This is a great tutorial. Never thought to use olive oil!! So grateful for that. A little tip from one guy to another, instead of having to change out paper towels 20 times, I like to use an old (clean) hand towel and if you just ring it out under hot water in between passes, it actually works really well. I find it to be quicker as well with your olive oil method.
Jesus watching almost twenty minutes and no loading of the strop. That was what I was waiting for. Do a lot of people a favor and alter the title plz!!!
As an engineer I can assure you that any abrasive that is not an unwoven fiber type WILL leave contamination that will show up as random scratches in the pattern, maybe more maybe less depending on the level of contamination. Non woven scuff pads, Mr. Clean eraser's etc will be best. I also recommend alcohol as a cleaner. As for changing compounds / repurposing a used strop...... only if you are going to a coarser grit, again contamination you will never get completely out. Just my experience......
As an engineer, you're a narcissist who thinks they're smarter than what they are? Got it. Go design a car where you have to remove the transmission to get to an engine oil filter. 😅
If I were to try this I’d use Ballistol because it’s the best for everything. It’s even edible (although it’s not proven so don’t try it) it won’t go rancid it’s just awesome.
Thank you for this tutorial, I appreciate it, big help. I didn't realize you could use food grade oils on a strop, I would have thought that it would start to rot the leather. I just got a pair of kangaroo leather strops from CKTG, a little spendy, but I wanted the highest grade leather I'm currently aware of for stropping knives in the range of 62-65 HRC.
Just an info note - I'm about a year into learning to sharpen knives, and broke down and bought a cheapo $5.00 dollar knife to practice on, test stones, etc.. I got it sharper than an HRC 63 knife (I did strop both). I think the harder steel requires more time because it wears less. The consistency is important; the cheapo knife has some tiny occlusions along the edge. My point (if any) is that high HRC doesn't equate to higher sharpness, just less frequent sharpening.
@@maximusdesimus1943 ----- Provided there are not even very tiny chips, is a stone necessary? It occurs to me that a strop will eventually (after a few hundred strokes) leave a perfectly smooth edge. I've improved a bit over the past year. One major thing I discovered while repairing (it is "repair" of chips and dings) friends knives, is a belt sander. Not very romantic, but it saves hours on an 80 grit diamond plate! Even a 1000 grit 3x18 common wood sander belt will eliminate chips in just five minutes, and will easily whet down bolsters, but don't let the blade get hot. After that, it's mostly just removing the burr before moving on to the fun part of a Green Brick of Joy, Arashiyama 6k, a good 10k, and stropping. I think thin, hard, leather is probably best. There's also 3M "lapping paper" up to around 60k, designed for use on a glass backing. I have not tried that yet, but it's edge-trailing only.
kangaroo leather isn’t any better than steerhide/cowhide or horse leather. It is also much thinner. Thick high quality vegetable tanned leather from the bend/but is the densest and cleanest. I don’t know where you people get your information from but you don’t need kangaroo leather to sharpen knives in the range of t2-65 HRC. Lol
I don't recommend using sandpaper. I dont want to contaminate my strops with abrasives other than the compound. The sandpaper will leave abrasives in the leather. If you are planning to use your strop on a straight razor blade I strongly recommend to not contaminate the leather and not switch compounds. Store it sperate and keep it in a bag. For al other knives this process can work although i think a non drying oil like olive oil is not the best choice since it will stay in the leather and may get rancid
Well, I have saddles and harnesses that I've inherited that are 4 generations old that have been conditioned with olive oil and there's nothing wrong with them. Other than those, I've been using olive oil to condition saddles and various tack of all kinds (crosby's, possoas, thornhills, hdr, harry dabbs, countyand beval) and I've never had a problem with odor or mildew regardless of the temp or humidity, and I live in *florida*. I mean, you'd think that if there was any environment that was going to cause something to decay and give off a rancid smell and promote mildew growth, it'd be the year round (except the maybe one weak in December, if it feels like it) hot and humid weather of florida. lol
Simon ---- Cntaminants are indeed an issue with stuff measured in microns. A vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment might work to remove them, strop held upside down. Must be dry, of course. A can of compressed air might do it, too. On stones, I just use a higher grit stone to lap - and I have two of the highest grit, also useful in raising a slurry. ... Kill two stones with one bird! (Ha, ha! Get it?? I'm so funny!!)
I use a stainless steel wire brush. It basically removes all the gunk and fluffs up the leather fibers without damaging them. And it takes about 16 minutes less than the length of this video. Cheers!
A scrap of wood, an old piece of leather and some double side tape and you have a fresh surface to charge. Thank you Paul Sellers. Why waste time and materials to rejuvenate a damaged strop? As I understand, the abrasive particles are suspended in a wax compound which is absorbed into the leather using friction. The cutting surface is the suspended particles. All this work on the leather doesn't make sense. If you have a wax buildup, scrape it back and apply fresh compound.
just cleaned mine with an eraser and toothbrush. It was really gunked up with compound and metal. Worked really well. I wouldn't feel comfortable putting oil on it but that's just me.
With my KME sharpener, to do touch ups on my knives is so quick. The angle is spot on and I can't see a reason to strop instead of using the sharpener. It's not like I'm pressing hard at that point to take off too much metal, I'm just quickly fine-tuning the edge.
He must’ve forgotten, what I do (and most people in the know) is I lay the blade flat on the strop and slide it across while slowly lifting the spine until the edge catches the leather (as if it was going to start slicing into it). I then lower it a tiny tiny bit & that’s your stropping angle 👍
@@richroc7 I returned to this video to see if I missed the tip on finding the right angle. I didn't find it. I use the "blade catch" method, but I had the impression that that video would show another method. I'm somewhat disappointed, having watched a whole lot of spraying, rubbing, sanding, and I continued waiting for the secret angle finding method. As far as I can tell, It didn't happen!
Great video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I'm just getting into stropping and discovered your channel with this video. I saved it for later use and subscribed :-)
I have used a strip of paper with compound for a strop. It works well. My thinking is if cutting paper can dull, the right angle can sharpen. Leather has some give to it, so I assume it rounds the edge a bit. The paper on a flat surface has less give. The paper quickly turns black from the removed metal.
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works great with no risk of contamination. The water will leave the leather hard, so you may want to add a softener of your choice. I would avoid olive oil. Use products designed for leather shoes and boots. But use a conditioner, not a wax based waterproofer. Food safe mineral oil works excellent, just don’t saturate the leather. And less compound. This is just of course the way that works for me. There is not really a right way. Find a way that works for you, just don’t : Never mix compounds Keep it clean Use it often Use less pressure than you would think Keep the angle low, especially if the leather is soft Remember it’s a strop. It’s not a sharpening stone. Your knife has to be sharp first. I’m
Mine was hard as a rock when I bought it. It’s always bothered me but I kept using it but isn’t it supposed to be a little supple? I have convex edges and idk what to do. I’m thinking about Ballistol and a clean rag because a wire brush does almost nothing to it because it’s so hard.
Exactly true that people over sharpen. If you strop on a regular basis, the need for sharpening goes way down... However, I work smart, not hard. I built a stropping disk that goes in my cordless drill. 20 seconds for crazy sharpe edge.
I have a set of shapton glass and I try to use them as little as possible. When it’s needed, hey...there they are and they’re great. But people WAY underestimate stropping. I use a few separate compounds ranging from “coarse” to .25 micron stupidfine. You’d be shocked at how often you DONT have to take your knife to a stone. Decent stropping compound will remove more material than you think and as long as your edge is intact, you’re good to just strop. Another tip is to just not let any of your tools get too far gone. If my chisels or knives start slowing down, I’ll take them to a strop pretty soon after that. The worse things get, the more likely you’re gonna have to break out the stones.
I don’t back the leather. I just put it on a flat counter, outside of the hide up, load it with aluminum oxide and maintain my edge(s) when necessary. Instead of olive oil I use Obenaufs Leather Oil, but I’m certain either functions the same but cooking oils are less expensive. Agreed most folks over do sharpening and waste expensive blades. Folks inherently like to go Gucci.
A sharp edge is surprisingly fragile. People do indeed over-do sharpening. With care and careful use of a knife, sharpening is just a brush up on a 6K (or thereabouts) and stropping. Not hard at all, but learning is like learning to ride a bicycle. When a knife is misused and chipped or bent, that isn't "sharpening", it is "repair", and time for a belt sander with a 1K belt.
Another great example of someone who doesn't know jack about cleaning and maintaining a strop, people like this should not be allowed to play with sharp objects.
Great video, very informative. I was just looking at my stop and thinking it probably needed to be cleaned, but I've yet to take the plunge (haven't done it before). Question, doesn't olive oil get rancid ( it's organic), would mineral oil work just as well? Also, do you need to wipe all the compound off, or just the black parts that accumulated the metal/have become dark?
I would figure you go with the 320 first then to the 3000. I’m I missing something? Seems like you are going backwards. But looking forward to your stropping series.
I'm wondering how a "Magic Eraser" might do with taking the chromium oxide compound off the leather instead of the paper towel? Appreciate this, thanks...
I would be done in less than 1 minute and been loading already. Instantly being back like you started. Now I just throw on more compound instead of going through all this. When loaded with compound you don’t feel any leather anymore anyways.
00:17 Definately depends on the steel. OH here's a good tip if you use regular compound like the yellow bar I've been using (I'm not sure what the best color is?) And your strop turns all black from the steel/compound buildup a good easy way to clean the strop is with an eraser, not a pencil eraser but a bigger one! Takes the junk right off
Getting into this type of sharpening for wood shop tools and knives. As for the leather, the smooth side is the hair side of the skin, and the coarse side is the side that is against the animal. I do like the diamond pastes.
Will the olive oil go rancid as it is a perishable food product? Have you experienced anything like that? Would Linseed oil or polishing type oil work as well? I guessed that the sanding will remove most if not all of the olive oil! Thanks for sharing cos I was just throwing my old strop out and make new ones! Good to have another method for when I'm not lazy lol
Well, I have saddles and harnesses that I've inherited that are 4 generations old that have been conditioned with olive oil and there's nothing wrong with them. Other than those, I've been using olive oil to condition saddles and various tack of all kinds (crosby's, possoas, thornhills, hdr, harry dabbs, countyand beval) and I've never had a problem with odor or mildew regardless of the temp or humidity, and I live in *florida*. I mean, you'd think that if there was any environment that was going to cause something to decay and give off a rancid smell and promote mildew growth, it'd be the year round (except the maybe one weak in December, if it feels like it) hot and humid weather of florida. lol
@@Kurokubi That's good to hear! I was told by one of my chefs that he bad experienced it when he used olive oil on his cutting boards! I'll stick to linseed or wax type just to be on the safe side! Maybe it's the weather here in Oz!
@@namelesswarrior4760 There's a reason they make specific oils for cutting boards. I'd question your friend's intelligence as a chef if he put olive oil on a cutting board. Wow.
WHILE HIS WAY MIGHT WORK GOOD. BUT FOR ME I PUT MINERAL OIL ON MINE. IT KEEPS THE LEATHER FROM DRY ROT AND KEEPS IT SO FINELY OILED. I USE Trend Ultra Fine Mirror Paste TO GET A RAZOR EDGE AND CHROME LOOKING FINISH. MINE GET SO SHARP WE HAVE TO USE A STAINLESS STEEL MESH GLOVE TO CLEAN AND CUT WITH THEM. I HAVE CUT OFF THE ENDS OF 2 FINGERS BEFORE I KNEW I NEEDED A GLOVE.
You can also use a utility knife razor blade if you just want to remove some of the debris off the strop, but this is better if your cleaning it completely off.
Well done video and perfect timing as my strop is in need of maintenance I agree I would rather strop and strop after I get a Scary Sharp edge on my knives Now I know of the Olive Oil and Sandpaper Best get to it Thanks for a well done video Rule of thumb when you should do maintenance to the strop?
Just because he did it that way doesn't make it the "best" way. For example, while olive oil isn't the ideal option, whichever chemical you use (WD40, mineral oils, etc), you shouldn't put it directly onto the strop. It's like dusting....put the spray on the cloth, then wipe/scrub. Shop/work towels (the thicker blue ones) are much better than regular paper towels. Terry cloth would also work better than a paper towel. The leather should also be reconditioned before adding more compound. Research on anything should extend past the first half assed youtube video you see.
Not a ment as criticism.. Few things are as boring as watching paint dry or sanding. Speed threw that part. I would like to see the application of the compound.
I know you said only use petroleum jelly for green chromium oxide but it should work for similar compounds right? I have red and blue right now no green.
How often do you recon that should people be completely taking off the compound? I presume just when you're changing over to a different compound or refinishing? I've just been using an eraser every once in a while to knock down the build up.
Any rule of thumb on when you need to reload compound? Hard for me to tell if it’s no longer working well. Say every month or so under moderate use? 3 months?
You can buy leather from hobby lobby. I don’t know if any other craft stores but hobby lobby has off-cuts for like $10 for about 3 lbs of leather. Some will be better than others but it should be relatively good. You can also buy tooling leather which works just as well.
"Vaseline" is a brand name for petroleum jelly. The WalMart "Great Value/Equate" brand is the same thing, just less expensive. Not all bandages are "Band-Aids", and not all tissues are "Kleenex". If you're an adult, you should know this.
The problem is that when you excessively strop, your cutting edge loses all of its toothyness and bite. I only lightly strop to finish an edge right off the stone, anything more is futile.
I recently bought the BeaverCraft leather strop but have problems getting the compound to stick to the leather. I've tried rubbing the compound on both sides of the leather but neither stay on. Does anyone have a suggestion of what I can do or what I may be doing wrong please?
I use a clean ordinary pencil eraser to remove old compound then blow off with some compressed air and reload works wonderful however I have never switch to compound when’s used on one strap I continue with that same count pound if I’m looking to switch I will either buy a new strap or deal with what I already am using
Hmm interesting. Could you use mineral oil instead? Olive oil goes rancid eventually and it'd start to smell. I reckon mineral oil might be a better choice.
This is a great tutorial. Never thought to use olive oil!! So grateful for that. A little tip from one guy to another, instead of having to change out paper towels 20 times, I like to use an old (clean) hand towel and if you just ring it out under hot water in between passes, it actually works really well. I find it to be quicker as well with your olive oil method.
Great tip! Everyone is so quick to grab a papertowel these days. Save a tree, and cloth towels work better, and cheaper too (re-usable).
Summary: 17 minutes of sanding and then it’s smooth.
That's a great video for someone like me who just started using strops.
I built myself one with an old belt.
It works quite nice.
Jesus watching almost twenty minutes and no loading of the strop. That was what I was waiting for. Do a lot of people a favor and alter the title plz!!!
As an engineer I can assure you that any abrasive that is not an unwoven fiber type WILL leave contamination that will show up as random scratches in the pattern, maybe more maybe less depending on the level of contamination. Non woven scuff pads, Mr. Clean eraser's etc will be best. I also recommend alcohol as a cleaner. As for changing compounds / repurposing a used strop...... only if you are going to a coarser grit, again contamination you will never get completely out. Just my experience......
Ah, the under appreciated leather engineers of the world.
Alcohol is not good for leather, drys out and weakness it
As an engineer, you're a narcissist who thinks they're smarter than what they are? Got it. Go design a car where you have to remove the transmission to get to an engine oil filter. 😅
What color crayons do you use when doing your designs? Do you have a little elmo table and paw patrol notebook when designing your super leathers?
I prefer black, I guess your handle sumums you up.
I used a Mr.Clean Magic Eraser and water to clean my strops. Worked amazing, got it looking new.
I prefer to disinfect it with bleach
@@Yokatosh is there bleach in a magic eraser?
If I were to try this I’d use Ballistol because it’s the best for everything. It’s even edible (although it’s not proven so don’t try it) it won’t go rancid it’s just awesome.
Great tips. Thanks for taking the time to show us . It`s appreciated .👍
Dude, I would’ve rather watch you spread the paste properly than go through sanding 6 times. So much for that finding the angle trick
N ST yeah right! Dumb ass video
Right?
😂 it’s simple just lay the blade flat and slowly raise the spine till it catches on the strop, that’s your stropping angle 🥳
Thank you for this tutorial, I appreciate it, big help. I didn't realize you could use food grade oils on a strop, I would have thought that it would start to rot the leather. I just got a pair of kangaroo leather strops from CKTG, a little spendy, but I wanted the highest grade leather I'm currently aware of for stropping knives in the range of 62-65 HRC.
Just an info note - I'm about a year into learning to sharpen knives, and broke down and bought a cheapo $5.00 dollar knife to practice on, test stones, etc.. I got it sharper than an HRC 63 knife (I did strop both). I think the harder steel requires more time because it wears less. The consistency is important; the cheapo knife has some tiny occlusions along the edge. My point (if any) is that high HRC doesn't equate to higher sharpness, just less frequent sharpening.
@@davesmith5656
I think he's aware, that's why he said he's using higher grade leather.
@@maximusdesimus1943 ----- Provided there are not even very tiny chips, is a stone necessary? It occurs to me that a strop will eventually (after a few hundred strokes) leave a perfectly smooth edge. I've improved a bit over the past year.
One major thing I discovered while repairing (it is "repair" of chips and dings) friends knives, is a belt sander. Not very romantic, but it saves hours on an 80 grit diamond plate! Even a 1000 grit 3x18 common wood sander belt will eliminate chips in just five minutes, and will easily whet down bolsters, but don't let the blade get hot. After that, it's mostly just removing the burr before moving on to the fun part of a Green Brick of Joy, Arashiyama 6k, a good 10k, and stropping. I think thin, hard, leather is probably best. There's also 3M "lapping paper" up to around 60k, designed for use on a glass backing. I have not tried that yet, but it's edge-trailing only.
@@davesmith5656
Sounds good.
kangaroo leather isn’t any better than steerhide/cowhide or horse leather. It is also much thinner. Thick high quality vegetable tanned leather from the bend/but is the densest and cleanest. I don’t know where you people get your information from but you don’t need kangaroo leather to sharpen knives in the range of t2-65 HRC. Lol
Great video with clear cut directions, thank you
I don't recommend using sandpaper. I dont want to contaminate my strops with abrasives other than the compound. The sandpaper will leave abrasives in the leather. If you are planning to use your strop on a straight razor blade I strongly recommend to not contaminate the leather and not switch compounds. Store it sperate and keep it in a bag. For al other knives this process can work although i think a non drying oil like olive oil is not the best choice since it will stay in the leather and may get rancid
Well, I have saddles and harnesses that I've inherited that are 4 generations old that have been conditioned with olive oil and there's nothing wrong with them. Other than those, I've been using olive oil to condition saddles and various tack of all kinds (crosby's, possoas, thornhills, hdr, harry dabbs, countyand beval) and I've never had a problem with odor or mildew regardless of the temp or humidity, and I live in *florida*. I mean, you'd think that if there was any environment that was going to cause something to decay and give off a rancid smell and promote mildew growth, it'd be the year round (except the maybe one weak in December, if it feels like it) hot and humid weather of florida. lol
Simon ---- Cntaminants are indeed an issue with stuff measured in microns. A vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment might work to remove them, strop held upside down. Must be dry, of course. A can of compressed air might do it, too. On stones, I just use a higher grit stone to lap - and I have two of the highest grit, also useful in raising a slurry. ... Kill two stones with one bird! (Ha, ha! Get it?? I'm so funny!!)
I'm not sure if Olive oil is a good choice but I somewhat have to agree with the abrasives leftover in the leather by using sand paper.
@Kurokub any recommendations for jungle bushcraft knives. Rust resistant and tough.
I use a stainless steel wire brush. It basically removes all the gunk and fluffs up the leather fibers without damaging them. And it takes about 16 minutes less than the length of this video. Cheers!
But nothing like as enjoyable as listening to someone that loves the sound of his own voice lol
Same method I use.
Thanks man, ignore the contamination snobs. Too many people operate in theory and not from actual use.
A scrap of wood, an old piece of leather and some double side tape and you have a fresh surface to charge. Thank you Paul Sellers. Why waste time and materials to rejuvenate a damaged strop?
As I understand, the abrasive particles are suspended in a wax compound which is absorbed into the leather using friction. The cutting surface is the suspended particles. All this work on the leather doesn't make sense. If you have a wax buildup, scrape it back and apply fresh compound.
just cleaned mine with an eraser and toothbrush. It was really gunked up with compound and metal. Worked really well. I wouldn't feel comfortable putting oil on it but that's just me.
Thanks for this video... I really appreciate it. I love your videos 💪
With my KME sharpener, to do touch ups on my knives is so quick. The angle is spot on and I can't see a reason to strop instead of using the sharpener. It's not like I'm pressing hard at that point to take off too much metal, I'm just quickly fine-tuning the edge.
Did I miss something? What is the simple technique for getting the right angle for stropping? Thanks
He must’ve forgotten, what I do (and most people in the know) is I lay the blade flat on the strop and slide it across while slowly lifting the spine until the edge catches the leather (as if it was going to start slicing into it). I then lower it a tiny tiny bit & that’s your stropping angle 👍
@@richroc7 I returned to this video to see if I missed the tip on finding the right angle. I didn't find it. I use the "blade catch" method, but I had the impression that that video would show another method. I'm somewhat disappointed, having watched a whole lot of spraying, rubbing, sanding, and I continued waiting for the secret angle finding method. As far as I can tell, It didn't happen!
Great video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I'm just getting into stropping and discovered your channel with this video. I saved it for later use and subscribed :-)
Try 100 percent alcohol sprayed on the compound. It melts it in seconds. You just scrape down to clean leather with a straight edge.
I love the olive oil technique. I've been using a fine wire brush. Thanks for sharing.
I go right to the orbital and get it off and fluff up the leather just a bit and reapply compound. Works great and fast
I have used a strip of paper with compound for a strop. It works well. My thinking is if cutting paper can dull, the right angle can sharpen. Leather has some give to it, so I assume it rounds the edge a bit. The paper on a flat surface has less give. The paper quickly turns black from the removed metal.
I was using a wire brush,,,
I'm doing this tomorrow.
Thank you ❤
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works great with no risk of contamination. The water will leave the leather hard, so you may want to add a softener of your choice. I would avoid olive oil. Use products designed for leather shoes and boots. But use a conditioner, not a wax based waterproofer. Food safe mineral oil works excellent, just don’t saturate the leather. And less compound. This is just of course the way that works for me. There is not really a right way. Find a way that works for you, just don’t :
Never mix compounds
Keep it clean
Use it often
Use less pressure than you would think
Keep the angle low, especially if the leather is soft
Remember it’s a strop. It’s not a sharpening stone. Your knife has to be sharp first. I’m
Mine was hard as a rock when I bought it. It’s always bothered me but I kept using it but isn’t it supposed to be a little supple? I have convex edges and idk what to do. I’m thinking about Ballistol and a clean rag because a wire brush does almost nothing to it because it’s so hard.
Great video brother!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Great Video! Thank you 😎👍
Exactly true that people over sharpen. If you strop on a regular basis, the need for sharpening goes way down... However, I work smart, not hard. I built a stropping disk that goes in my cordless drill. 20 seconds for crazy sharpe edge.
I have a set of shapton glass and I try to use them as little as possible. When it’s needed, hey...there they are and they’re great. But people WAY underestimate stropping. I use a few separate compounds ranging from “coarse” to .25 micron stupidfine. You’d be shocked at how often you DONT have to take your knife to a stone. Decent stropping compound will remove more material than you think and as long as your edge is intact, you’re good to just strop. Another tip is to just not let any of your tools get too far gone. If my chisels or knives start slowing down, I’ll take them to a strop pretty soon after that. The worse things get, the more likely you’re gonna have to break out the stones.
Since i own leather boots, i tried mink oil paste. Worked wonderfully!! Recharged with green polishing compound. Good as new!
Mineral oil also works
Olive oil did a great job !
Hair dryer works good on pre-heat before compound
I don’t back the leather. I just put it on a flat counter, outside of the hide up, load it with aluminum oxide and maintain my edge(s) when necessary. Instead of olive oil I use Obenaufs Leather Oil, but I’m certain either functions the same but cooking oils are less expensive. Agreed most folks over do sharpening and waste expensive blades. Folks inherently like to go Gucci.
A sharp edge is surprisingly fragile. People do indeed over-do sharpening. With care and careful use of a knife, sharpening is just a brush up on a 6K (or thereabouts) and stropping. Not hard at all, but learning is like learning to ride a bicycle. When a knife is misused and chipped or bent, that isn't "sharpening", it is "repair", and time for a belt sander with a 1K belt.
Another great example of someone who doesn't know jack about cleaning and maintaining a strop, people like this should not be allowed to play with sharp objects.
Great video, very informative. I was just looking at my stop and thinking it probably needed to be cleaned, but I've yet to take the plunge (haven't done it before). Question, doesn't olive oil get rancid ( it's organic), would mineral oil work just as well? Also, do you need to wipe all the compound off, or just the black parts that accumulated the metal/have become dark?
I use mineral oil as well.
I use extra virgin mineral oil from the nunnery.
@@usernamemykel add couple drops of holy water for good measure, can't hurt
Heat gun for green or white and spread with a wide putty knife. It’s all gonna end up slick regardless how much you sand
I don’t even see what the leather actually does once it’s really loaded 🤷♂️ I get razor sharp edges though
I would figure you go with the 320 first then to the 3000. I’m I missing something? Seems like you are going backwards. But looking forward to your stropping series.
He wasn't originally going to refinish the surface as much. After his first pass with 2k he decided he wanted to take more material off.
I'm wondering how a "Magic Eraser" might do with taking the chromium oxide compound off the leather instead of the paper towel?
Appreciate this, thanks...
A hair dryer works great for the green chromium oxide also
I use the same thing but with my 400 grit diamond stone. Lol works great but than i gotta clean the stone after taking it to the strop.
That's some really good info
Also btw oilive oil is not stable and oxidizes and goes rancid every quickly. If you add too much it will make your leather rot.
The moment you went to 320 canceled all the previous steps
Great video, thanks!
I would be done in less than 1 minute and been loading already. Instantly being back like you started. Now I just throw on more compound instead of going through all this. When loaded with compound you don’t feel any leather anymore anyways.
00:17 Definately depends on the steel. OH here's a good tip if you use regular compound like the yellow bar I've been using (I'm not sure what the best color is?) And your strop turns all black from the steel/compound buildup a good easy way to clean the strop is with an eraser, not a pencil eraser but a bigger one! Takes the junk right off
Getting into this type of sharpening for wood shop tools and knives. As for the leather, the smooth side is the hair side of the skin, and the coarse side is the side that is against the animal. I do like the diamond pastes.
Will the olive oil go rancid as it is a perishable food product? Have you experienced anything like that? Would Linseed oil or polishing type oil work as well?
I guessed that the sanding will remove most if not all of the olive oil! Thanks for sharing cos I was just throwing my old strop out and make new ones! Good to have another method for when I'm not lazy lol
Well, I have saddles and harnesses that I've inherited that are 4 generations old that have been conditioned with olive oil and there's nothing wrong with them. Other than those, I've been using olive oil to condition saddles and various tack of all kinds (crosby's, possoas, thornhills, hdr, harry dabbs, countyand beval) and I've never had a problem with odor or mildew regardless of the temp or humidity, and I live in *florida*. I mean, you'd think that if there was any environment that was going to cause something to decay and give off a rancid smell and promote mildew growth, it'd be the year round (except the maybe one weak in December, if it feels like it) hot and humid weather of florida. lol
@@Kurokubi That's good to hear! I was told by one of my chefs that he bad experienced it when he used olive oil on his cutting boards! I'll stick to linseed or wax type just to be on the safe side! Maybe it's the weather here in Oz!
@@namelesswarrior4760 There's a reason they make specific oils for cutting boards. I'd question your friend's intelligence as a chef if he put olive oil on a cutting board. Wow.
thanks for the knowledge man!
Jack Tansin no problem. Thanks for checking out the video
Removing compound with a bench scraper works well (a woodworking scraper is better) - especially if you warm the compound first. YMMV.
Just take a utility knife blade and scrape lightly at a angle not cutting into the leather. A lot faster and cleaner
I use stones to clean and flatten my strops
I found this helpful. Thanks
WHILE HIS WAY MIGHT WORK GOOD. BUT FOR ME I PUT MINERAL OIL ON MINE. IT KEEPS THE LEATHER FROM DRY ROT AND KEEPS IT SO FINELY OILED. I USE Trend Ultra Fine Mirror Paste TO GET A RAZOR EDGE AND CHROME LOOKING FINISH. MINE GET SO SHARP WE HAVE TO USE A STAINLESS STEEL MESH GLOVE TO CLEAN AND CUT WITH THEM. I HAVE CUT OFF THE ENDS OF 2 FINGERS BEFORE I KNEW I NEEDED A GLOVE.
You can also use a utility knife razor blade if you just want to remove some of the debris off the strop, but this is better if your cleaning it completely off.
New subscriber wishes to know, which brand chromium oxide you highly recommend?
I’m going to try it.
Well done video and perfect timing as my strop is in need of maintenance I agree I would rather strop and strop after I get a Scary Sharp edge on my knives Now I know of the Olive Oil and Sandpaper Best get to it Thanks for a well done video Rule of thumb when you should do maintenance to the strop?
Just because he did it that way doesn't make it the "best" way. For example, while olive oil isn't the ideal option, whichever chemical you use (WD40, mineral oils, etc), you shouldn't put it directly onto the strop. It's like dusting....put the spray on the cloth, then wipe/scrub. Shop/work towels (the thicker blue ones) are much better than regular paper towels. Terry cloth would also work better than a paper towel. The leather should also be reconditioned before adding more compound. Research on anything should extend past the first half assed youtube video you see.
14 minutes of using a paper towel, and sand paper, but skipped reloading the strop.
I wish I had watched at 1.75x speed
I Want To Know What The Green Or White Stuff They Sent With My Leather Strop .. Thanks
I have diamond compound and CrOx. What is the hardest/complex alloy that you personally will strop on CrOx? Just wondering. Kool vid.
Not a ment as criticism.. Few things are as boring as watching paint dry or sanding. Speed threw that part. I would like to see the application of the compound.
I agree with opening comments
I use rubbing alcohol first then mineral oil to finish then compound. Easy money
Thanks for this 👍🏾
What's the trick you found with the angle or finding the angle? I played it twice and didn't hear it.
I know you said only use petroleum jelly for green chromium oxide but it should work for similar compounds right? I have red and blue right now no green.
William Sleight yes Sr. Any wax compounds use petroleum jelly. You don't need it for diamond sprays
Brilliant
Great and tough job!
It's so easy to change the leather 😂.
There is plenty of thick and cheap leather skin. It's not a rare product !
How often do you recon that should people be completely taking off the compound? I presume just when you're changing over to a different compound or refinishing? I've just been using an eraser every once in a while to knock down the build up.
Any rule of thumb on when you need to reload compound? Hard for me to tell if it’s no longer working well. Say every month or so under moderate use? 3 months?
Depends on how often you use it but you’ll know when because it’ll have a lot of metal flakes on it and it won’t work as well as it should.
Fantastic!
Really helpful thank you!
Thx sir !
What a palm sander work for sending this down?
Okay but which strops do you recommend we buy? Which one is it you’re using in this video?
Buy? Just make one. You can get hard leather from craft store, stick to wood and ur set!
You can buy leather from hobby lobby. I don’t know if any other craft stores but hobby lobby has off-cuts for like $10 for about 3 lbs of leather. Some will be better than others but it should be relatively good. You can also buy tooling leather which works just as well.
What is the purpose of stropping paste?
Great! How often to you clean the strop?
So I assume the accumulated metal particles and the dull grit in the paste prevent the strop from working efficiently
Correct he did inadvertently neglect to mention that but most people know who use strops know that 👊
I use Vaseline. A small packet came with one of my sharpeners so I figured to keep using.
Edit: oh wait. You use as well.
"Vaseline" is a brand name for petroleum jelly. The WalMart "Great Value/Equate" brand is the same thing, just less expensive.
Not all bandages are "Band-Aids", and not all tissues are "Kleenex".
If you're an adult, you should know this.
@@matthewerulkar3164 Delighted that you your read my comment, and responded to same. You made my day, thank you.
@@KamalaBiden Thank you, daddy.
The problem is that when you excessively strop, your cutting edge loses all of its toothyness and bite. I only lightly strop to finish an edge right off the stone, anything more is futile.
What happened to how you said you were going to show us how to find the correct angle with our knives?
Imo this is the only way to successfully clean a strop
If you finish by sanding across in May hold the compound better
Will a wire brush (like a file card) work for refreshing the leather?
I’ve seen people use that on the flesh side of the leather but not the skin side.
I recently bought the BeaverCraft leather strop but have problems getting the compound to stick to the leather. I've tried rubbing the compound on both sides of the leather but neither stay on.
Does anyone have a suggestion of what I can do or what I may be doing wrong please?
Have you tried heating the leather w/ a hot-air gun, and then rubbing the compound on?
I'll give it a try Dave. Thanks for the help.
I use a clean ordinary pencil eraser to remove old compound then blow off with some compressed air and reload works wonderful however I have never switch to compound when’s used on one strap I continue with that same count pound if I’m looking to switch I will either buy a new strap or deal with what I already am using
Uses razor 90⁰ to strop and scrapes. Strop clean
I’d use food safe mineral oil. Olive oil can go rancid, mineral oil won’t/can’t.
Why olive oil? Can you use light machine oil like 3 in 1?
I would use food safe mineral oil
Would ballistol mineral oil be ok?
Where is the tip on finding the correct angle to strop at?
can you use extra fine steel wool?
Olive oil goes rancid I’d use mineral oil probably.
use mineral oil. olive oil can spoil and get gross over time plus mineral oil is just cheaper.
Do you do this after every session or you can use the same compound for few sessions?
You should get months of use before you need to clean it like this.
Hmm interesting. Could you use mineral oil instead? Olive oil goes rancid eventually and it'd start to smell. I reckon mineral oil might be a better choice.
A lot of work for a strop but it does look nice.