Knives Plus Strop – A Top Contender

The best leather strop for knives can be either a simple leather…

…strip that you swipe your blade against, or a loaded leather strip.

One of the best is knives plus strop.

Basically, loaded strops are stropping compounds on top…

…of leather strips on hardboards that are easy to use.

Before we go to the main topic,

let’s see what Gio is about to say…

I live in Europe since I was 18. My parents expelled me from home…

….since they labeled me as a toxic kid.

It’s true that I was such a spoiled kid…

…I knew my parents have enough money to fulfill my needs.

However, taking people for granted is not a good thing for sure.

Since I move to Europe my life is not easy…

…I have to take care of all of my needs myself.

Thank God I have a good brain, so I don’t have to pay…

…for my tuition college fee. I took cultural history major,

…as it satisfies my soul. I like to stroll all around Europe just to…

…taste cuisines from each part of the cities.

It always surprises me where these feet take me.

One day I go to a restaurant in Italy. I wanted to try…

…a ricotta cheese salad. It is said to have the best ricotta cheese ever.

There were a lot of people there. And I spotted an old man sitting by himself…

…enjoying the cheese in between the crowds, unbothered

I saw a bunch of youngsters behind him trying to get to his pockets.

Without holding any grudges I yell at them…

…and they went away. The old guy suddenly stood up…

…he smiled at me and thanked me by giving me…

…a knife strop. I’m amazed by how the leather is so nice.

I keep the knife leather strop till today.

From the story, we know that a leather knife strop…

…could be a nice souvenir or gift to someone who likes to cook too!

We all agree that it is important to keep carving…

…knives sharp and to sharpen them regularly.

If you’d like to give knives a rest…

…and switch to power carving tools. 

Exploring electric toolsets was great fun for me.

A piece of leather has the ability to sharpen metal.

It is amazing! My research on why leather is able…

… to sharpen knives resulted in the following findings,

…which will really help explain how it works.

Why does leather sharpen knives? As a matter of fact,

…leather does not sharpen knives by itself,

…but rather hones, re-hones, realigns, refines,

…and polishes them. Polishing or buffing compounds…

…are necessary for leather to sharpen knives.

How Do You Choose The Finest Leather Strops To Take Care Of Your Tools?

It’s great to be able to apply two different compounds to strops,

…enabling me to perfectly sharpen my knife.

Plus, a bigger leather surface will last longer, too,

…meaning larger strops are better for blades of any size.

The paddle strops are the easiest for me to use…

…when choosing the strop design, as I can be completely…

…in control of each stroke. The top side of wooden blocks…

…that has leather on it is not practical, especially if the bottom…

…of the block lacks rubber to prevent slippery situations…

…that can be dangerous when playing with knives.

These Are Our Top Picks Leather Strops For You!

What Stropping Compound Colors Mean?

You have probably noticed that there are four colors…

…of the stropping compound, you can use on leather…

…if you are new to this. Its color tells us everything about the “grit size”..

….of the stropping blend – how much metal it removes…

…from the blade in a single stroke.

Those who need to sharpen dull blades…

…from scratch usually use black blends…

…because it has a rougher surface.

Sharpening with a knife stone is not effective…

…for the first step (as opposed to using a knife stone).

Green blends are used for polishing, and they are responsible…

…for achieving “razor-sharp” levels of sharpness.

For the final touch, the white blend implies a fine grit,

to make your blade shine and be extremely sharp.

Carving with this material is not as common.

The lighter the color of the compound, the finer it is..

…for sure the finest is white compound.

Here are several references

How To Use Compound On Strop?

What is this stropping chemical stuff? Stropping compound is useful….

…for fine-tuning and polishing your edge. It comes in a variety of grits…

…and is generally in the form of a bar. I usually strop using an extra-fine…

… substance since I’ve found it to be the most effective.

Cover the leather evenly with petroleum jelly before..

applying the compound. Then, as if it were a crayon,

I apply the compound by coloring it in. While you should…

..strive for an even coat, be careful not to overdo it!

Our Top Picks Knife Strop Compound

Knives Plus Strop Block – The Strop For A Final Touch

One of the best is knives plus strop. One side of the block…

…is coated with a green compound, and the other is not.

If knives plus strop block becomes overused,

…you can rejuvenate it with olive oil,

…and it will last you for a few more years.

Green compounds have a fine grit, and they are best used…

…after a knife has already been sharpened with a black compound.

If you use knives plus strop block to sharpen dull blades,

…it wouldn’t be enough to get the job done on its own.

The material won’t ever get you to razor sharpness…

…unless you use it every day from day one,

…so for experienced craftsmen, it’s not very practical.

As well as children learning how to carve wood, they may find it useful.

There are positives things about knives plus strop block

• The leather can be easily rejuvenated with natural olive oil.
• If you already own a black compound strop, this is a great addition to your set.
• Children’s toolsets will find this handy

There are also negatives things about knives plus strop block

• Expensive compared to its actual value.
• You’ll need to use it frequently if you want it to sharpen dull knives.
• The paddle strop or leather strip are more practical.

A leather strop is a handy addition to your toolkit for stropping leather.

A dull blade cannot be sharpened by it,

but it can be used for the final pass of stropping a blade.

A green stropping blend will not make your blade razor-sharp,

but it can be a plus if you need it for a child.

Sum Up

Leather strop and compounds are completing each other…

…to sharpen your knives. It’s important for you to know,

…what color is best for sharpening your knives…

knives plus strop is a good package if you love to cook.

Conclusion

Have you ever had lives plus strop before?

How do you feel about having knives plus strop?

Tell us any of your doubts and point of view about the topic…

…on the comment section below!