I am a mobile detailer in Tampa. I've used that product for the final stage of paint leveling, or removing air bliss and orange peel, for years. Never thought to use it as strop. My father was an operator (5th SF Green Beret in Vietnam) and always taught me to find things in my environment as tools. All my sharpening stones have come from tile and stone shops in the bay area for free. The ceramic disks you put in the bottom of a vehicles cup holder are excellent for edge touch up.
Brother, I have learned and applied so much edge knowledge to my knife sharpening/honing/stropping technique from your vids and taken my blades to an entirely new level.... Thank you from an Iraq vet with no arm-leg hair left to test on lmao
This works! I watched the video, immediately went to Advance Auto and bought the 3M Trizact sandpaper. I only thought my RAT II had a razor sharp edge before. This method has taken "sharp" to the next level. Plus, the bevel is nearly mirror. A little stropping with green compound on leather, and I can see myself in the edge.
Picked this up at AutoZone today for $7.50. Pulled out some dulled Benchmade knives that have 154CM steel. This thing brought back their edge and now they are hair-splitting... about 25 strokes per side. Also used it on some Spyderco S30V blades, but it took a little bit longer to get results. Really liking this stuff. You could even throw a piece of it in your backpack so that you always have a reliable way to re-sharpen. Thanks for sharing this!
Really impressed how he is push cutting through the receipt paper! People say "big deal, its only paper" but push cutting through something with no stiffness is very difficult.
I cannot believe it. I bought this stuff in a pack consisting of 3000, 5000, and 7000 grit. I ran my kinives over it at 20 strokes per side on each grit and then ran them a couple of times over a piece of glass. My knives are now sharper than they would be with any sharpening system that I have used. They are like razor blades. Thankyou for the idea.
+michael meredith Curious if you are wetting the paper before use as 3M suggests? Very interested in the pack you discussed. Where can I find this please? 7000 grit would be fantastic for fine wood chisels!
+michael meredith How did you run your knives, toward blade or spine? Also, it's tough to find 7k do you think stopping at 5K will give same results as shown in video? Does this replace the need to bring your knives to stones? Even if you kill the edge? Finally, do you think it'll work for my straight edge razors? I can't see myself not going back to my stones to set bevel/hone.
OMR. That would be the perfect thing to use for convex blades…with the foam backing. I just checked it on Amazon and ordered a sheet. $9! One of the reviews there commented that he used it for a strop and it worked incredibly well. Good find. Thanks.
Just tried this and am quite pleased. Does give a nice burnished edge and really improved the cutting ability of the knife. Went from pretty dull to pretty sharp in about 10 passes. Great idea. Thanks for sharing!
this is excellent - i saw another tuber that bases his whole sharpening system on different grits of sand paper - it works great and not to expensive - yours is like a sandpaper strop
Good stuff John. I came across one of these about a year ago while at the auto parts store looking for high grit sandpaper when convexing my BK2. It's great for stropping as you demonstrated. -Chris
Great idea! I've been using one of those sandpaper handles because it has foam where you attach the sandpaper (I have a lot of convex blades). It works great with the sticky backed sandpaper. But this would be extremely light, and wouldn't take up much room in the backpack... so I just ordered it from Amazon.
Awesome stuff! I've been stropping on a piece of 2500 grit sandpaper that I stuck to the back of my wooden strop. Works quite well, but I'll have to try this material out too! Thanks for the share man.
i've always been into knives but just kind of discovered and realized the ''high end'' and actually ''collecting'' so maintenance and sharpening is or has become important thanks i like your videos , i pick up a lot and I'm headed to auto zone right after i type this to get my first strop lol and I'm looking into the edge pro apex 4 , thanks for sharing
Going to have to try this. I've used these 3k pads for a while now for my last step before buffing my car with rubbing compound. Didnt even think of using it as a strop! Good stuff John
I started using this about a year age and it works great! I've since moved on to proper strops but it's definitely a great solution if you don't have a strop.
I went out and bought some to try it out. It works. I used it to finish my Izula II which was pretty dull when I got it. Now it's a razor. Thanks for the tip!
Hey John...Nice catch! Will definitely get some of this in the next day or three and give it a try. Sounds like a great solution for field sharpening/touchups!
Its excellent stuff and Ive been using this for a while. Ive been messing around with the high grit papers for a while and have gotten excellent results.
I found this sanding pad a while ago it makes a great strop, I got amazing results after stopping on the pad then stropping on the knives plus stop block :)
This works really well for zero grinds or other convex grinds, since it is essentially using a soft or flexible platen for the abrasive medium.I've grown exceptionally fond of such grinds for my kitchen cutlery, as it has slightly better edge retention.
I found some of this 3000 and 5000 grit on clearance and it is very good for polishing and it works well as a strop if you are careful with your pressure.
Good stuff. I've been using the 3M automotive sandpaper with a mouse pad--this eliminates the need for the mouse pad! I finish with a traditional leather strop and doing an initial strop with the sandpaper first has allowed me to go from 50 strokes per side on the leather strop to 10-20 strokes per side.
Thanks for sharing with us your amazing discovery. What people don't understand when they ask about getting a convex edge is that your method is used only after your blade has ALREADY been sharpened to a degree. This method takes your blade's sharpness to a higher level. This method is not meant to sharpen a dull blade, but to make sharper an already sharp knife. By doing so, you'll never have to worry about convex edges.
It will work with anything. That's why I showed that it had the ability to cut S110V. If it can cut S110V then it can cut just about any steel you run across.
I really like my Trizact belts for sharpening larger knives and axes on my small low speed belt sander. Never tried this product but your results are pretty impressive. I am not very skilled at freehand sharpening though. I prefer my WEPS... Great video from you as always.
GOOD NEWS:Any sharpining surface with boyency will cause your edge to become convexed after a certain amount of usage. Thanx for the video my Bladed Brother 👍 ⚔️ ✝️ 🇺🇲
Here, in Brazil, its very common to sharp knives with this kindle of material. We don't acess to great sharpening products if we don't buy them for outside our country.
Good vid. Thanks for the info. I am going to get one of those pads and try it out. I use a mouse pad under my 3K grit sand paper. Looks like this is a similar idea. I can't afford stones, so I use snd paper an leather strop tp finish sharpening. This sounds real interesting.
I used to use these to polish my straight razors and one day I got the idea to strop on one. It's a 3k and 5k strop for a couple bucks. And they last forever. Throw one in a kitchen drawer and strop your chef knife instead of using a steel. It's easier and better.
What I consider decently sharp is the ability to cut paper and have some bite. I've never once had an edge from the factory that wasn't over buffed to the point that I could slide it across my skin with considerable force.
I know that burnishing is plastic deformation, essentially smearing of the steel. What I meant is that this sandpaper both cuts the steel, and also has "grab" and pull which I can only imagine is burnishing the edge to some degree which is one reason the edge is so clean straight off the paper. I could be wrong of course, it's happened once before. Haha
It's not "burnished" it's polished. Two different things. Burnishing compresses surface grain using a harder material, polishing only reduces the surface grain to optical or semi optical quality.
Not trying to rain but burnishing is the plastic deformation of the edge and comes form objects with similar hardness. When the strop loads with steel dust, it no longer abrades the edge but burnishes the edge against the steel dust
Mrsingingdude1 You're correct that burnishing is plastic deformation but plastic deformation requires pressure, more pressure than you get from a strop. It also requires not material of "similar" hardness but significantly greater hardness. It essentially requires the local contact stress to exceeds the yield strength of the material to be burnished. Examples of burnishing tools include polished butcher's steels and the burnishing needles used by Japanese sword polishers. What you have when the strop loads with steel dust is neither polishing nor burnishing but some sort of silly arm-waving bullshit. A strop should be cleaned and reloaded with compound regularly.
+Edmond Dantez their are actually multiple ways of burnishing an edge. The point being that once this strop loads, it will cease to actually abrade the steel. at that point your burnishing your edge. You dont always need the contact stress to exceed the yield strength to burnish, thats just when the real damage occurs. Since it's been brought up, however, the thickness of the steel at the edge is usually anywhere between .5 to 1 micron thick. at such a relatively low thickness, it's incredibly easy to exceed the yield strength of your edge.
Mrsingingdude1 Yes, there are multiple ways to burnish an edge, I named two. Yes, once the strop loads it will cease to abrade the steel but unless you can guarantee that the surface of the old particles on the loaded strop are harder than the new piece on which you're working, it won't do anything else either and we're back to hand waving bullshit. In addition, if those particles are harder, you can't know how they separated from the original piece and therefore, can't guarantee their size and now you're fucking up the polish of your current work. There are only two ways to go as far as I'm concerned. 1. Clean strop, fresh compound. 2. A flat, highly polished, hard surface on which to burnish. Sorry to split hairs but that's kinda the point.
+Edmond Dantez exactly. I stopped using strops years ago when I realized there's nothing I can do with a strop that I couldn't do with a stone. Point being that a strop is not as good for your edge as a stone
I used this stuff on my Dozier- it's quite good, but it will remove you coating inevitable- it will also convex your edge. It's pretty abbrasive compared to a regular strop
I have owned 6 Sebenza's through the years and still have 3 right now & I haven't had one that didn't need at the very least some stropping to straighten their uneven burr. Out of the box they cut good for 5 minutes till you wear off that burr.
I've been using double sided tape stuck to a ruler with sheets of 1K,2K,3K grit sandpaper. Double sided tap gives the sponginess to compensate for any angle inconsistencies that result from not being a robot. Guess it is time for an upgrade. (that's if I can find it in local stores)
any hand sharpening method will produce either a beveled or convex edge, the cutting edge of a hollow ground blade is either convex or bevelled depending on how you finish it. the trick to this method is to lightly feather the blade over the paper as you strop to minimize the convexing effect caused by the foam backing. when the final edge has a slight convexing it will maintain its edge longer compared to a beveled edge ( cross sectional shape of a curve is inherently stronger) If a bevel edge is a great concern go to a dental supplier and get a glass mixing slab and glue 3000 grit paper to it. For a pocket knife this foam backed paper is more than adequate if done properly.
Yeah definitely if you'd like to convex the edge you can go ahead and apply a fair amount of pressure. Even though I'm not applying pressure it's still micro-convexing the edge, but you wouldn't notice it unless you looked at it under magnification.
I am a mobile detailer in Tampa. I've used that product for the final stage of paint leveling, or removing air bliss and orange peel, for years. Never thought to use it as strop. My father was an operator (5th SF Green Beret in Vietnam) and always taught me to find things in my environment as tools. All my sharpening stones have come from tile and stone shops in the bay area for free. The ceramic disks you put in the bottom of a vehicles cup holder are excellent for edge touch up.
Brother, I have learned and applied so much edge knowledge to my knife sharpening/honing/stropping technique from your vids and taken my blades to an entirely new level.... Thank you from an Iraq vet with no arm-leg hair left to test on lmao
This works! I watched the video, immediately went to Advance Auto and bought the 3M Trizact sandpaper. I only thought my RAT II had a razor sharp edge before. This method has taken "sharp" to the next level. Plus, the bevel is nearly mirror. A little stropping with green compound on leather, and I can see myself in the edge.
Picked this up at AutoZone today for $7.50. Pulled out some dulled Benchmade knives that have 154CM steel. This thing brought back their edge and now they are hair-splitting... about 25 strokes per side. Also used it on some Spyderco S30V blades, but it took a little bit longer to get results. Really liking this stuff. You could even throw a piece of it in your backpack so that you always have a reliable way to re-sharpen. Thanks for sharing this!
This sounds great. I know for a fact that sharpening 154 ain't no daisy 🌼
Really impressed how he is push cutting through the receipt paper! People say "big deal, its only paper" but push cutting through something with no stiffness is very difficult.
James Cooper indeed, and receipt paper is pretty thin..
James Cooper i agree see my video on super sharp 10 dollars knife standing paper cut
Im going to try it thank you
In my experience reciept paper is ez to cut.
I cannot believe it. I bought this stuff in a pack consisting of 3000, 5000, and 7000 grit. I ran my kinives over it at 20 strokes per side on each grit and then ran them a couple of times over a piece of glass. My knives are now sharper than they would be with any sharpening system that I have used. They are like razor blades. Thankyou for the idea.
+michael meredith Curious if you are wetting the paper before use as 3M suggests? Very interested in the pack you discussed. Where can I find this please? 7000 grit would be fantastic for fine wood chisels!
I bought it on Amazon UK.
I can't find 7000 grid on their website
+michael meredith How did you run your knives, toward blade or spine? Also, it's tough to find 7k do you think stopping at 5K will give same results as shown in video? Does this replace the need to bring your knives to stones? Even if you kill the edge? Finally, do you think it'll work for my straight edge razors? I can't see myself not going back to my stones to set bevel/hone.
5000 will definately give you comparable results, ie, a razor edge. I ran the blades toward the spine. Hope this helps.
OMR. That would be the perfect thing to use for convex blades…with the foam backing. I just checked it on Amazon and ordered a sheet. $9! One of the reviews there commented that he used it for a strop and it worked incredibly well. Good find. Thanks.
I have tried this and am now a believer.
thank you for sharing this
Just tried this and am quite pleased. Does give a nice burnished edge and really improved the cutting ability of the knife. Went from pretty dull to pretty sharp in about 10 passes. Great idea. Thanks for sharing!
this is excellent - i saw another tuber that bases his whole sharpening system on different grits of sand paper - it works great and not to expensive - yours is like a sandpaper strop
Thank you for the great information. I already used it and got great results on my Dozier folding hunter. I will try on all my other knives.
I just got that sandpaper & you were not kidding that stuff really works thanx...
Good stuff John. I came across one of these about a year ago while at the auto parts store looking for high grit sandpaper when convexing my BK2. It's great for stropping as you demonstrated. -Chris
I been doing this for years.I love it and it works great for my convex edges.
I love it when new sharpening ideas are presented John, very cool!
Great idea! I've been using one of those sandpaper handles because it has foam where you attach the sandpaper (I have a lot of convex blades). It works great with the sticky backed sandpaper. But this would be extremely light, and wouldn't take up much room in the backpack... so I just ordered it from Amazon.
Awesome stuff! I've been stropping on a piece of 2500 grit sandpaper that I stuck to the back of my wooden strop. Works quite well, but I'll have to try this material out too! Thanks for the share man.
i've always been into knives but just kind of discovered and realized the ''high end'' and actually ''collecting'' so maintenance and sharpening is or has become important thanks i like your videos , i pick up a lot and I'm headed to auto zone right after i type this to get my first strop lol and I'm looking into the edge pro apex 4 , thanks for sharing
Going to have to try this. I've used these 3k pads for a while now for my last step before buffing my car with rubbing compound. Didnt even think of using it as a strop! Good stuff John
Definitely going to try this out ! Thanks for sharing. All the best from Scotland. Garry
This is the best tip I've seen in a long time.... Thanks for sharing this great information 👍
I started using this about a year age and it works great! I've since moved on to proper strops but it's definitely a great solution if you don't have a strop.
Great find!!!! Thank you for the tip.
I need to get myself some of those - thanks for sharing !
This is unreal. I've been using Japanese waterstones. The cool part is there is an Advance Auto within walking distance.
Great video. Love your channels.
Thank you for sharing, always looking for new and improved ways
Very helpful information. Thank you for sharing this new stropping find...Keep up the excellent work....
I went out and bought some to try it out. It works. I used it to finish my Izula II which was pretty dull when I got it. Now it's a razor. Thanks for the tip!
You're my go-to-guy now concerning knives!
Excellent vid. Thank you for the technique
Going to get some tomorrow while at work, thanks for sharing JD.
Hey John...Nice catch! Will definitely get some of this in the next day or three and give it a try. Sounds like a great solution for field sharpening/touchups!
Thanks so much for sharing this!
The 3000g sanding foam is meant to be used wet. Paper on a good flat surface also works very well.
This is really great info! I will try this for sure, thanks buddy.
Great video and find. Thanks for the information and tips.
Thanks for the excellant tip.
Thats a great tip John thank you for sharing Ill definitely give it a go
Thanks for the heads up man!. I bet it will work great on convex edges
Its excellent stuff and Ive been using this for a while. Ive been messing around with the high grit papers for a while and have gotten excellent results.
Great tip!
This would be great for convex knives. I'm getting some. Thanks!
I found this sanding pad a while ago it makes a great strop, I got amazing results after stopping on the pad then stropping on the knives plus stop block :)
Thanks for the suggestion, will have to try it out on my strider...
As always. Great tip.
I am so happy to see this breakthrough and also happy to hear an honest opinion at the piss poor edge a "standard" Chris Reeve knife comes.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I'm looking forward to getting 3000 to 5000 grade and trying this on my Knives.
You answered my question about these pads and I didn't even know you were going to in this video, you got my subscribe!
thanx for the tip ! I'm gonna try it!
Lookin' nice and sharp!
I use the 5000 "grit" just like a strop, it is Awesome!
Thanks Much
This works really well for zero grinds or other convex grinds, since it is essentially using a soft or flexible platen for the abrasive medium.I've grown exceptionally fond of such grinds for my kitchen cutlery, as it has slightly better edge retention.
Very cool... will have to get myself some of that. Thanks for the headsup.
Just ordered some on amazon. Can't wait to try it out
I found some of this 3000 and 5000 grit on clearance and it is very good for polishing and it works well as a strop if you are careful with your pressure.
Bought it, tried it, and its insane how good it works.
Thanks for the suggestion. I will definately give this a try on my knives!
Good stuff. I've been using the 3M automotive sandpaper with a mouse pad--this eliminates the need for the mouse pad! I finish with a traditional leather strop and doing an initial strop with the sandpaper first has allowed me to go from 50 strokes per side on the leather strop to 10-20 strokes per side.
Thank you for sharing your discovery.
Thanks for sharing with us your amazing discovery. What people don't understand when they ask about getting a convex edge is that your method is used only after your blade has ALREADY been sharpened to a degree. This method takes your blade's sharpness to a higher level. This method is not meant to sharpen a dull blade, but to make sharper an already sharp knife. By doing so, you'll never have to worry about convex edges.
Best pre strop material ever. Especially after a spyderco sharp maker device
Awesome, I sell commercially for advance auto here in ATL and we carry that. I think its mainly for wet finishing paint. Good vid bro!
I love this stuff I use it to polish the washers and to polish the liners.
It will work with anything. That's why I showed that it had the ability to cut S110V. If it can cut S110V then it can cut just about any steel you run across.
I've been using automotive wet/dry sandpaper - 2000 and above - to finish with good results. I make sure it's on a smooth hard surface.
I really like my Trizact belts for sharpening larger knives and axes on my small low speed belt sander. Never tried this product but your results are pretty impressive. I am not very skilled at freehand sharpening though. I prefer my WEPS... Great video from you as always.
GOOD NEWS:Any sharpining surface with boyency will cause your edge to become convexed after a certain amount of usage.
Thanx for the video my Bladed Brother 👍 ⚔️ ✝️ 🇺🇲
Here, in Brazil, its very common to sharp knives with this kindle of material. We don't acess to great sharpening products if we don't buy them for outside our country.
Very cool, can't wait to pick one up, I also use a 12000 grit strop paste, for a finisher,, thanks :-)
Cool Stuff Dude. 3M Make The Most Amazing Stuff. Keep up the great work. Nick.
Good vid. Thanks for the info. I am going to get one of those pads and try it out. I use a mouse pad under my 3K grit sand paper. Looks like this is a similar idea. I can't afford stones, so I use snd paper an leather strop tp finish sharpening. This sounds real interesting.
I used to use these to polish my straight razors and one day I got the idea to strop on one. It's a 3k and 5k strop for a couple bucks. And they last forever. Throw one in a kitchen drawer and strop your chef knife instead of using a steel. It's easier and better.
Thank you very much for your quick and clarifying response!
What I consider decently sharp is the ability to cut paper and have some bite. I've never once had an edge from the factory that wasn't over buffed to the point that I could slide it across my skin with considerable force.
This thing is amazing. Thanks for finding it.
Great info! Could pack this in a backpack
Cool. You could also glue it to an old wicked edge strop or sharpmaker rod.
nice job cuts like lightsabre
wow, epic results! i need that for my 0560cbcf & bodega etc!
I know that burnishing is plastic deformation, essentially smearing of the steel. What I meant is that this sandpaper both cuts the steel, and also has "grab" and pull which I can only imagine is burnishing the edge to some degree which is one reason the edge is so clean straight off the paper.
I could be wrong of course, it's happened once before. Haha
thanks for the tip, I'm on my way to get some
That is a huge piece, Chelsea.
Cool info, thanks!
It's not "burnished" it's polished. Two different things. Burnishing compresses surface grain using a harder material, polishing only reduces the surface grain to optical or semi optical quality.
Not trying to rain but burnishing is the plastic deformation of the edge and comes form objects with similar hardness. When the strop loads with steel dust, it no longer abrades the edge but burnishes the edge against the steel dust
Mrsingingdude1 You're correct that burnishing is plastic deformation but plastic deformation requires pressure, more pressure than you get from a strop. It also requires not material of "similar" hardness but significantly greater hardness. It essentially requires the local contact stress to exceeds the yield strength of the material to be burnished. Examples of burnishing tools include polished butcher's steels and the burnishing needles used by Japanese sword polishers. What you have when the strop loads with steel dust is neither polishing nor burnishing but some sort of silly arm-waving bullshit. A strop should be cleaned and reloaded with compound regularly.
+Edmond Dantez their are actually multiple ways of burnishing an edge. The point being that once this strop loads, it will cease to actually abrade the steel. at that point your burnishing your edge. You dont always need the contact stress to exceed the yield strength to burnish, thats just when the real damage occurs. Since it's been brought up, however, the thickness of the steel at the edge is usually anywhere between .5 to 1 micron thick. at such a relatively low thickness, it's incredibly easy to exceed the yield strength of your edge.
Mrsingingdude1 Yes, there are multiple ways to burnish an edge, I named two. Yes, once the strop loads it will cease to abrade the steel but unless you can guarantee that the surface of the old particles on the loaded strop are harder than the new piece on which you're working, it won't do anything else either and we're back to hand waving bullshit. In addition, if those particles are harder, you can't know how they separated from the original piece and therefore, can't guarantee their size and now you're fucking up the polish of your current work. There are only two ways to go as far as I'm concerned. 1. Clean strop, fresh compound. 2. A flat, highly polished, hard surface on which to burnish. Sorry to split hairs but that's kinda the point.
+Edmond Dantez exactly. I stopped using strops years ago when I realized there's nothing I can do with a strop that I couldn't do with a stone. Point being that a strop is not as good for your edge as a stone
the info u give is very true good job
That's a kool find. When I get money..lol. I'm gonna buy that too
I used this stuff on my Dozier- it's quite good, but it will remove you coating inevitable- it will also convex your edge. It's pretty abbrasive compared to a regular strop
How do you clean up sandpaper of metal left when done sharpening?
I have owned 6 Sebenza's through the years and still have 3 right now & I haven't had one that didn't need at the very least some stropping to straighten their uneven burr. Out of the box they cut good for 5 minutes till you wear off that burr.
I've been using double sided tape stuck to a ruler with sheets of 1K,2K,3K grit sandpaper.
Double sided tap gives the sponginess to compensate for any angle inconsistencies that result from not being a robot.
Guess it is time for an upgrade. (that's if I can find it in local stores)
Yours is a very good system - the rulers w/ double-sided tape...
Nice find!
jdavis882 knows his shit!!
thanks mate they look verry useful
any hand sharpening method will produce either a beveled or convex edge, the cutting edge of a hollow ground blade is either convex or bevelled depending on how you finish it. the trick to this method is to lightly feather the blade over the paper as you strop to minimize the convexing effect caused by the foam backing. when the final edge has a slight convexing it will maintain its edge longer compared to a beveled edge ( cross sectional shape of a curve is inherently stronger) If a bevel edge is a great concern go to a dental supplier and get a glass mixing slab and glue 3000 grit paper to it. For a pocket knife this foam backed paper is more than adequate if done properly.
S110V kind of makes D2 look like childs play in regards to sharpening.
Yeah definitely if you'd like to convex the edge you can go ahead and apply a fair amount of pressure.
Even though I'm not applying pressure it's still micro-convexing the edge, but you wouldn't notice it unless you looked at it under magnification.
Yeah I use trizact belts regularly. :)
Im going to try it thank you
Awesome find man I'm hitting autozone tonight when I get off work. CRK edge's do suck they are usually false sharp with an uneven burr