OK guys I am trying to figure out the stropping stuff. Is it me or are the Zwickey Eskalites hard to get that razor edge? About how much of the stropping compound should I put on the strop? Thanks.
Stropping is pretty much just polishing. Edges need to be very sharp before stropping. I've always found convex blades more difficult to sharpen than straight edge blades like the Deltas. Keep at it. You'll figure it out. Good luck.
QuoteOriginally posted by Orion:
Stropping is pretty much just polishing. Edges need to be very sharp before stropping. I've always found convex blades more difficult to sharpen than straight edge blades like the Deltas. Keep at it. You'll figure it out. Good luck.
Me too, straight edge blades are my favorite. So easy to push into a big file clamped to a bench. No real trick to stropping, I would revisit the file or coursest stone, whichever you use.
I have 2 strops that were my grandfathers. They are the real deal-30" of cordovan leather 2 1/2" wide. There is also a second strap of really coarse leather. If you start on the coarse one, you do not need a super edge to start. Works pretty good.
Hap
You only need enough compound on the strop to fill the pores of the leather.
Once you establish the edge use leather charged with black buffing compound. That will make them pretty sharp and if you want to mirror polish them you can go to green.
Another thing... are you using a barber strop? You have to put the strop down on a hard surface to sharpen a broadhead or knife. I have seen guys with the strop hanging on the wall and it will round your edge over and make them dull.
Austin, you're holding the file in a vise?
I never could file sharpen...or bothered with stropping.
I'm a lanksy guy and have been since day one. It works well on them. I take them to the extra fine and they've done well for me anyways. Sure wish I didn't need to lug all that crap around on a backpack hunt though.
I like a polishing wheel and some rouge instead of stropping, unless of course I am in the field.
CHuckC
Stropping a dull blade ...any kind of dull blade will result in a highly polished ...dull blade. :readit: They need to be extremely sharp before the strop can work it's magic and produce a dramatic jump in the sharpness level.
Ron
Sharpster pretty well nailed it. The blade needs to be shaving sharp before going to the strop or, as he said, you will have a highly polished dull blade.
The other thing is these broadheads are intentionally left somewhat soft compared to a good knife blade. ANY rolling of the edge on a strop will dull it. The stropping is just to polish the little micro teeth in the edge; not sharpen it.