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Knife Sharpening Stropping 101

Product Reviews, Blog

Striking a knife with a belt involves only a few items, so it is a simple process.

The following are the things you will need for knife sharpening stropping:


Secure the Belt First

If you plan on using the stropping compound, lay the belt strop out flat…

… either over the top of your thigh, along the top of a level surface…

… or hung from a sturdy hook after prepping it with it.

You’re ready to start once you’ve secured the strop.


If you are looking for the best knife sharpener…


Let’s dive in!

How to Knife Sharpening Stropping

Here is how to use a belt to strop the knife:

Take the knife by the handle in your dominant hand.

Drag the knife’s edge along the grain of the leather belt…

… applying firm pressure as you pass the edge along the best leather

… until you reach the end of the strop.

Flip the knife over by just rolling it in your hand…

… and then drag the knife back up the strop towards you, making sure to…

… maintain pressure on the strop by pressing down slightly with the knife.

Remember to focus on moving the blade smoothly on the belt…

… versus applying pressure.

Note: Move the knife blade at an angle so you don’t accidentally…

… cut the belt or cut yourself.

Knife sharpening stropping
source: knivesandtools.com

Pass the knife back and forth on the strop for about 5-10 passes…

… or until it is fully sharpened and polished, as determined by an inspection.

To remove any debris from stropping, clean both the knife and the strop…

… with a soft towel.

The knife has been sharpened and is now ready to use.

As you can see, stropping is simple to do, but it serves a crucial role…

… when it comes to keeping your kitchen knives and other household…

… blades in good working order.

Let’s dig a little deeper!


Strooping Compound Color

Knife sharpening stroppings have a color scheme that shows the level of grit.

Black is a rough grit and used for dull knives.

You should use black to start with a dull knife and then move on to other strops…

… with finer grits until your blade is sharp enough.

Green is a kind of grit.

It is for finishing and touching up a blade that has already been sharpened.

If you always use green then the knife will be very sharp.

White is also a kind of grit.

It is used to polish the edge of straight razors and knives when you want…

… a very sharp edge, but not as much as before.

Rougher grits remove more metal than finer ones do…

… so they work faster but produce less finely polished edges than finer ones do.

Knife sharpening stropping
source: pinterest.com

Finer grits don’t remove as much metal, so it takes them longer to sharpen…

Note that colors cannot be used on more than one type of surface.

If you use black for leather, you will have to use another color (brown, green, white)…

… for other surfaces. It is not good to go from black to a lighter color…

… like green or brown.

But it is okay if you want to go from black to a brighter color like white…

… when stropping your knife.

For a hard-use survival knife, where you’re not taking care to constantly maintain…

… a sharp edge by stropping regularly as you use the blade…

… probably 90% of the stropping you’ll do will be with the black compound.

Note that colors cannot be used on more than one type of surface.

If you use black for leather, you will have to use another color (brown, green, white)…

… for other surfaces.

It is not good to go from black to a lighter color like green or brown.

But it is okay if you want to go from black to a brighter color like…

… white when stropping your knife.

So let’s get to it!


What is the Purpose of Knife Sharpening Stropping With a Belt?

In knife sharpening stropping with a belt, the primary goal is to sharpen the blade…

… and remove any burrs left on the edge by sharpening the blade on a whetstone.

By doing so, you can make the knife’s edge sharper and more polished.

So let’s get down to business!


What Are the Advantages of Stropping a Knife?

There are a number of benefits to knife sharpening stropping on a frequent basis…

… (that is, anytime you detect the knife’s edge is beginning to dull).

When you hone a knife on a whetstone first…

… you should also do some strokes thereafter.

The following are some of the benefits of stropping your knives:

Your knives will be safer as a result.

Sharp knives, contrary to popular belief, are more deadly than dull blades…

… because more pressure is required to make them effective.

You’ll require less pressure to apply your cut with a sharp knife…

… and you’ll be less likely to slide and cut yourself.

Your knives will be more user-friendly.

Everyone has experienced the tiresome chore of slicing vegetables…

… with a dull kitchen knife vs one that has been properly sharpened.

The sharp knife is much easier to use.

It can also lead to cleaner, more consistent cuts and nicer-looking knifework.

Your knives will be more rust resistant.

Regular sharpening and polishing of your knife’s edge can keep it useful for years…

… but roughing up the edge with a whetstone will generate texture on the blade…

… making it more sensitive to rust and other forms of corrosion caused by external…

…causes. Your knives will have a more appealing appearance.

Stripping a knife gives it a sparkling shiny sheen known as a “mirror’s edge,”…

… which is one of the more cosmetic benefits.

This makes blades on display beautiful to look at and may even inspire you…

… to do more knife work in the kitchen.

There are several reasons why you should strop your knives on a regular basis…

… and it’s a simple operation, so there’s no reason not to.

Let’s get things under way!


Let’s Hear Story From Tom!

“I can’t believe that the knife I had been using…

… for months is finally SHARP! I

t’s amazing to think that it only took a few minutes of sharpening.

The best part was the knife sharpening stropping

I thought for sure they were just selling me something…

… but after seeing how my knives gleamed in front of me…

… I realized they really did know what they were talking about.

Now it’s time to go out and try them on some tomatoes!”


Some Recommendation of Best Knife Sharpening Stropping

Taytools 10″x3″ French Leather Paddle Strop

This product is the best for everyone even beginners.

This is a two-sided knife sharpening stropping.

One side is suede, and the other side is smooth.

This product comes with one abrasive compound for the suede side…

… and one fine compound for the smooth side.

Most people only use the abrasive compound on the suede side…

… but some enthusiasts do put a finer finishing edge on their knives…

… by putting something like green or white on the smooth side of the strop.

If you put a type of compound on a surface, you cannot use another type.

If it is not worth it to go back and forth, then just use the same compound.

Knife sharpening stropping
source: amazon.com

This might suits your style!


Sharpshooter Fine Leather Hone

Knife sharpening stropping
source: theprepared.com

Sharpshooter Fine Leather Hone is the knife sharpening stropping…

… to get your knives sharp.

It can be used in the field and it’s easy to store in an emergency bag.

The strop is made of leather, so you can sharpen both sides (both sides are suede).

There is a hole on the strap that will make it easier.

This leather strop is stiff and does not need a wooden backing.

It has a hole for a lanyard so you can keep it steady when in use.

With small strops like this, it’s harder to strop large blades…

…but it can be done with care.

We have more like this!


Brommeland Gunleather Micro

Knife sharpening stropping
source: amazon

The smallest-yet-still-usable belt.

We keep one of these as a spare in a secondary bug out bag.

Two sides (both suede).

A larger one of knife sharpening stropping is also available for $28.

If you want to go even smaller, we keep one of the Brommeland Gunleather Micro…

… pocket belts in a secondary bug out bag.

This belt has both black and green compounds on it…

… which are made from the factory before being put together…

… with very small pieces of suede on each side.

Last but not least!


Bark River Black Bar

Knife sharpening stropping
source: amazon.com

Knife enthusiasts like the Bark River compounds.

Their knife sharpening stropping is more aggressive than other brands.

We also like bars instead of liquids because they are sturdy

… won’t run out, and can be broken apart into smaller pieces.

These qualities make them great for prepping.

All in all


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To Sum Up

Knife sharpening stopping is the way to save your money from buying new knife.

You can do it by yourself.

It’s pretty easy if you follow the steps we’ve gave you above.

Remember to do it properly to prevent unwanted injury.

You will have a brand new knife if you follow our steps.

Our recommendation for knife sharpening stropping is…

… Taytools 10″x3″ French Leather Paddle Strop.

Even if you’re a beginner you still can use it with no worries!


Conclusion

With all the tips and explanation above, we hoping you could…

… start knife sharpening stropping with zero problem.

We also gave you the best recommendation of knife sharpening strop too.

Now it’s clearly up to your needs.

Whether you like the beginner-friendly one or the loved by expert one.

It’s really all in your hand now.

Comment and tell us what knife sharpening stropping to you are goint to buy!


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