Trad Gang

Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Shleprock on September 22, 2009, 09:33:00 PM

Title: Stroping your heads
Post by: Shleprock on September 22, 2009, 09:33:00 PM
How do you do it?
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: Fletcher on September 22, 2009, 10:14:00 PM
Two methods.  At home, I use a drill with a buffing wheel and jewelers rouge.  On the road, I have a strip of leather glued to a flat stick about 1"x12".  The leather is rubbed down very well with the rouge.  Either way, work AWAY from the edge.  With the drill, keep the speed and pressure down to prevent heat buildup; that edge is quite thin.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: Shleprock on September 22, 2009, 11:34:00 PM
"work AWAY from the edge"
If you are stroping a WW can you draw the head backward on the strop? So the blade maintains the proper angle. Or do you hold it in a way that your only doing one edge at a time and working away from the edge? I have the 200 gn elites and without much work they are scary sharp. A light touch and a draw and it took a quarter size patch of hair right off my arm.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: Shleprock on September 23, 2009, 06:25:00 AM
ttt
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: Charlie Lamb on September 23, 2009, 06:52:00 AM
Draw the WW backwards on your stropping material...thin hard leather glued to a board or cereal box cardboard layed on a flat surface.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: snag on September 23, 2009, 09:19:00 AM
Cardboard works good too. Ron at KME turned me onto that.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: ranger 3 on September 23, 2009, 09:59:00 AM
I second the cardboard
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: Stumpknocker on September 23, 2009, 04:09:00 PM
The backside of my leather belt has always worked for me..
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: wollelybugger on September 23, 2009, 05:53:00 PM
Stropping will not make your broadhead sharper but will maintain your edge.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: Guru on September 23, 2009, 07:52:00 PM
I don't know WB, I believe it does....at least when I do mine it gets them to another level of sharpness.

Re-doing it will help maintain, but initially it will make a BH "sharper"...
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: Red Beastmaster on September 23, 2009, 10:07:00 PM
I just finished sharpening my Zwickey Eskimo's an hour ago. I used the Tru Angle files then finished with stropping on the suede side of a piece of leather. It takes the thin sliver off the edge and really gets them sharp.

I'll give them a good stropping half way through the season to maintain the edge.

My buddy is a custom knife maker and uses a leather strop on all his knives before each show. I too was a doubter, he proved to me that it can indeed make them sharper.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: ozy clint on September 24, 2009, 03:30:00 AM
i strop mine on my leather armguard.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: wollelybugger on September 24, 2009, 07:59:00 AM
Canvas side of the strop will sharpen and align but the leather side will just maintain. It does feel sharper because it is removing the rough edge or finishing the edge.  Old Barber Teacher here, horse hide from the rump makes the best strop. I used to strop my razors after each shave and the edge would last for a dozen shaves. When you strop the  edge you are sharpening should be facing back from you when you pull it down and reverse pulling it up. Keep a constant pressure. If you lead with the edge you can cut your strop.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: BD on September 24, 2009, 11:14:00 AM
It makes mine sharper.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: DVSHUNTER on September 24, 2009, 12:29:00 PM
I always just use my old belt and it gets em shaving sharp on my 190 grizzleys.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: Sam McMichael on September 24, 2009, 08:27:00 PM
I use an old leather strop that my grandfather used in his shoe shop close to 100 years ago. It is just 2 pieces of harness leather tacked to a thin board and has finished off some of the sharpest edges I ever expect to see. I always pull the edge "backwards" with the sharp side facing away from me. I don't use many strokes, just enough to work off the small burr that developes on the edge of a finely honed blade. This finishes off the cutting surface, leaving a blade that easily shaves hair. Out in the boonies I just use my belt, also with good results. The key is doing good stone work before using the strop.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: George D. Stout on September 24, 2009, 09:50:00 PM
I was worried when I opened this thread.  I thought, what the h e double hockey sticks is stroping.   Ahhhh, now I see...it's stropping.  Be careful where you drop a p.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: Hud on September 25, 2009, 02:44:00 PM
I use the roughout side, then the leather (exterior)side with jeweler's rouge.
Title: Re: Stroping your heads
Post by: dragon rider on September 26, 2009, 11:26:00 AM
Shucks, I thought this was going about getting that special shine on the chrome for us bald guys.