Clay, I was wondering if you could share your routine for strop care and maintenance.

How often would you guess you reload diamond paste on your strops? For example In how many knives (at say 100 or 200 strokes per knife)? Do you get through 5, 10, 25, 50 knives? How do you know when to reload?

Do you ever totally clean them (i.e. scrub them down with a brush/soapy water, dry and load new compound)?

Thanks for any tips! I already picked up off your vids to alcohol wipe between strops, and store them same size together in a ziploc.

If you don't mind, I'll post some of my newb questions here rather than calling so all can benefit.

Thanks
Dave

Hey Dave,

Thanks for writing. I find that I'm ready to re-paste after 100 knives or so. We often go to shows and don't re-paste for the entire show. If the strops don't seem to be be performing anymore, I apply a little more. A little goes a very long way. For cleaning, you can scraped them off with a razor blade. I've heard of people sanding them, but haven't tested that yet. I'll post results once I've had a chance to check it out. I'd love to see some of your results if you get a chance to take photos.

--Clay

I use a 3M green Scotch scouring pad to clean my stropping paddles. You can buy these at any hardware store and in some grocery stores. They are really good IMO since they are abrasive enough to clean off the surface but not enough to cut the surface of the leather. They do roughen the surface of them leather though, but I find this means the compound see adhere/work better. I am just guessing but that is how it seems to me.
No need to rub hard, a light hand does it!Use them dry.

Leo

wickededge wrote:

Does anybody know if the strops that come with paste (14/10 5/3.5) have the paste already on the strops? Or do you get blank strops with the paste in the syringe?

The strops come clean and free of paste. You add the paste from the vials .

Leo

Does it take the whole vial to charge the new strops or is there numerous doses in the vials. I hope to get mine Monday so I would like an idea of how much to add to the new strops. Do the new strops take some kind of conditoning or just use them as they are. These are the leather strops not the balsa.

Thanks
Lucky

I'd say way, way less than a whole syringe to recharge - I would guess you can recharge 20-30 times out of a single syringe.

I put a small single ribbon of about 1/2-3/4 inch on and spread it with my finger. Even then I hate them at first because so much paste comes off I feel I am wasting it. The paste also tends to "gum up" on the edge until the fresh paste gets broken in (frustrating as I'm wiping it off with alcohol).

The instructions that came with mine (admittedly a long time ago) say something to the effect of "When no more paste comes off on the edge it is time to re-load". If that's still in there, it should maybe be adjusted as it gave me the impression you needed to recharge more frequently.

I think I've learned through usage the strop only get good when they blacken up and get a bit "crusty", and also that it's very important to wipe the blade with some alcohol when switching grits, and to store them clean (I put them in a baggy with the same grits facing) to prevent contamination, but if you do that, you can use them for a looooong time.

Anyone please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, as I'm building assumptions based on trial and hoping to help others save time doing the same.

What dschur said...right on the money..

dschur wrote:


Good information here. I too store my strops in a plastic baggy. I load my strops roughly the same way...a little dab will do you for about 50 knives. After awhile I clean off my strops with a dry 3M Scotch Brite pad, the same as people use for cleaning around the house. It is abrasive enough to do the job, but not enough to injure the leather...just slightly roughens it.
Any more tips? Please share.

Leo

I nicked my strop pretty good, is there anyway to repair it?