine for stropping.

If you really get into restoration and buffing, The Brownell's Polish-O-Ray series of compounds is great for felt wheels and very consistent.

If you want to buy something with 4 or 5 different compounds in it, Try to make sure it is from Formax, as their stuff is very consistent, EnKay would be my second choice.

Art

[rickdroid]

The composition, effect, and packaging of buffing compounds is really all over the board and has been for years. A good buffer (technician) can make anything work on darn near anything. A felt buff with anything on it can be used to cut anything, but obviously the right compound will make the job easier. When you are talking the compounds on your list, these are meant to be used on buffers, not strops. Jewelers tend to use compounds from jewelry supply houses they know and deal with e.g. Rio Grande. Fore working with tools, you use stones, and you strop. For stropping, you just need something fine enough to polish an edge, 3 micron diamond paste will work fine, but I use .5 micron green compound from Formax. If you use a small jeweler's buffer, you can use the red jeweler's rouge to buff and color any of the soft metals like brass, gold, and silver (including nickle silver which is basically brass). You can also use buffs on a Dremel or Foredom to accomplish the same. You might see white compound also, it is .25 micron and in my opinion too fine for stropping.

If you really get into restoration and buffing, The Brownell's Polish-O-Ray series of compounds is great for felt wheels and very consistent.

If you want to buy something with 4 or 5 different compounds in it, Try to make sure it is from Formax, as their stuff is very consistent, EnKay would be my second choice.

Art

I want to make it clear that I am not arguing with anyone on this thread just in case I make a statement that might seem that way. So if I say something that seems to be rude I apologize. Certainly not my intention.

"The composition, effect, and packaging of buffing compounds is really all over the board and has been for years. "

Yeah, my exact problem and the reason for beginning this thread.

"When you are talking the compounds on your list, these are meant to be used on buffers, not strops."

Understood but unfortunately I don't have a buffer, unless you consider a Dremel a buffer, and have to do all of my finishing work with a strop. Figuring which compound is usable without a buffer is another one of those questions that I would like to find an answer for.

"Fore working with tools, you use stones, and you strop. For stropping, you just need something fine enough to polish an edge, 3 micron diamond paste will work fine, but I use .5 micron green compound from Formax."

I use a DMT 3 micron stone as my finishing stone, then use a compound of the same or possibly a slightly larger size as a strop aid; unsure on this point because I don't know the size of the compounds that I am using. I know that using the strop polishes the edge and makes the tool apparently sharper. I say apparently because I don't know if the blade is actually sharper or just seems so from the effect of the polished edge. I do know, at least from my perspective, that the blade sure feels sharper.

"If you use a small jeweler's buffer, you can use the red jeweler's rouge to buff and color any of the soft metals like brass, gold, and silver (including nickle silver which is basically brass). "

I use red as my next to last step trying to achieve a high polish on the edge then I finish on a bare strop. I have been told more than once that I am wasting my time using bare leather but I disagree.

"You might see white compound also, it is .25 micron and in my opinion too fine for stropping."

Here is one of those cases where information seems to be inconsistent. King's X says that he uses white followed by green. Is he using some other supplier who makes his green finer than his white, or does the term 'rouge' when used with green indicate some kind of difference that changes which color to use.

King's X, care to jump back in here and set me straight?

Also, that reference card that I posted also shows white as being coarser than green from that manufacturer.

This is a really confusing subject.

[Art]

Here again, they are all over the board. That is why I say to go with Formax. There are 4 or so grades of "white" formax, most of them just a fine alumina, chrome and stainless being their primary targets. Green is usually Alumina and Chrome Oxides, usually on stainless.

Black compound will actually cut quite aggressively on a wheel and might cut "a little bit" on a strop, so watch out when using it to maintain the desired angle and don't "roll off" at the end of your stroke. Your finer stones will do the same as this compound.

Red jeweler's rouge is not going to do much for steel, as it is made for softer metals, however, on a strop, it will set the edge back up, which is the whole idea, but the bare leather will do that too.

There is also an animal out there called Herb's Yellowstone, which cuts a bit. It can actually sharpen or unfortunately de-sharpen an edge if improperly used. Not a stropping aid per se, but will bring back some remarkably dull edges.

So the order of attack would be (wheel or strop):

Black (be careful)

Green

Green Micro Fine

White

For strops, all I ever use now is Micro Fine.

Art

[rickdroid]

Thanks Art, this helps quite a bit.

I've got another question that might be best addressed in a new topic for ease of someone finding the topic. Let me know if you would like me to move it.

I don't have a leather splitter but I have reduced leather quite successfully using a low angel block plane. I originally saw Ian Atkinson on You Tube using a razor blade block plane to skive some of his work. I tried one but there is no adjustment on that type of plane and the razor blades need to be sharpened out of the box so I decided to go with a good quality box plane.

I have the blade as sharp as any of my razor knives and it works quite well but I was wondering if placing a back bevel on the blade might produce better results. I have never understood the reasoning for the back bevel so do you have any thoughts on this.

Thanks again

Rick

Edited February 21, 2016 by rickdroid

[King's X]

Hey RickDroid.....hope you yearned something like I did. I purchased my Green micro fine from Leather Wranglers. Paul at WL's has some interesting videos that may be more helpful even though Art has covered this subject well. Thanks Art.

Take care

[rickdroid]

Hey RickDroid.....hope you yearned something like I did. I purchased my Green micro fine from Leather Wranglers. Paul at WL's has some interesting videos that may be more helpful even though Art has covered this subject well. Thanks Art.

Take care

I am very happy with what I have learned. Compounds have confused me for a long time and this really helps and now I also have a reputable supplier to purchase from. Thanks for the video info, will certainly give them a look.

I second the thanks to Art.

Take care yourself.

[Kulafarmer]

Heres a question for all,,

Do you wet your strop or buffing wheel/head/tip?

Curious if it would make the process and the compounds perform better?

Not talking soak it but wetting slightly with either water or an oil of some sort?

Heres a link i found that was interesting, thinking of doing something similar

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop_archive/power_strop.htm

Edited February 22, 2016 by Kulafarmer