Do you know that there are two sides of leather strop…
…the leather side and the canvas side of leather strop.
But do you need the canvas side of leather strop? lets find out!
Let’s hear Sean’s experience…
I just bought my first ever leather stro…
… and there are two sides of it…
…and I don’t know which side should I use.
Even people on the internet have different opinion about it….
So I just try using both side and the result is the same….
I prefer using the canvas side of the leather strop honestly.…
Every experienced wood-carver knows how important it is to maintain their woodworking tools sharp and keep them in good condition. By taking care of my wood carving knives and other tools, I’ve learned through years of practice the best tricks to always keep my tools sharp.
wordcraving4u
Here we go…
Which Side of Leather to Use for Strop
This is used for daily stropping prior to shaving….
Use the canvas side for coarse edge alignment stropping…
…with or without white paste. Next the leather side…
…for fine edge alignment stropping prior to shaving.
The leather side may be used with or without…
…a non-abrasive strop balm or paste. This maintains…
…the quality of the leather and prevents it drying out and cracking.
Do You Need The Canvas Side Of Leather Strop?
The canvas side of Leather strop is not necessary…
…according to some users with experience.
Although there are also several reasons why you might want one.
They said the canvas side of leather strop…
…(before the leather side is used for shaving) helps to heat up…
…the minute edge of the razor, making the leather strop more malleable…
…and less brittle, decreasing the chance of micro injury from the leather.
In addition to making sure that every part of the edge is dry after shaving…
…the canvas side of leather strop also helps to remove any gunk…
…or debris that has accumulated on the edge during shaving…
so that the leather side of the strop stays clean.
Canvas side of leather strop is used only after honing and before leather…
But once the razor is sharpened, they only use leather before each shave
There are also people who strop their hands…
…with a leather strop prior to shaving and a canvas strop afterwards.
The canvas side of leather strop is used after shaving to heat the blade…
…to help make sure that no moisture remains on my blade after shaving.
Without it, they have been able to survive quite well so far.
The only legitimate reason for the canvas sideof leather strop…
…is to remove any trace of moisture from the edge after shaving.
You can do this on a clean towel or something similar.
Canvas isn’t really necessary.
However, some users of leather strops have a very different experience…
….with the canvas side of the strops.
Canvas side of leather strop is said to be helpful…
…when the edge is getting worn down.
In case you need recommendation for best leather strop…
…we have a list for you.
Leather strops can either be used as a leather rough before smooth leather…
…or they can be used as a canvas side leather strop.
At least on some level, the canvas side of the leather strop…
…seems to help align the edge.
Maybe someone who has one of those microscopical cameras…
…can demonstrate its capabilities.
Using the Smooth Side to Polish a Straight Razor
- Dimensions: 7.1 inch (18 cm) overall length with a blade length of 3.1 inches (7.9 cm) and a weight of 3.5 ounces
- Durable: Blade is made of reliable 7Cr17MoV Black Oxide High Carbon Stainless Steel with a black, aluminum handle
- Dependable: Quick and easy access with the convenient pocket clip, finger flipper and ambidextrous thumb knobs making it ideal for everyday carry
- Secure: Have confidence that the blade will not slip with the security of the liner lock
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Straight razors are usually stropped…
…with the smooth or plain-leather side of the strop.
Smoother leather provides a softer surface for stropping.,…
A straight razor’s low angle edges can be gently polished…
…with this surface because of its grain.
By gently resetting the microscopic teeth on the blade into place…
…the smooth leather creates a finely sharpened blade.
Following are the steps to effectively strop a straight razor…
…to improve the sharpness of its blade:
- Fix the strop to a fixed object (wall, counter, barber chair)
- With your fingertips, hold the razor between the blade and the handle
- Place the blade flat on the strop
- The razor should be moved towards the back of the blade
- Draw the blade gently towards yourself at a 40-degree angle to the strop
- Roll the blade over the back of the razor when you reach the end of the strop
- Put it back on the hook
- If you want the best results, repeat the process four or five times
Make sure not to press too hard on the blade or the strop will be cut….
Also, the back of the blade should remain in contact with the strop….
Razor strops can be made with high-quality leather on one side…
…and heavy linen on the other.
Razor sharpeners prefer to strop with the linen side first…
…because it cleans the razor blade before the final strop with leather…
….further refining the blade’s sharpness.
You might need these!
- 6PCS polishing buffing compound kit,coarse to fine for all metals
- Kit includes each 1PC 100g polishing compound bar black emery,general green,white,brown tripoli,all purpose blue and red rouge
- Idea for stainless steel,steel,iron,aluminum alloy,brass,bronze,copper,silver,gold etc. polishing and buffing
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- Polish a variety of materials and clean hard to reach areas
- Perfect for cleaning jewelry
- Contains 20 buffing wheels and polishing compound
- Also includes a re-usable storage box
- Application and material usage information included
- 400 series XPR storage case compatible, removable organizer t
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Keep going!
Why the Suede Side Is Used to Polish a Knife Blade
- Green - Extra fine
- For most metals
- 1 pound bar
- 400 - 600 g
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Sharpeners and carvers often polish their blades…
….with the suede side of the strop after sharpening.
Suede’s soft, compressible surface shapes the bevel…
…of the blade by compressing under it.
Some woodworking tools and chisels work better…
…using the smooth side of the leather strop.
You can also use the suede side to fine tune the stropping process…
…if you choose to use a compound.
Suede’s nap absorbs the compound well…
…and gives the leather a very fine grain.
Some sharpeners prefer the reinforced finish…
…that is the result of combining suede and compound.
To the perfectionist, even the tiniest details…
…matter to the sharpness of the knife.
How to Effectively Strop Your Knife Blade
- Leather Strop Double-Sided: for beginners and professionals that like honing to keep woodcarving tools razor sharp. Use both sides of the strop to maintain a needed cutting edge.
- Polishing Compound: included in this kit, so you can start sharpening your knives or other woodcarving tools immediately. The sharpening strop with compound is suitable for all types of knives.
- Sharpening Strop Ergonomic Handle: ashwood shaft allows use of a two-sided strop in a more comfortable way. The handle of the leather strop sharpener is suitable for both professionals and beginners.
- Paddle Strop E-Books Bonus: when buying this professional sharpening strop, youll get eBooks on how to sharpen whittling knife and 5 steps to sharpen a hook knife for any level of skill.
- Honing Strop From Europe: this paddle and compound come from a European manufacturing site so you can be sure that they respond to high standards and requirements of carve
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
- Sharpen your blade as much as possible:
- The strop should be flat and firm
- Apply a small amount of the compound to the surface
- Make flat contact with the suede with the knife
- Keep the bevel away from the cutting edge
- Pull the knife toward you with the sharp edge facing away from you
- Reverse the blade and repeat this process on the opposite side
- Make sure you do this 4-5 times to get the most out of it
As soon as your knife doesn’t feel as sharp as it should…
…strop it again before it becomes dull.
Dull knives are more likely to cause accidents…
…so the sharpness is more than just for best cutting results.
Additionally, it reduces the risk of cutting yourself…
Should You Use A Compound When Stropping Your Knife Blade?
As with stropping a razor,…
…whether to use compound depends on personal preference.
The compound is an effective way to polish a freshly sharpened knife…
The grains in the compound work together with the suede…
…to align the microscopic teeth in the blades.
The metal particles that cannot be realigned can also be removed…
A combination of coarse grains from both the leather…
…and the compound gives the blade an extra refined and polished finish.
Some sharpeners, however, are satisfied…
…with the results of stropping with only suede.
Should You Use Suede or Smooth?
You can choose from suede or smooth leather strops…
There are even cases where both sides have a spat….
As a result, the better choice is of course a matter of personal preference…
While suede is commonly used for plain stropping..
…compounds and smooth for compound stropping..
..are not always used in conjunction.
It has been found that the decision is a combination…
…of personal preference and the type of edge being sharpened.
Straight razors are traditionally stropped on a smooth leather surface…
Grain side surfaces are ideal for straight razor edges…
…because they are delicate and have low angles.
Suede strops are commonly used by carvers and knife sharpeners….
It is easy to load the strop..
..due to the nap of the suede holding onto the compound.
Furthermore, the softer surface also provides a bit of…
…rounding to the bevel as the suede is compressed under the blade.
For those who do not use much substance…
..the smooth grain side leather may be preferable.
Sharpeners of woodworking tools such as chisels…
..in which a rounding of the bevel is not desired…
…find that the slightly harder surface also works to their benefit.
In some cases, compounds apply more easily…
…and densely to the ‘rough’ side of leather.
Bar-type compounds fall into this category…
…and sometimes they don’t apply evenly to smooth leather..
..and/or don’t here well to it.
However, the rough side of leather will scrub more compound…
…from sticks/bars and hold it more firmly without…
…it being scraped off during stropping.
To help the application process on the smooth side…
you can lightly sand the leather to give it a velvety,…
…nap’, which will help the compound scrub off and hold more easily.
Depending on what you plan on using the strop for…
…you may or may not want to apply a heavier layer of compound.
When you’re using the strop to de-burr & lightly enhance the edge…
…a light application on the smooth side will suffice.
If you’re using the strop with an aggressive polishing compound…
..for convexing or mirroring, a dense layer of compound…
…applied to a more textured substrate works faster.
A firmer substrate will allow for a more…
…aggressive reaction from the compound…
…resulting in further sharpening of the edge.
Checkout our top recommendation…
…of straight razor for right leather strop!
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To Sum Up
Using the suede side of a strop will be most effective…
…for sharpening knives with bevelled edges.
In addition to keeping the bevelled edge nice and round…
…this will wipe away any microscopic excess material…
…to keep the blade nice and sharp for easy cutting.
When stropping a razor or other type of blade…
…it is really a matter of personal preference…
…whether or not to use a compound.
Many sharpeners like the extra finish…
…it gives their newly sharpened blades…
…but others are satisfied with the leather alone.
Conclusion
Now we already give you the information…
..about canvas side of leather strop..
Hope this will help you to decide…
…using canvas side of leather strop or not.
Or do you already decide uding canvas side of leather strop?
Let us hear your story about canvas side of leather strop…
Leave a comment!
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