The bare minimum is a strip of leather…
…like these strips of horse butt leather.
You only need one thing for the most basic possible strop…
…a flat piece of suitable material (typically leather…
…that you can lay on a hard surface and gently sweep your blade across.
And what about that?
The majority of stropping is done with a “loaded strop”…
…to speed up the process: a strop that has an abrasive…
…”stropping compound” spread over it.
Let us hear martin’s experience…
I have examined the size distribution of a number…
…of “crayon” type compounds under a microscope…
…and I found the better brands to be remarkably uniform.
The end seller might not know what is inside…
…but the manufacturer surely does.
Every stropping compound color does have a different effect…
That is how I learn to choose the perfect compound based on the stropping compound colors….
Small tip from us: are you noticing that the strop with diamond paste is getting somewhat rough and dry? Put some medicinal alcohol in an atomizer and carefully spray a little on the strop. You will notice the diamond paste will soften up again.
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Stropping Compound Colors
You have a standard color scheme for the compounds…
….you carry with you that denotes the ‘scrap’ (or ‘mesh’)…
…which determines how much metal you collect with a stroke.
Those compounds were employed to erase twenty years of…
…black tarnish from a solid bronze cross and to smooth…
…grinding marks. It now gleams like gold
Black Stropping Compound
It is a hard grit, used to make this blade what most would…
…consider “sharp enough” when you start with your dull blade.
Black is the only phase of stropping for field knives that many people use as.
I put it on the first pick because it works amazing! As described…
…and with helpful instructions. I’ll use strops to polish the edges…
…of knives. Anyone who sharpens knives understands that the job…
…isn’t finished until the leather kisses the blade!
I use the black to buff out the grind lines on my knife blades and…
…the green to hone my edges on a leather strop with AMAZING results.
The next one is…
Green Stropping Compound
Its a thin, fine grit for a sharp edge of hair, used for finishing or touching a blade.
If you regularly use green and do not let your knife get sharp less than raster…
…then green is what you will ever need if you do not damage your edge.
This is used to finish chisels, plane blades, and other tools on a…
…homemade leather strop. It works wonderfully to get that scary…
…sharp edge needed for easy cross-grain paring or getting those…
… really thin curls from your hand planes. Nice way to finish a knife…
…edge too
White Stropping Compound
It’s a very fine grain…
….used to polish the edge of a straight razor or knife…
…if an extremely high sharpness is required.
Things to consider!
More aggressive grit stropping compounds are and more metal…
…is removed. This means that they work faster but that they…
…produce less thinly polished edges.
Finer grains remove fewer metals and work slower…
…but they are the way you get the best results.
For a hard-use survival clock where you don’t care to keep a…
…sharp edge constantly as you use the blade, you will probably…
…have 90% of the stroke with the dark compound.
Take a closer look…
Please note that one color compound matches one surface stroke.
You won’t be using white later on the same stripe…
…if you use black on a piece of leather.
You will use black only if you just have one strop…..
But when you learn a good technique you probably find yourself…
…doing so just because you can.
Going from blacks into greens to whites is overkill for a survival knife….
For you who are interested in leather strop…
…you must look at this best review list.
We also have an interesting fact to share with you!
Diamond Stropping Compound
Diamond stropping compounds have recently become…
…more popular for the traditional colored compounds as faster…
…and more aggressive substitutes.
Two forms are available for diamond compounds: sprays and pastes…
Diamond sprays consists of small diamond splashes…
…which are sprayed on a leather stroke, suspended in a liquid.
The diamond paste comes in small syringes…
…that is good for a small number of applications.
There is therefore no comparison of the durability…
…and reusability of traditional colored bars for preparation…
…purposes.
To Sum It Up
Strapping compounds are slightly abrasive…
..making it easier to reach a razor sharp edge faster.
The abrasive sizes of most compounds are in the micron range….
They differ mainly in the type of abrasives they use….
From the coarsest to the finest, the order is Black, White, Green, Red….
Conclusion
Now we already give you the information…
..about different stropping compound colors.
Hope this will help you to decide…
…which stropping compound colors to use.
Or do you already have your favorite stropping compound ?
Let us hear your story about what stropping compound you use…
Leave a comment!
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Hi there! I’m a food enthusiast and journalist, and I have a real passion for food that goes beyond the kitchen. I love my dream job and I’m lucky enough to be able to share my knowledge with readers of several large media outlets. My specialty is writing engaging food-related content, and I take pride in being able to connect with my audience. I’m known for my creativity in the kitchen, and I’m confident that I can be the perfect guide for anyone looking to take their culinary journey to the next level.
