bleedinblue Posted April 11, 2017 Report Share Posted April 11, 2017 Just a heads up, Tools for Working Wood has been out of horse butt strops every time I've looked so I turned to Ebay. I found a seller who sells scraps and I got three 8" inch squares for $12 shipped. It looks like he's out right now, but he'll have more. I think the seller was DC Leather. Side note, I've never stropped before so I have nothing to compare it to, but holy crap it's awesome. I finally have my blades to hair shaving sharpness and I have my LAJ making shavings half as thick as before the strop. I'm definitely a strop band wagoner now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted April 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2017 I saw that and actually mentioned my EBay find there. Maybe that's why the guy is out at the moment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted April 12, 2017 Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 Can you actually work with 8" squares? I've never worked with leather, that I can mention in public, but when I think of strops, the one on the side of a barbers chair comes to mind. And why the hide from a horses butt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted April 12, 2017 Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 @K Cooper, Supposedly the butt leather is the toughest on the horse, so there's less chance of roundover than normal. I'm not sure roundover is actually a problem even with softer strops. I see no reason you couldn't work with an 8" strop. Not many people have stones/plates longer than 8 inches, and the motion isn't fundamentally different. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted April 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 Yup, I'm pretty sure Shannon says the horse butt is thicker and stiffer than regular leathers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted April 12, 2017 Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 I have a piece of leather from woodcraft and I cut it in half and mounted to a piece of plywood. Soft side on 1 side and rough on the other. I stropped for the first time and will continue going forward. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted April 12, 2017 Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 If you like stropping, and have a little 1x30 belt sander, there are leather belts on Amazon and Lee Valley that work amazingly well. I have been spending too much time finishing my basement to experiment a whole lot with it, but it puts a mirror finish on the blades very quickly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted April 12, 2017 Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 I have a leather "thing" I (sorry can't remember the name) that chucks into the drill press. Works awesome. -Ace- https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/415Cne2sFyL._SY300_.jpg Found it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted April 12, 2017 Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 Reminds me af a guy I know. He is a horse's ........... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 12, 2017 Report Share Posted April 12, 2017 That phrase was popular when my dad was frustrated with me. I think a Col. on MASH used it also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derekcohen Posted April 14, 2017 Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 I cannot recommend leather for a strop (unless you are working with carving chisels). Leather, even horse butt leather, will dub an edge. I have three of the horse butt strops from TFWW, and used them over a decade on bench chisels or plane blades. I have not used one now for a few years. Instead I rub green compound on either planed hardwood or MDF. This is hard, does not give, and does not dub. Regards from Perth Derek 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 14, 2017 Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 I have used a leather strop for years (glued to a wood backer). I recently started using compound on a flat board as a strop, and can tell no difference, so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted April 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 I know MDF works well too. One of these days I am going to cut an MDF disc to fit my bench grinder for power stropping. I'm aware of the dubbing argument but thousands and thousands use leather with great results. I used some MDF scrap for a while but the leather seems to polish faster, but maybe that's in my head. Like most things in this trade, do what works for you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wood Basher Posted April 15, 2017 Report Share Posted April 15, 2017 I strop with an old scrap of leather and don't know what "dub" means. How would I tell if my chisels are dubbed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derekcohen Posted April 15, 2017 Report Share Posted April 15, 2017 7 hours ago, Wood Basher said: I strop with an old scrap of leather and don't know what "dub" means. How would I tell if my chisels are dubbed? To "dub" means to round over. This can occur from the front or the back of the bevel. Leather "gives", even hard leather, and the depression created when pressing the blade down with create a curved area in front of the blade. This can increase the cutting angle or dull the edge. Regards from Perth Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted April 17, 2017 Report Share Posted April 17, 2017 The only reason to use a leather strop is that you can't quite get the intersection between the bevel and the back close to perfection without it. The edge does round over some because it compresses the leather a little bit. The benefit of the give of the surface of the strop to the edge is if you can't quite get there otherwise. It makes no sense to use it if you are using a guide jig. If you are sharpening by hand, it makes more sense. I have never used a strop, even for the ten or so years that I sharpened by hand. To me, sharpening by hand is always chasing your tail. One will say a rounded bevel is best. More will say a micro-bevel is best. Some will say that a back bevel (ruler trick) is best. There are many ways to get to a usable edge. My preference is as sharp as I can get it, leaving off all the tail chasing steps. Sharper to start means the edge will cut exponentially longer than some level of lower sharpness. For the woods I work, my sharpening will last me several hours until the edge needs honing again. With plane irons, the starting point where I feel like it needs honing again is a 6k stone. Like Derek, I go up through the 13k stone before going to the final few strokes of my "stropping". That honing process might take a little over a minute or so total. Some call my last step "stropping", but it's really not. I will interject that my setup stays set up, and ready to go all the time. It's not a setup to drag out every time you need to sharpen something. My last step is tenth of a micron Diamond Lapping Film on a granite surface plate (by luck of the draw flat to .001 MM). I don't do micro bevels, or back bevels. I need an edge to be sharp enough to last for hours, and not just make a few pretty shavings. Not only do I want it as sharp as possible, but in order to be worth what I charge (something I always think about), I need to get to that sharp as possible point as quickly as possible. It's different for a hobbyist. I often have an audience of people that are paying me real money, so it adds to the show to produce results that anyone can see quickly. I probably should say that I don't take the time to raise a burr either. Running water on the fastest cutting water stones I know of allow me the feel to know when a stone has done what it is capable of doing, and then move on to the next step. On a chisel or iron that has had its back prepared properly, the only stone it touches is the last one. Stropping will get you to a usable edge if your system includes any tail chasing. I don't have time for that, so every surface I use is damned flat, and cuts damned fast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted April 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2017 I'm obviously not nearly as experienced as you in any area of woodworking Tom. My sharpening "system," and I hesitate to call it that because I do still need practice, involves anything but tail chasing. I have exactly two water stones, both lower end Nortons. A 220/1000 combo and a 4000. Copying Rob Cosman to the best of my ability, I use the ruler trick and freehand a secondary bevel at 1000 and 4000 grits. Now I strop for 10 seconds. I'd bet I worked on my new Woodriver #4 for less than two minutes and it shaves hair and makes transparent full width shavings of cherry...and that's from a sub-premium plane. With my Lie Nielsen LAJ I skipped the stones altogether and spent 10 seconds on the strop with the same results. 1000 to 4000 to strop, without a jig. I don't know how it could get quicker. Like I said before, it's all personal preference. Arguing about whether or not a leather strop should or shouldn't be used is just silly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted April 17, 2017 Report Share Posted April 17, 2017 Sounds like you're doing good. As long as you get it sharp enough to suit yourself, you've done all you need to. It's personal preference, but I'd never be satisfied stopping at 4,000, and I'm sure Derek wouldn't either. I agree that arguing whether or not one should be used is silly. If someone wants to choose not to for their own good reasons, it's certainly fine too. I just stated the reasons I don't choose too, and I'm sure the reason is very similar to Derek's reason. I call all the extra bevels, and different angles "tail chasing" because that method always has one going in circles. I like a system that is easily repeatable, every time. Typically, I'm set up in a museum house, and don't want to run a grinder in there. The only time one of my edges touches a grinder (which can be substituted for a lot of time on a coarse stone-not a viable option for me), is if something gets an edge damaged. To me, a strop fits in the tail chasing system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pd711 Posted April 20, 2017 Report Share Posted April 20, 2017 On 4/11/2017 at 6:17 PM, bleedinblue said: Just a heads up, Tools for Working Wood has been out of horse butt strops every time I've looked I just ordered one this past weekend and it arrived yesterday. The green honing compound is back ordered though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 21, 2017 Report Share Posted April 21, 2017 I just ordered one this past weekend and it arrived yesterday. The green honing compound is back ordered though. You can find the green compound at most Sears stores, and even Harbor Freight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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