Stropping for the first time ?

[Francois]

Hi!

I'm trying to figure out the stropping thing . ( See pictures)
I made myself a strop and put on the green compound from lee valley.

It seem like it goes to powder and fall off or get unequal on the strop every time I want to put more on it .

Someone has any advice ? I'm thinking it's just because I never used the strop yet. I read about using wax or tallow ?

Do I reallly need to do that ? considering there's already wax in the compound bar ?

And by the way how long do you guys usually strop a gouge and at what frequency ? Anyone got tips for making slipstrops of different sizes and for a 60 degree v tool ?

I Guess I'll find a lot of answers just searching the forum but I'm still taking the time to bother you guys a bit .

THANKS!

[Robson Valley]

I apply the honing cpd with a very fast "pull-stroke". The friction seems to nearly melt the stuff and stick it to the leather, particularly in a cold workshop. My leather strop is maybe 2" wide and nearly a foot long, glued to a stick that is clamped to the bench.

With my elbows tight to my sides and the gouge at 20 degrees, I do a pull stroke and rotate the gouge with my fingers/grip hand. Other hand is _gently_ on the tool shaft.
Start with the gouge resting lightly on one corner, then twist in the honing stroke to get the other corner of the gouge on the strop at the end. Lift up, go back to the top and start with that corner and twist back the other way. Repeat 5X.
My slip strop is just a piece of folded thick leather, streaked on the stick of compound. Two outward passes on the inside of the gouge and I'm done.
If I used it steadily in western red cedar, every 20-30 minutes.

I use the side corner edge of a fine mill file as a scraper to get the old, blackened compound off the strop.

[Dicky]

Just a couple of comments based on my own experience. If you wish to make a strop that won't have wood blocks or screws protruding, leather can easily be glued to wood using carpenters glue. Just apply the glue and clamp it for 30 minutes or so.

When I apply compound to a new strop or an old one dries out and begins to lift off in flakes, and I use LV green exclusively, I take a FEW drops of oil, place it on the compound and rub it with my finger tip. This sort of melts the compound and helps it adhere to the leather. I cannnot over-emphasize the use of as little oil as possible as you run the risk of making the leather too soft. I use neetsfoot oil as it is available to me but I imagine mineral oil would work as well. I strongly suggest trying it on a scrap piece to get the "feel" of it. If you have any questions, I am happy to try and help you with them.

[mpounders]

I have also used a touch of mineral oil to help it stick a bit better. Some people do use dowels or the corners of a piece of wood to strop the insides of gouges and v -tools and even leather string for smaller tools, but I think most just use a flat strop for the outside bevels. I strop my tools every 15-30 minutes of carving. But I seldom strop by hand as much anymore; I found that a power hone works better for me, especially with larger tools and I just use a buffing wheel for the inside bevels. But you just need to find a method that works for you and learn to make that method work for you!

[lramlow]

Oooh, Mike can you expand upon your power honing setup there a bit? I'm new to carving and am looking to get my sharpening/polishing area set up. For now, I'm using the Flexcut SlipStrop for the gouges and a home-made strop for flat knives etc, but I'm not confident in my ability to keep the bevel flat while stropping the gouges by hand. I think I'd rather use a setup with a grinder or home-made motor/arbor combo and a tool rest, where I can see the angle I need to hold and then slowly rotate the tool. There are so many options out there, and everyone does this sharpening thing differently!

[Northwest29]

Mike, that setup looks to be bench mounted. Don't you get tired of having to get up and go to the machine, or is close by? I just use a piece of wood with leather and green compound, which is easier than having to get up. Guess I'm just the lazy type even though I could certainly use the exercise.

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Originally Posted by lramlow

Oooh, Mike can you expand upon your power honing setup there a bit? I'm new to carving and am looking to get my sharpening/polishing area set up. For now, I'm using the Flexcut SlipStrop for the gouges and a home-made strop for flat knives etc, but I'm not confident in my ability to keep the bevel flat while stropping the gouges by hand. I think I'd rather use a setup with a grinder or home-made motor/arbor combo and a tool rest, where I can see the angle I need to hold and then slowly rotate the tool. There are so many options out there, and everyone does this sharpening thing differently!

I looked at your website Lisa, your work is very impressive!

Dave

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Very nice sharpening system Mike!

Dave

[lramlow]

Originally Posted by Gulf Coast Handyman

I looked at your website Lisa, your work is very impressive!

Dave

Thanks, Dave! I'm pretty excited about improving my carving skill, and spend lots of time digging through this forum. What an awesome resource for those of us who are still trying to figure out what we're doing!

Lisa

[carvingbarn]

One of the things a lot of us have a problem with when we first start stropping is not lifting the edge of the tool without rolling it. When lifting the blade form the strop it is easy to turn your wrist and roll the edge as you’re coming off. This will dull your tool. Make sure you lift the tool picking the edge up not rolling it.