# Materials for stropping paired with compounds



## Eamon Burke (Mar 15, 2011)

So what stropping materials do you find work best with what levels of compound/type of compound? Not what substrates do you prefer overall, but how do you use them together?

Mainly, I'm interested in seeing if anyone prefers to do, say, 1 micron paste/spray on balsa and .25 and smaller on leather. Or something like that.

Anyone use a particular substrate for finishing to beginning stropping?

I'm thinking that leather might be a good substrate to use for the last compound, since it gives good feedback(which I get almost NONE of by the .5 level if I do my knives right) and does a bit of help blending off those imperfections.

Thoughts?


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## mainaman (Mar 15, 2011)

For touch up I would use CrO or plain leather strop.


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## spinblue (Mar 15, 2011)

It was my impression given what a lot of info has been made available on forums, that the diamond gives a toothier edge for kitchen knives. While the green stuff is better for the final polish on razors.


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## Eamon Burke (Mar 15, 2011)

I know this, what I was interested in was how the different pastes perform on different substrates.

Like, do you prefer poly sprays paired with leather, and CrO paired with balsa, etc?


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## Jay (Mar 15, 2011)

CrOx with leather is a natural combo, but I find that some of the diamond sprays can expand and subsequently crease the surface of leather- no good at all considering the level of fineness you're trying to acheive. I think they work better with balsa. (I have no experience with felt, though.)


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## Aphex (Mar 17, 2011)

I think Salty did a pretty good exteriment on this subject a while back.

If i remember correctly, the best "tomato push cutting" edge came from a textured leather/.25 diamond combination.


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## Eamon Burke (Mar 17, 2011)

Aphex said:


> I think Salty did a pretty good exteriment on this subject a while back.
> 
> If i remember correctly, the best "tomato push cutting" edge came from a textured leather/.25 diamond combination.


 I'd love to see that!
I'll ask him if it's around anywhere.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Mar 17, 2011)

johndoughy said:


> I'd love to see that!
> I'll ask him if it's around anywhere.



Here's the thread, but the video's been removed. 

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/889440/tp/1/


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## Cadillac J (Mar 17, 2011)

I really like Felt + Diamond spary (1 micron) for stropping in between each stone for deburring purposes, and then Leather + Chromium oxide powder(o.5 micron) for final stropping.

This works well enough for me that I haven't had the urge to try anything else, but I'm sure I'll get around to some CBN and balsa some day.


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## Eamon Burke (Mar 18, 2011)

Yeah, I'm asking because I have some stuff coming in and that will put my stock at balsa, several leather types, paper, CBN, CrO, and SiC. I feel like I"m at a drive through trying to pick what to put on where. (Except the balsa, of course, I'll just sand it down if I don't like it).


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