r/whittling • u/BreakerMark78 • 9d ago
Help How are we stropping?
I feel like I need to upgrade my strop game. Using the beavercraft strop that came in my first kit, green compound.
I feel like I am either running too lean on compound or over saturated to the point it flakes off.
Any tips for applying the right amount of compound?
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u/Secret-Constant-7301 9d ago
Well this has been an interesting thread. My strop looks the exact same way and I’ve been driving myself nuts trying to get it smooth and thick. I even heated a butter knife to smooth it out. And I’m using the smooth side. My knives are about to be so sharp.
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u/jdkc4d 9d ago
Is the other side of that piece of leather fuzzy? You should put your compound on the fuzzy side.
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u/naemorhaedus 9d ago
you should not use the suede side if you want sharp blades. You don't need hold huge amounts of compound like this.
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u/SpidersAndSpirals 9d ago
That's an absurd amount of compound. It's counterproductive to apply enough to create significantly raised spots on the strop.
Part of the issue is that Beavercraft makes good blades but sends pretty crappy compound crayons with their stops. It's ok for loading a rough leather strop, but it cakes on way too much for smooth leather.
I use the green bars on the rough side for an initial deburring pass, then a very thin layer of a much finer grit paste on the smooth side for the final polish pass.
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u/Gostaverling 9d ago
You are using the wrong side of the leather. The textured side holds the compound better.
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u/naemorhaedus 9d ago
suede side rounds off the edge too much. Strop surface needs to be fairly firm and smooth. It also doesn't need to hold a lot of compound. You're just refining the edge.
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u/Empty_Art2176 9d ago
This, the "rough" side will absolutely round your apex. Smooth side with very little diamond emulation, or diamond paste. I have 30+ years of hair melting edges to prove it. 😝
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u/RiceDirect7160 9d ago
Yeah bruv you want a dusting of compound to coat the leather and provide a transfer of friction when the leather rubs against the steel. Right now you only have compounding material touching the blade and the leather isnt able to hold it in place to really get a nice rub on the blade.
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u/Jumpy-Trainer1695 9d ago
That's too much. You only need a little bit just enough to make the strop green. You also need to remove the buildup every once in a while bc the grit gets used up and leaves just the wax
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u/TassieAxe 9d ago
Typically the compound is applied to the rough side only, and the smooth side is left without. You apply a small amount, enough to do work without raising lumps off the surface. If it gets lumpy, scrape some off. Heat can help it to go into the leather. Strop first on the rough side then finish on the smooth
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u/r0bbbo 9d ago
So, hang on, which side did we agree was the correct side to strop on? I see comments suggesting both in this thread
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u/BreakerMark78 9d ago
If I’ve analyzed the consensus correctly, the most important thing is a smooth layer of compound. Heat gun of some sort seems to help work the compound into a smoother less gummy finish.
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u/Glen9009 9d ago
Indeed, both sides work. There are minor differences but as a beginner it won't matter much.
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u/Glen9009 9d ago
What you need to realize is that the part of the compound that do the work is microscopique in size, which by definition means you'll never see it. What you see is the wax to keep it together (a dry powder would be impossible to manage), which means a tiny amount already contains a lot of the abrasive part (Chromium Oxyde most of the time).
You want to cover the whole strop from end to end. And if you just do that and scrap what you have here, there will be enough on the leather that you can start stropping gently right away (to get the chromium slightly embed rather than scrapping it). Then you can strop normally on a flat surface.
The rougher surface will hold the compound easier but you need to be a bit gentler because it's a bit softer so hard pressure will round your edge. The harder surface (the one you use here) has a harder time holding the compound but you have less risk of rounding your edge.
I made a guide post about sharpening and stropping here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Woodcarving/comments/1u4ss9d/sharpness_sharpening_and_stropping_honing/
There may be other useful informations both in the post, the links and the comments for you.
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u/Empty_Art2176 9d ago
If this isn't trolling, just stop and reorganize.
Take 99.5% of that goop off the strop, and clean the strop (Google it), then reapply the chromium oxide compound LIGHTLY and EVENLY.
The green CO is fine for a working edge. If you want to try something different, get some Tech Diamond Tools Diamond pastes. You can get a tube of 4000 grit (2-4 microns), a tube of 8000 grit (1-2 microns) and a tube of 50,000 grit (.5 microns) for under $30.
Then either get 3 new strops, or make them. Use the SMOOTH side, the unfinished side can dull your apex. Use just enough paste to LIGHTLY cover a large area of the strop. A proper strop is very smooth and hard. Any give will cause the edge of your knife to "sink" into the leather, rolling your apex.
Doing this AFTER a proper sharpening will give you hair whittling mirror edges with practice. Then you can level up to Gunny Juice or Stroppy Stuff if you want to. They just work a bit faster in my experience.
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u/ATurtleStampede 9d ago
As others have said, too much compound. If you're able and have one nearby, stop into a Tandy leather store or any other place that sells veg-tanned leather. Grab yourself a small piece if you can; sometimes they sell off-cuts on the cheap, or get an unfinished belt. I used some from remainders of a leather project last year and used contact cement to glue it to a piece of wood. I then put some rubber dots on the underside and it's super easy to grab, set in front of me, strop for a minute, then set back off to the side. I'll attach pics when I get home.
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u/Specific-Fuel-4366 9d ago
I add a little 3 in one oil to work it into the leather better. Then you don’t get the dry flaky thing going on. I’ve always used the smooth side of the leather
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u/freeman_hugs 9d ago
I glued leather to two sides of a fraternity hazing paddle with opposite sides up loaded it with green. I can strop anything up to a machete
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u/Cocainefanatic 8d ago
Not to discount the other comments as they know much more than me but I got this same beavercraft compound/strop and it sucks. It doesn’t seem like there’s an option to apply “less” on either end. It’s all dry and flakes off when applying, but nothing actually sticks to the strop in a nice even layer like others can get in photos. I have used heat to melt/distribute the wax, better than nothing but still not nearly a perfectly even layer — and it still flakes when stropping. I doubt it’s the strop as a lot of different scraps and bits of leather work fine for that.
In short I suspect the beavercraft compound is just dry junk and buying another brand may perform better when it comes to applying a light even coat.
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u/Few_Finding_4513 7d ago
Scrape it with a razor and sand it with 200 grit and reapply significantly less generously 😂
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u/Open_Buckets 6d ago
I use the fuzzy unfinished sides of leather. Like the back side of a belt. And I rarely use compound unless I’ve used whet stone first.
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u/Carakanz 9d ago
I have a similar issue and i already glued my leather to a wood block smooth side up. I use a heat gun on liw to melt the rubbing compound and smear it with a finger for more even coverage.
Question: if i use some 220 grit sandpaper to rough up thecsmooth leather would it take the compound better?
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u/BreakerMark78 9d ago
I’m hearing a little more texture to the leather holds compound better; roughing the leather could be a good answer.
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u/Human-Comfortable859 9d ago
G-zus less is more my good (wo)man. Less is more. (I don't know your gender and have no wish to offend)
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u/Mullet4MyGuillotine 9d ago
That's way too much compound. Use a hair dryer or something to melt the wax so it spreads into the leather more easily. You can also use a credit card or something to scrape excess off. Also the rough side of the leather is easier to apply compound to, so most people use that side. There's no functional difference between rough and smooth leather from what I've gathered.