You can decide which rolls and compounds are suitable for your job using this cord how to polishing compound guide. Although choices seem overwhelming, the polishing process is usually a multi-step procedure to achieve the desired results. Identify how many steps your experience is right for you. We suggest that you start the task quickly and easily with the finest possible compounds. But at the same time you do not want to spend three hours working 15 minutes. you don’t want to remove more material than necessary.
Polishing Compound
A strop is a leather strip used to polish the edge of a chisel, plane iron or a knife. Stropping is the final part of the sharpening process in achieving a truly sharp edge. Stropping has always been the accepted way to finishing a cut throat razor guaranteeing the closet of shaves. Unlike honing which removes metal from the bevel, stropping burnishes away any microscopic metal strands clinging to the edge and polishes the bevel and back of the blade. Once the point where these two meet is as smooth as possible, the edge will be at its sharpest. You can check best review of leather strop here.
Includes
- Leather sharpening strop
- Superfine Polishing Compound
The abrasive used to aid the polishing process needs to be finer than the final sharpening stone otherwise stropping becomes a backward step. Most abrasives for this purpose are a mix of the powder and a waxy substance. Formed into a solid block, simply apply to the strop just like using a crayon. Only ever apply compound to one side of the strop, the other side should remain abrasive free (although it will pick up a little over time this will not affect the result). The strop only requires a minimal amount of compound, rub a little compound along its length in a simple wavy line.
Begin with the side charged with compound uppermost. Hold the blade at the end of the strop furthest away from you with its bevel flat against the strop. Apply gentle but firm pressure and pull the blade towards yourself. Dragging the edge in this way avoids digging into the strop. (Roll gouges or curved tools at the same time as pulling in order to polish the entire edge). Try to maintain a constant angle; any slight inaccuracy does not affect the outcome. After 10 or 12 strokes on the bevel, turn the blade over.
Place the back of the blade flat on the strop and then draw it the length of the strop. Again, repeat 10 or 12 times. Repeat stropping the bevel followed by the back a few more times. Turn the strop over and go through the same process using the ‘non-abrasive’ side. After this step, the blade will be at its sharpest and the result noticeable in the way the blade cuts and the quality of the timber surface it leaves behind.
Stropping compound feels similar to a crayon, but somewhat harder and less greasy. We assume that you are starting with a blank leather strop or stropping paddle. Simply use the compound as a crayon to apply the compound to the strop. Press hard and make sure the compound is equally covering the strop. That is option one.
Option two is applying the compound with heat. You will heat the leather and possibly the compound. You can use your gas stove, or possibly a paint remover. Keep the strop about 20 centimeters above the heat source. Make sure the strop or your hands will not burn! Your goal is to heat the strop until the point that you can barely keep it in your hands. This way, you will make it easier for the strop to take up the compound. Depending on the hardness of the compound you can also briefly hold it above the heat source to make the application easier. When both are warmed, you can apply it by rubbing over the strop. Try to get it as smooth and evenly as possible, that makes the stropping much easier. Feel free to cover the strop entirely with compound so you can no longer see the leather.
When the compound is applied, it is wise to rub it even further in with a piece of kitchen paper. This will reduce the number of irregularities in the compound. Noticing that the compound on the strop is somewhat crumbly? Then you can just heat it again to be able to spread it out better.
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