3 Stropping Tips Beginners Must Know (Knife Sharpening)
3 Stropping Tips Beginners Must Know. Stropping a knife is simple but there are several things to keep in mind if you want the best edges possible. These tips apply to any knife.
Chapters
0:00 INTRO
00:25 Tip 1 Don't strop too much
01:14 Tip 2 Round over is BAD
02:05 Tip 3 Its all about that compound don't be FOOLED
06:26 BONUS TIP
#knifesharpening #sharpening #kitchenknife
Stone used in video (recommended)
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Strop compound spray/ emulsion
I haven’t used this brand personally but it comes recommended by people i trust.
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This is the 1 micron but they sell others as well.
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These are amazon affiliate links.
FULL DISCLOSURE
I earn from qualifying purchases
Be sure to check out my recommended product page on my website, including sharpening stones, strop compounds, and knife making supplies ⬇ www.outdoors55.com/shop
That website sucks. There are no links to any products. I wanted to see what stropping compounds you HAVE used rather than being recommended one you haven't used. (At $50 a pop, FFS.)
You should reach to raythesharpener one of his videos is aggressive leather straping he didn't hold his angle
HI OUTDOORS, WE LOVE YOUR VIDS ! BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK DIAMOND PASTE AS OF THE END OF 2023? SEMPER FI GUNNY
The amazon links seemed to be broken when I went onto the website to check it out.
Alex, take a look at your site. The shop section is broken, with all the links being dead. The link to knifepointgear (at the bottom of the main page) is also broken with WIX saying the domain i snot connected... Great vids. I would like to get one of your strops and also get the diamond compound you are using. Cheers
Congratulations, you're the first knife guy I have come across that understands stropping. The closeup of the blade sinking into the soft leather answers the age-old question "Why does my knife get duller the more I strop?" You gave a good solution, but mine is different: I use a hard rawhide strop that the blade does not sink into. You can actually sharpen a knife with this, though I rather a stone for real dull blades. I use 1-5 micron diamond on the rawhide because it's faster and just as cheap. You can also impress a shallow checkered pattern into the rawhide to retain the diamond lapping compound. Well done sir!
My tip: use balsa wood it holds the compounds well and is not as soft as leather. Has been working very well for me for years and is cheaper too
@@magicshon I've used wood myself, and it does work well! Some hardwoods woods contain lots of silica, and strop pretty decently without loading with diamond. Black locust is a prime example.
6:27 The bonus tip about reversing your sharpening method on the strop so you don't change the scratch pattern was exactly what I needed to hear. I appreciate your visuals and the way you explain everything. Thanks!
Been using a strop on my knives for ages and had no idea about the scratch pattern direction thing. Been doing it the opposite this whole time lol. Great video 👍🏻
Same 🤦♂️
Ditto
literally came here to say this
Everyone on the shame train! choo choo! The scratch pattern wasn't even on my radar.
Same😂
i love all these comments here, i like how this knife enthusiast community is so supportive, kind, and helpful
Damn dude, I was sharpening to the point it would shave and call it good. Figured my skills wernt quite there for hair splitting/whittling sharp. After following your tips I just achieved my first hair whittle. Thanks my dude!
I've transitioned away from strops completely at this point and do all of my finishing on high grit stones. No risk of round over, lapping the stone gets you new, clean abrasive every time, etc.
If you're able to remove the burr and get a keen edge just using stones - who am I to argue. An 8K or higher stone is so fine it acts like a strop anyway. However, when it comes to maintaining and tuning an edge between sharpening sessions it's still hard to go past a good strop. Best advice for stropping to avoid rolling (as per this video) is to avoid pressure. Best to think of stropping as a polishing process and not a sharpening process. Have a great day.
@@realbroggo Burr removal needs to be done on a stone. A strop will not remove a burr (this is a fact, anyone who says you can remove a burr with a strop is incorrect, there's plenty of proof available on this). Trying to remove a burr with a strop will only stand the burr up creating a wire edge. The wire edge will feel extremely sharp until you try to use the knife and the burr folds over. As far as edge maintenance, there's no benefits that a strop (with compound) offers over a stone, except that high grit stones are expensive. There are many benefits from using a stone instead of a strop though. No round over and you can use edge leading strokes which are significantly less likely to create any micro burrs.
@@Ryan_Pelletier Benefit of stop over stone - can be done in 30 seconds, no water needed. Strop takes up much less space and require less careful handling.- dropping a $250 stone ruins my day, dropping a block of wood not so much. I agree with your benefits of stone over strop as well. But a strop loaded with 3-10 micron diamond powder will definitely remove burr. Agree it can create burr too. User has to manage angle and pressure carefully.
High tech products are not always essential for high quality results. One of the best stroppings I've seen, was performed on cow's leather with some kind of eastern European traditional abrasive paste, made from fine marble and fine charcoal powder infused in natural bee's wax. I could see myself in that mirror edge!
@@l26wang I am now considering buying some new stones. I like sharpening and had 240 / 800 cheap stone. I would go for sharpton stones. Now I am thinking if I need a 5000 grit finishing stone or should go just for strop or if I should get both?
This is the video I didn't know I needed! Have put these into practice and my results are 1000x better!
Platitude. Tangential anecdote. My unsolicited opinion. Just like many of the comments. But 8:04 to 8:15 reveals why I have had to plough through so much utter rubbish when searching on KZhead for sharpening advice as good (and as entertaining, including the offbeat reflection on Internet access) as yours. By chance, one of your videos appeared in my suggested list, and like a lot of people, I have done the decent thing and Liked and Subscribed. (The person who uploaded his opinion that the pinnacle of sharpening methods was to use an electric bench-grinder had me shouting at the screen. Glad to have found your channel, thanks.) 👍
Always a happy day when Alex releases a new video!!!!
Thank you so much for the energy and time you put in your videos! I'm also glad KZhead recommended me your channel!
I've only seen a few dozen of your videos but every one has been interesting and informative. Not to mention entertaining. Thanks for the info and the effort you spend getting it to us. It's appreciated.
I totally agree always something to learn on each video and simply get reminded of something good
Excellent detailed tips and amazing microscopic video footage!!!
You have helped me man for over 4 years I've been sharpening knives while watching your videos I'm 15 BTW with this I have made over $200 in a week thank you hope to see more from you I was the one who asked about the folding knives sorry
Those close up shots were really nice. Well done.
I thought i knew how to strop knives after sharpening... I only knew 1/4 tips you shared! Lot of valuable informations! Thank you 😉
A very detailed and helpful video. Great job, man!
Excellent information! Thanks!
You hit on all the visuals that are needed to get a good understanding of stropping. You got a sub out of me. I appreciate your knowledge.
Thanks, This was the most understandable content on stropping media that I've seen.
Always excited to see a new video from you. Great material! Thank you for sharing!!
Best sharpening videos on KZhead. Straight and practical, like your knife selection. Thank you sir
Great tips. Thank you for the breakdown on the cheap diamond compound vs quality! Never thought of it in that way until seeing your video. Thanks again
Your videos are really helping me take my sharpening to the next level. Thank you.
Im so happy U r back I can"t say how many times i"ve tryied too look after U and Your leesons. I'm glad too have u back. I'm sorry for spelling , Trying my best. Hope you poste more .
Excellent information. I am much bigger on sharpening with whetstones than constant stopping. I generally use a good leather with mineral oil. I did not know the direction of stropping would matter. Makes sense. Thanks.
Just Started being serious about sharpening. Your advice and examples are definitely very helpful.
You have been very helpful! I have just got my wet-stone running after several years, I have worked out the angles for straightening, sharpening, and putting the second angle on. I knew nothing about fine-honing or stropping. Will be buying some diamond compound and I have a couple of friends in the equine world who will be able to get me some strong saddle leather for stropping.
High praise for your work: I created a playlist for knife sharpening with this video as the inaugural save. Your stuff is it easy to follow, makes sense, and includes just the right amount of detail and explanation and visuals.
Hahaha. "Now if you're a weirdo.." 😄😆😅😂 Had me rollin' bro.
Glad you got internet again. When you get back to selling some strops i want to get one from you. Just been using some scraps from belt making. Happy to see you posting again !
I appreciate the authentic Phoebe call in the background
Great video love the finer details 👍
Awesome tips as always, brother! I'll definitely take your advice on being light on the strop and follow the scratch patterns. I also tend to drop some oil on my green compound (chromium oxide) given it's dry and somewhat flaky. A little oil helps color the strop an even green. Cheers!
Wow, this video was really helpful, thanks.
Good work, I didn't think about the compound wearing that much. Thanks.
Another tip - use basswood as your strop. Diamond compound works great on it, and it give a much more solid surface to use, which helps prevent rollover.
Great video! Super helpful.
This is why I love your channel I always learn something good
Always giving great info
Great video Alex! I really like how you dive so deep into these topics. I learned a lot. Cheers buddy!👍
Thanks for stopping by Jeremy 👍
Hell fire!!! Didn't expect to see you here with us "little people" Haha KZhead has shadow banned you from me apparently!! Gotta go make sure I'm still subbed, somehow, I got unsubbed here too!! Hope your well Jeremy.
Superb advice! Thanks!!!
This is good to know, thank you, Alex!
thanks for the nice tips Alex. Great video
Very helpful. Just got my first ligit sharpening stone And leather strop. Appreciate the bonus tip
An addition to tip 1: Don't overstrop, but strop often! The less you need to bring the sharpening stone, the better to the blade's longevity
Esp. with harder steels. Keeping them tuned can delay the need for a sit down sharpening session for quite some time. I have a strop sitting on top of my knife drawers. When I can I strop a couple of times when taking a blade out (eg. beginning of the day) and same before putting the knife back in the draw. Only takes 1-2 mins and helps to keep the edges tuned and ready for use. Have a great day.
I wanted to say thank you for helping me getting better at sharpening my knives. I've always used green compound so far and will switch to Diamond. It may cost more but the difference ain't that bad considering you don't need to use as much. Again, thank you very much :)
Well presented. Thank you. It kept me on the edge of my seat.
Great explanation 👍👏
Thanks, very helpful!
The sharpening skill was a worthwhile skill to learn and master . I ve done over a hundred edges now and some take more time than others but it’s all worthwhile . Thanks man . We need someone to test hrc hardness on knives . There’s a general fee they charge for each knife but it might be fun , or not , lol . LTK is doing it but I think they want to test more knives , and more knives .
Great tips thank you 😊
Awesome breakdown. Good job
Great Video ! Thanks for the great advise!
Well done video! Nice humor too. I use 2.5 micron silicon carbide powder on the roughout side of the leather, and then naked smooth veg tanned leather for the final strop. Has worked very well FOR ME for over 20 years. The custom made mahogany and leather strop, and the stropping powder are from a now defunct company called Hand American Made. They were quite well known at one time. Thanks for this informative video!!
Very helpful, thanks.
Remarkably useful and info dense. I learned a lot. Thank you. Subscribed.
This is the channel I’ve been waiting for
Great vid! I made my own pocket strop from a piece of pine moulding and my old leather belt. Now I just strop my Spyderco Sage 1 every other week.
U deserve a huge like for this video. I will save it in my library also. Have to watch it again. Thank you.
Wow, this is exactly what I needed to know. I push too hard when I strop. Thank you!
My advice is to think of stropping as a polishing process and not a sharpening process. All you're doing is making sure that the last fine wire burr is gone and to 'shine up' the edge to squeeze out that last drop of cutting performance. If your edge needs anything more than this - go back to the stones to fix it. Have a great day.
Interesting. Really enjoyed the information. I learned about stropping from the straight razor community. At the time the advice tended to be use a compound with a canvas strop and use the leather strop without compound, or have a dedicated leather with compound, and still finish on a clean leather strop. I know a straight razor is different from a knife, but it is still an edge. I am kind of inspired to break out my straight razors again. I enjoyed shaving with them and the super smooth shave they gave.
I’m always fine tuning my stropping technique.. thanks for the tips!
Hello Mark how are you doing 😊
@@helenarusso awesome!! Thanks.. hope you are well!
I started leatherworking not too long ago, so my sharpening skill has really been tested recently haha. Definitely going to start using lighter passes on my strop, paying attention to the direction of the scratch pattern, and looking into diamond pastes. Or at least something other than the green compound I've been using...
I never stropping again since I built my precision honing, it similar as jig with precision stopper for very edge blade, works as V with single side moving grinder, no need compound whatsoever.
After watching this video I am ready to head towards the garage and apply what I learned. In the past I've done all the mistakes: -overstropped -used tons of pressure -used too fine grit -used cheap diamond paste that led me to so much frustration, it's hard to express. Thanks for the valuable information!
Helpful. Even though I strop using a motor, I find this video (and others of yours) helpful. "Good show." Thanks!
Another great informative video!!!
Great tips. As I sharpen on a guided angle system (Edge Pro w/ ceramic abrasives, digital angle finder & loupe at the moment), I've been alternating heel-to-tip and tip-to-heel with each grit as this provides both touch and visual feedback for when the scratches from the last grit are removed. I always forget which direction of (from heel or from tip) I hit with my last stone at 1200 grit. If stropping is refining the last scratch direction, then perhaps I should be aiming for a consistent perpendicular to the spine for my final passes on stone, so that stropping isn't removing the microteeth at the apex. Great macro video on depressing the leather here. I just discovered that some strop on balsa wood, and I wonder whether that mignt be less prone to rounding the apex.
I do it on mdf and it’s great, I guess balsa would be good to or maybe better, because tbh mdf is a bit to stiff and that little give that leather has is good to maintain the angle. Wood is great to keep the surface flat (of course), but, is harder to keep the angle steady. When you do it (after a lot of practice), it does give a great edge. Try it for yourself and see if it works for you. Easier than making a leather strop. The other thing that is probably better on balsa than mdf is that the compound would stick better to balsa, it’s a pain in mdf because if you don’t have the proper angle, you end scraping all of it.
I am so envious pf your sharpening ability
Thank you!
This helped alot thanks.
I'm glad to hear you mention the diamond compound quality. It's a real problem with the diamond past. Don't go, Cheep.
Awesome information
Thank you!!
Thank you. God bless
GREAT vid as always. 👍👍🔪
great video this is my new hobby and i loved your video Greg here in Florida,funny following the last comment Greg stold my thunder with the scratch pattern direction cause I was doing it wrong and to find out early on is lucky so thanks for the great advice .
Thank you for the very informative video, again.
Thanks for the video
I grew up in the 50's and 60's and High Carbon Steel still has a magical ring to it for me. As a child, all of my "good" knives were HC steel, often of German origin and l still have a few from my Boy Scout days. I even spent several years making my own knives. And yes, today l tend to depend on "stainess" steels, but l fight the trend to steel snobbery...the heat treat is the most important factor in knife performance. Your info on stropping is appreciated.
Agree with you completely. I used to get excited about the next generation super steel then only after a few years, another super duper magic steel comes out and the price on my old knife steel drops. Good heat treatment and knowing how to sharpen are clearly much more important in the long run.
@@buckbeans1 what is a heat treatment?
@@juliefall2892 You need to harden then temper any blade properly to achieve a sharp blade with good edge retention. Therefore even the best steels will have mediocre performance if not heat treatment is incorrect.
@@juliefall2892 :- So a system of heating the annealed (softened) steel to a specific temperature (heat treat) and then cooling the steel rapidly hardens the steel. Then, because the steel is often too hard and brittle, it is heated again to a lesser temperature and slowly cooled...sometimes repeatedly, to bring the steel down to an optimum hardness but still capable of some elasticity (tempering). Annealed steel is softer and easier to work with in manufacturing and knife making, but treating and tempering the steel brings out its best qualities.
Carbon steel is the best..I use a smith diamond hone, then run a steel on it..then I do a lite strop, no compound..my knives will push shave one stroke
Good info. Thanks.
a lotts videos i see that try to give advice end up being rambles with vague ideas, or just things that dont matter at all/effect anything. This video is possibly the best general advice for stropping i have ever seen.
Thanks, you just made sharping more complicated. I’ll have to work my way up to this. But seriously thanks
Great video as always, good to see you posting more regularly. Would love to see a deep dive on strops. Whata the best way to clean a strop
I run mine under hot water then gently scrape off the crap with a steel ruler (don't use a blade as you will likely cut into the wet leather). 1-2 scrapes in each direction. Once dry I then use some leather conditioner to stop the leather drying out too much and cracking. Won't get the strop back to 'as new' but certainly clean enough to lay down some fresh compound. Depending on use you might only need to do this 1-2 a year. I'm sure there are other methods. Have a great day.
Thanks, good explanation.
Thank you. I had never even heard of diamond counpounds before.
Excellent presentation, thanks...
Sharp presentation!
Good video mate, very informative. Don't strop too much is great advice that i had to learn through bitter experience 😂
Great video!!!
thanks for vedy good and clear advice
👍 thanks for sharing. Subbed!
Thanks for sharing this great content!
Hello John how are you doing 😊
Great info
Green compound is ok. Right now I’m saving so I’m only using the compound I have right now I can get knifes hair with long sharp chest takes a lot more work. Love the channel keep up the work. Ps when I started I was using those horrible whetstones and thinking I was horrible but after watching you for a bit I picked up a few dmt stones thank you for the recommendation.
bonus tip best tip!!
Thanks mate Cheers Rob
well done!
Good info. Thanks
Great video sir.