# Stropping



## MadMel (May 18, 2011)

Ok so this goes out to all you guys who use your knives in a professional setting. I need some help in deciding weather to spend some $$ on a stropping kit and wonder if there is actually a tangible difference between stropped and un-stropped knives.

How does stropping affect your knife performance in the kitchen? 
Does it benefit me to strop my knives for work in a professional kitchen?
Do you strop your work knives?


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## shankster (May 18, 2011)

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this question.It's all a matter of personal taste in edges.Some pros want a toothier edge in a work environment so stropping or even finishing on a really high grit stone won't give them the results they're looking for.Some want the sharpest/keenest edge you can possibly get, so stropping is part of their sharpening ritual.

Personal preference.


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## rockbox (May 18, 2011)

You can strop on anything that is slightly abrasive such as news paper. You don't have to buy a kit to do it. The kits may give you a better edge, but you test it out cheaply to see if it works for you before you invest money. Jon said that most chef's in japan go up to 6K and strop on newspaper.


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## tk59 (May 18, 2011)

The most important thing to keep in mind is burr removal. How you do it and what is required to do it depends on the steel and your technique on the stones. Ideally, you'll have very little burr left by the time you finish sharpening so you just need something slightly abrasive and/or fibrous to finish grinding it off or actually pulling it off. You can do this on your finishing stone by raising the angle and stroking very lightly in either direction. In short, you don't need a strop. It does make things easier in many respects but as others have mentioned, not necessarily better.


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## Citizen Snips (May 18, 2011)

tk59 said:


> The most important thing to keep in mind is burr removal. How you do it and what is required to do it depends on the steel and your technique on the stones. Ideally, you'll have very little burr left by the time you finish sharpening so you just need something slightly abrasive and/or fibrous to finish grinding it off or actually pulling it off. You can do this on your finishing stone by raising the angle and stroking very lightly in either direction. In short, you don't need a strop. It does make things easier in many respects but as others have mentioned, not necessarily better.



this is the perfect explanation. i think a lot of people get confused on what stropping is or does. as i mentioned in your other post, i do microbevels for professional work and it gives me more strength and toughness i desire while working 8-10 hour shifts.


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## Eamon Burke (May 18, 2011)

I like the strops. It's easier, and with a good compound, will blend any mistakes or uneven convexity in your bevel. Also, you can't(or at least shouldn't) use a honing rod on really hard knives, so I strop to maintain between sharpening.


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## tk59 (May 18, 2011)

johndoughy said:


> I like the strops. It's easier, and with a good compound, will blend any mistakes or uneven convexity in your bevel. Also, you can't(or at least shouldn't) use a honing rod on really hard knives, so I strop to maintain between sharpening.


 I agree with all of this except the honing rod part. I wouldn't have a problem with a careful honing on a ceramic or glass rod. Ridged metal rods and any sort of rough banging around is a definite no-no.


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## Jim (May 18, 2011)

The sanituff boards make a fair strop in a pinch as does a brown paper bag, getting a flat, hard surface is important.


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## Eamon Burke (May 18, 2011)

tk59 said:


> I agree with all of this except the honing rod part. I wouldn't have a problem with a careful honing on a ceramic or glass rod. Ridged metal rods and any sort of rough banging around is a definite no-no.



Yeah, I've taken the path of not telling people about the use of honing rods until they figure it out themselves, lol. I've never seen a borosilicate rod in a kitchen, so I figured someone should tell this dude not to rub his J-blade on a steel.

Soft steel, however, goes hand-in-hand with a good honing steel, and stropping is not a great idea...kind of a waste. If you're looking at lower-end sets of euro blades, and those will not get the benefit of a strop, and if the steel bends into a burr, you'll scuff up a strop and a strop won't straighten steel.

If you get a harder knife(or knives), and you are a home cook, you can get by with a decent strop setup and just get your knife to a pro sharpener once or twice a year. That's what I would do if I wasn't crazy.


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## dreamsignals (May 18, 2011)

Jim said:


> The sanituff boards make a fair strop in a pinch as does a brown paper bag, getting a flat, hard surface is important.



you just strop normally, edge-trailing motion, on the sanituff? i slice on it for debburing but never imagined it having abrasive qualities. cool.

i've been trying to sharpen completely stropless these days, except for a couple of passes on whatever pants i'm wearing, to improve my technique. kindda the korin video. i think felt was becoming my crutch. i'm also trying to get the microbevel to actually happen...but i digress...


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## stevenStefano (May 18, 2011)

johndoughy said:


> I like the strops. It's easier, and with a good compound, will blend any mistakes or uneven convexity in your bevel. Also, you can't(or at least shouldn't) use a honing rod on really hard knives, so I strop to maintain between sharpening.



Like tk, I disagree about the honing rod part. I work in a pro kitchen and I use a ceramic rod and it works very well. When it's real busy I don't really have time/space to strop and I use the rod, it brings back the edge very quickly. I strop as well, and I am a big fan, but I think honing rods definitely have their place


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## mpukas (May 18, 2011)

tk59 said:


> I agree with all of this except the honing rod part. I wouldn't have a problem with a careful honing on a ceramic or glass rod. Ridged metal rods and any sort of rough banging around is a definite no-no.


 
I agree w/ Tk as well - I find the MAC ceramic rod works nicely to bring back an edge very quickly. I've found the harder the steel, the less effective. On my Moritaka AS, it's not as effective as on white #2 or VG-1. I do find that on those steels it raises a bur and I need to run the edge through some cork a couple of times. 

I also use a rod differently than anywhere else I've seen - I put the end on the edge of a counter or cutting board so the rod is horizontal. I run the knife along the rod like I would do on a stone, but with one hand. I have much more control over pressure and angle this way. I do edge leading and then edge trailing strokes to remove as much but as possible, but it still needs the cork.


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## MadMel (May 19, 2011)

Ok it seems that I do not really need a strop then. And I do not use honing rods except on the knives they provide at the workplace. Btw, I've been down to the knife shop and saw some ceramic rods. Apparently there are different grits to them? Most are really rough just like sandpaper, even rougher than my 2k bester. They feel more like 400-600 grit stones to me. What exactly are ceramic/glass honing rods suppose to feel like?


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## bishamon (May 19, 2011)

Haha, I've used a sanituff to deburr before, didn't think anyone else would try it.


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## tk59 (May 19, 2011)

MadMel said:


> ...What exactly are ceramic/glass honing rods suppose to feel like?


 My glass rod feels and looks like etched glass (frosted and not totally smooth). The two ceramic rods that get good pub are the MAC (mentioned earlier at 2k pretty smooth) and the Idahone (1.2k not quite as smooth but still pretty smooth)


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## Lefty (May 19, 2011)

Mac also has a 1.2k rod for $25. It's the one I found/use every now an then. I pretty much only use it on my parers and folders, but it is also a great tool to maintain your edges on other knives if you're in a hurry.


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## MadMel (May 19, 2011)

Lefty said:


> Mac also has a 1.2k rod for $25. It's the one I found/use every now an then. I pretty much only use it on my parers and folders, but it is also a great tool to maintain your edges on other knives if you're in a hurry.


 
Yeah but can't seem to find MAC products in my country haha. And I wouldn't pay shipping for 1 rod. Prolly shop around.

Can anyone tell me the difference between a ceramic rod, a steel rod and a glass rod?


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## Seb (May 19, 2011)

MadMel said:


> Yeah but can't seem to find MAC products in my country haha. And I wouldn't pay shipping for 1 rod. Prolly shop around.
> 
> Can anyone tell me the difference between a ceramic rod, a steel rod and a glass rod?


 
In Australia, you can get Kyocera ceramic rods for $70-90... the Idahone is still cheaper even if you have it shipped from the States. I have the Idahone, the MAC and the HandAmerican borosilicate rod and I would recommend the Idahone and the HA. For stones, Bluewayjapan is currently the best vendor if you are not in the US.


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## MadMel (May 19, 2011)

Nice heads up there on the bluewayjapan store. 
I kinda like the description of the borosilicate rod but won't wanna buy it before I can get an upclose look at it or possibly a feel haha.


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## Lefty (May 19, 2011)

Shipping is such a PITA! 
I'm glad for you guys that you've figured out reasonable alternatives. What about JCK?


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## Seb (May 19, 2011)

Lefty said:


> Shipping is such a PITA!
> I'm glad for you guys that you've figured out reasonable alternatives. What about JCK?


 
I never liked the look of JCK's stones. I bought a ton of stones from Metalmasterjp before he went AWOL.


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## stevenStefano (May 19, 2011)

MadMel said:


> .
> I kinda like the description of the borosilicate rod but won't wanna buy it before I can get an upclose look at it or possibly a feel haha.



Is there an IKEA store near you? They do a decent ceramic rod that's super cheap. The others suggested here are better, but if you want to get a rough idea of how they are I'd get one of these


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## Lefty (May 19, 2011)

Is metalmaster still MIA?


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## Booink (May 19, 2011)

Huh? I ordered two knives from http://www.metalmaster-ww.com on 22/4 and received them just fine, or is that another guy?


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## Seb (May 19, 2011)

He seems to be back. But a few days ago he again cleared the decks of his ebay store. Yes, it's the same guy.


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## Lefty (May 19, 2011)

He does that a lot, it seems. Last time was around Xmas, if I remember correctly. He was gone a good month or so!


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## tk59 (May 19, 2011)

MadMel said:


> ...Can anyone tell me the difference between a ceramic rod, a steel rod and a glass rod?


Ceramic rods are relatively brittle and are fairly abrasive. They will "sharpen" and "realign" your edge.
Glass rods are also relatively brittle but are much less abrasive and mainly realign the edge.
Steel rods are less brittle but the grooved steels are far too aggressive and tend to damage edges unnecessarily while the smooth steels take forever to really make a difference. Also, they will scratch against very hard blades. I have a smooth steel that I use when I'm cooking away from home.


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## Willis (May 19, 2011)

I think lot of people get confused on what stropping is does.
I like the stropping.


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## MadMel (May 19, 2011)

I can't seem to do any ordering at metalmasters. my cart keeps going empty when I check out... 
steven: I will check out the ikea one just to get a feel of it.
tk: Good info there. Thanks  Can't find any smooth steels around here. They'r all grooved, the diff is just how much groove they have. 

Is a bocosilicate rod the same as a glass rod? I think I'd like a look at a glass rod up close haha. So what do you guys actually use in your kitchens?


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## Eamon Burke (May 19, 2011)

Borosilicate rods are glass rods. The one from Hand American is very popular. For softer steel, where a honing steel is needed, I'd suggest the F Dick Multi-Cut. I think the time it takes to hone an edge with a steel is a good thing, because it doesn't change so much, so you have less chance of slipping and really screwing something up. But then again, I grew up with a set of French knives and a steel, so I'm partial to the concept when applied properly.


I strop my knives at home. I just take them home and deal with sharpening/maintenance/edge alteration there. If my edge can't survive a hard day's use, I screwed it up!


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## MadMel (May 19, 2011)

johndoughy said:


> I strop my knives at home. I just take them home and deal with sharpening/maintenance/edge alteration there. If my edge can't survive a hard day's use, I screwed it up!


 
Haha yeah that's true. I use to sharpen my knives once every 3 days or so, but now the edge usually lasts me at least a week, with steeling. Think it's mainly cos of Jon's sharpening vids haha.
Thing is, ever since I bought my first J-knives, I've been encouraged not to steel them on grooved steel, but since that's all that's available at the workplace, I'm thinking on weather stropping at the end of the day or an occasional few seconds of steeling on a glass/ceramic/ungrooved steel throughout the day would be a better/preferable option to most of you guys who cook professionally.


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## Seb (May 19, 2011)

There have been various cheapskate substitute suggestions for honing on the run, like the bottom of a coffee mug or pyrex tray. If you go for the least expensive option (the Idahone) you will never know the difference between it and the MAC or HA boro rod. I'm not saying that they're the same, I'm just saying you probably won't miss them.

I was in Singapore a few weeks ago, btw, had a fantastic time! ION and MBS are amazing. Jumbo at Dempsey was also a highlight.


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## 99Limited (May 20, 2011)

I've been wondering if a fine or extra fine DMT Diafold would be very useful in a pro kitchen. It's small enough to keep in your pocket when folded.


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## MadMel (May 20, 2011)

99Limited said:


> I've been wondering if a fine or extra fine DMT Diafold would be very useful in a pro kitchen. It's small enough to keep in your pocket when folded.


 
That's a thought.


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## tk59 (May 20, 2011)

maybe for a short line knife...


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## Eamon Burke (May 20, 2011)

My concern with the DMT would be the same reason I don't use the diamond coated hone here at work. It chips my Tojiro all up. I use it to remove steel on cheap knives, but I don't touch my cutlery with it anymore.


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## JohnnyChance (May 20, 2011)

MadMel said:


> Haha yeah that's true. I use to sharpen my knives once every 3 days or so, but now the edge usually lasts me at least a week, with steeling. Think it's mainly cos of Jon's sharpening vids haha.
> Thing is, ever since I bought my first J-knives, I've been encouraged not to steel them on grooved steel, but since that's all that's available at the workplace, I'm thinking on weather stropping at the end of the day or an occasional few seconds of steeling on a glass/ceramic/ungrooved steel throughout the day would be a better/preferable option to most of you guys who cook professionally.


 
I use the Mac black ceramic at work. It is way more durable than other ceramic rods, it is a tube with a core inside so it is less likely to break. I keep it in my knife roll with no worries. I hardly ever use it at work however. My sous chef uses it more on his Mac Mighty Gyuto than I do on my own knives. 

I actually sharpen my knives only once a week. I do a fair amount of prep, but not a ton of it is edge killing. For breaking down chickens I use a Tojiro honesuki, and that thing holds up really well. I break down whole fish sometimes, thats the only time edge degradation is at all significant. But mostly I use gyutos, and luckily for me, I have half a dozen of them, and carry 3 in my knife roll. I am like my very own knife sharpening service, when one gets dull I just swap it out with a fresh one! Then I sharpen anything that needs it on my day off. At least I have found an excuse to justify having this many gyutos.


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## MadMel (May 20, 2011)

JohnnyChance said:


> I use the Mac black ceramic at work. It is way more durable than other ceramic rods, it is a tube with a core inside so it is less likely to break. I keep it in my knife roll with no worries. I hardly ever use it at work however. My sous chef uses it more on his Mac Mighty Gyuto than I do on my own knives.
> 
> I actually sharpen my knives only once a week. I do a fair amount of prep, but not a ton of it is edge killing. For breaking down chickens I use a Tojiro honesuki, and that thing holds up really well. I break down whole fish sometimes, thats the only time edge degradation is at all significant. But mostly I use gyutos, and luckily for me, I have half a dozen of them, and carry 3 in my knife roll. I am like my very own knife sharpening service, when one gets dull I just swap it out with a fresh one! Then I sharpen anything that needs it on my day off. At least I have found an excuse to justify having this many gyutos.


 
Haha sounds kinda like me. I keep 3 chef's in my roll, but usually I do not have to swap. I'd have a go on the 2k I carry around in my case during the break in the middle of the day but I was thinking more about doing the slicing and cutting for the final presentations. Wonder if stropping my knives will make the edge last longer.


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## JohnnyChance (May 20, 2011)

Strops are used in many other applications, perhaps you can find some stuff at a woodworking shop? A block of balsa and some leather will give you a good idea of what stropping can do for you, for minimal investment and no need to ship stuff halfway around the world. 

I usually don't rotate through all of my gyutos in one day. I usually end up using one the entire week, but sometimes I switch it up just because I can.


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## Tristan (May 20, 2011)

Seb said:


> I was in Singapore a few weeks ago, btw, had a fantastic time! ION and MBS are amazing. Jumbo at Dempsey was also a highlight.


 
Give us a shout when you next come down, might be able to do a SEAG! haha. I think there are what, 3 of us? madmel, you and myself. I think I spotted a couple of outliers too...


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## Seb (May 21, 2011)

Tristan said:


> Give us a shout when you next come down, might be able to do a SEAG! haha. I think there are what, 3 of us? madmel, you and myself. I think I spotted a couple of outliers too...


 
I miss Singapore so much already. I left 25 years ago (not my choice) but the place is still in my blood. I want black pepper crabs!! I want mamak food from Golden Mile!! I want oyster omelettes and carrot cake!!


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## Seb (May 21, 2011)

Tristan said:


> Give us a shout when you next come down, might be able to do a SEAG! haha. I think there are what, 3 of us? madmel, you and myself. I think I spotted a couple of outliers too...


 
Sure, I'll bring some knives haha!!


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## MadMel (May 21, 2011)

Gotta make that this year tho haha. Will be going to Australia in Jan for studies.
Seb if I'm not wrong, you'r in Aus no?


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## Tristan (May 21, 2011)

I'm eagerly waiting for Marko to finalise his four sided strop contraption so i can up the ante with the stropping game.

Yes, Singapore for all its oddball crap really gets into your blood. I would love to have the duality of living elsewhere and here at the same time. I'm just glad the food scene here is ridiculously good - and in the last 2 years the higher end food scene is improving significantly with the introduction of big names. Just wish my paycheck was keeping pace. The lion's share of the cheque keeps going into @$%#% mortgage. 

Anytime you're coming down seb, just let us know. Madmel seems pretty free (haha) too.


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## MadMel (May 21, 2011)

Yeah part-time stints keeps me pretty free most of the time haha.


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## Seb (May 21, 2011)

Tristan said:


> love to have the duality of living elsewhere and here at the same time


 
Apparently, such a place is called 'Perth'. Shame about all the rednecks! LOL 

Be nice to catch up. I am determined to come back more often, especially with the rels getting older and older. Also want my son to be aware of and appreciate his heritage. To treasure it even, as I do.

I've lived in Australia for twenty-five years (and counting) and the longer I stay here the more I realise I am a Singaporean in my heart and soul.


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## Seb (May 21, 2011)

MadMel said:


> Seb if I'm not wrong, you'r in Aus no?


 
Yep. Eastern suburbs of Sydney.


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## Seb (May 21, 2011)

Tristan said:


> Yes, Singapore for all its oddball crap...


 
I am amazed that the SG general election received about 25 seconds of TV coverage in the AU news media. Incredible. It's not like Australia has nothing to learn from Asia (and Singapore in particular). Incredible natural wealth and the place is run like a brothel!


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## Salty dog (May 22, 2011)

I haven't gone to the stones in a long time. Eight sides of strops has kept me up to snuff.

Anyone who poo poos them is missing something.

But some peoples are set in their ways.


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## MadMel (May 23, 2011)

Salty dog said:


> I haven't gone to the stones in a long time. Eight sides of strops has kept me up to snuff.
> 
> Anyone who poo poos them is missing something.
> 
> But some peoples are set in their ways.


 
Hey what do you use for stropping?


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## tk59 (May 23, 2011)

He uses two four-sided balsa strops loaded with various compounds.


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## Cadillac J (May 23, 2011)

Salty dog said:


> Anyone who poo poos them is missing something.


 
I never understood why people don't believe in using them to the point where they criticize people who do...maybe it is because they have more traditional views? The argument against is that they reward/mask bad technique, which is actually true in certain cases...but if you are already a proficient sharpener, they are a great way to further refine the edge without needing an expensive high-grit polishing stone.

Strops are so quick and easy for touch-ups and extending the life of an edge, that if used properly, they are great tools to have. My only true strop is leather/0.5 mic chrom oxide (my felt/1 mic diamond is more for deburring on)...and although I could survive without one, it plays a welcomed role in my sharpening arsenal.


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## mpukas (May 23, 2011)

Salty dog said:


> I haven't gone to the stones in a long time. Eight sides of strops has kept me up to snuff.


 
Hey Salty - how do you find edge retention of an edge being stropped vs stoned?


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## 99Limited (May 23, 2011)

I hit a major milestone with my stropping today. I've been using HA 0.25 diamond spray and 0.125 CBN spray on HA bovine leather and felt I was getting pretty good results. I precede those two with 1.0 micron boron carbide on balsa and 0.5 chromium oxide on leather. Last night I emailed Ken about a question I had concerning CBN and told him I was using it on leather. He said leather was fine but he preferred using it on balsa. So I picked up some balsa and made a couple of new strops. All I can say is *WOW*, the difference between using leather and balsa with these sprays is amazing. I have become a true believer in the ability of these sprays to help deliver a frighteningly sharp edge. 

For those who like to strop their knives, you need to add some CBN to your setup.


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## tk59 (May 24, 2011)

Interesting. I can't say that any of the three compounds you list will give me noticeably sharper edges but then again, I only use leather. Chromium oxide gives the smoothest edges but that's about the extent of it. I like the cbn a lot but it isn't noticeably different than 0.25 micron diamond. I'd be curious to know how sharp your "frighteningly sharp edge" is.


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## JohnnyChance (May 24, 2011)

tk59 said:


> I'd be curious to know how sharp your "frighteningly sharp edge" is.



That's the problem with us being on the internet and scattered all over the country. Plus it is so subjective. To the uneducated, a Shun out of the box seems crazy sharp. Even a beginner sharpener can make better edges than he has ever seen in his life, as long as he isnt living next door to Salty or yourself. I have been sharpening for a few years, and it seems like I keep getting better and better every time I sharpen, and even still am surprised at my edges sometimes. Every couple of months I reach a new "frighteningly sharp" level.


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## Cadillac J (May 24, 2011)

I consider myself to be a pretty proficient sharpener, and I've always only used a leather strop w/ 0.5 chromium oxide to finish. Are people really seeing significant differences using 0.25 and 0.125 micron abrasives? There is definitely always room from improvement, but I just still can't imagine seeing any true benefit from stropping past 0.5 micron...I'm a bit skeptical.

If there are any experienced guys who have stropped with the 0.25 or smaller and felt any significant, usable benefit over the 0.5, please let me know.


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## 99Limited (May 24, 2011)

tk59 said:


> ... I'd be curious to know how sharp your "frighteningly sharp edge" is.



Because I'm an older gentleman, I'll never live long enough to reach your level when it comes to knife skills and the ability to extract the maximum performance from a knife. I just take pleasure knowing because of the people here and the things I learn will mean my knives will be sharper than they were in the past but not as sharp as they will be in the future.

The real point of my post though was that using these sprays on wood instead of leather delivers a big difference that you will notice.


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## Dave Martell (May 24, 2011)

Cadillac J said:


> I consider myself to be a pretty proficient sharpener, and I've always only used a leather strop w/ 0.5 chromium oxide to finish. Are people really seeing significant differences using 0.25 and 0.125 micron abrasives? There is definitely always room from improvement, but I just still can't imagine seeing any true benefit from stropping past 0.5 micron...I'm a bit skeptical.
> 
> If there are any experienced guys who have stropped with the 0.25 or smaller and felt any significant, usable benefit over the 0.5, please let me know.


 

What's interesting is to buy (from one type compound) a series of grit sizes from one manufacturer and test them against each other. You will see a difference between the sizes and often one will stand out and it amazes me how this happens. More than the size of the particles being something to consider is the shape of the particles as being key to how these compounds work. 

For instance chromium oxide is spherical which lends itself to smoother edges being created whereas diamond is blocky and make for coarser toothy type edges. You can go one step further with monocrystalline making the roughest edges. 

Do I advocate buying all the compounds available and trying them out? Well sure if you've got money to burn and a desire to give it away....or......you're just a scary sharp seeking knifenut. 


PS - I've tested over 30 manufacturers offerings (that's well over 100 samples tested - took months) in all of these compounds available (because I am that knut) and found only a couple worth consideration from all the ones I tried. The thing is that most worked great and would impress anyone but a few excelled and those are the ones I'm interested in.


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## tk59 (May 24, 2011)

99Limited said:


> Because I'm an older gentleman, I'll never live long enough to reach your level when it comes to knife skills and the ability to extract the maximum performance from a knife. I just take pleasure knowing because of the people here and the things I learn will mean my knives will be sharper than they were in the past but not as sharp as they will be in the future.
> 
> The real point of my post though was that using these sprays on wood instead of leather delivers a big difference that you will notice.


 
My point is simply that I've been resisting trying balsa for quite a while because I don't believe they will improve my edges. Posts like yours reinstill that urge to test everything and I don't want to have another dang strop lying around! :bat:


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## Dave Martell (May 24, 2011)

99Limited said:


> The real point of my post though was that using these sprays on wood instead of leather delivers a big difference that you will notice.




Most leathers will soak the compounds sub-surface which then don't allow them to work so efficiently while balsa (very porous as well) seems to float the compound on the surface if the compound is thick enough. I prefer to use a compound and leather that worked well together because when you find this combination you get the added benefit of the leather providing draw (drag) to the edge which pulls burrs which is one thing that balsa doesn't do, balsa can align and refine but provides no draw.


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## 99Limited (May 24, 2011)

tk59 said:


> My point is simply that I've been resisting trying balsa for quite a while because I don't believe they will improve my edges. Posts like yours reinstill that urge to test everything and I don't want to have another dang strop lying around! :bat:



Come on, it's only a little, skinny piece of wood. It won't take up much space. You know you want to try it. :goodevil:

If you already have one of the sprays then you only need to spend a couple of dollars for a piece of balsa. If you don't then PM me and we'll work something out. :thumbsup:


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## Cadillac J (May 24, 2011)

Dave Martell said:


> PS - I've tested over 30 manufacturers offerings (that's well over 100 samples tested - took months) in all of these compounds available (because I am that knut) and found only a couple worth consideration from all the ones I tried. The thing is that most worked great and would impress anyone but a few excelled and those are the ones I'm interested in.


 
Maybe that is why my particular leather + 0.5 chromium oxide combo work so well...still using the same stuff I bought from you 2 years ago (and the felt + 1 micron diamond you had I love for deburring) :cool2: _shameless plug_


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## tk59 (May 24, 2011)

99Limited said:


> Come on, it's only a little, skinny piece of wood. It won't take up much space. You know you want to try it. :goodevil:
> 
> If you already have one of the sprays then you only need to spend a couple of dollars for a piece of balsa. If you don't then PM me and we'll work something out. :thumbsup:


 
Yeah. I think it's inevitable... Now I have to find some place local to make me a strip.


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## wenus2 (May 24, 2011)

I love the hell out of my balsa CrO strop. I use leather and balsa after sharpening, but then just straight to the balsa for touch up honing. It keeps everything nice.

Sometimes I think :idea2: I need to quit being so cheap and invest in some more compounds, so I can go to Nirvannna that is the 4-sided Salty rig. 
Then it occurs to me that all of my knives are plenty sharp and that $100 on compounds would get me a good start on a new knife (c'mon Gesshin petty :hungry. So I don't end up changing, I just sit in this holding pattern. But hey, at least the weather out here is quite nice.:hula:


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## tim0mit (May 24, 2011)

I bought a 12x3x1/2" piece of balsa for $2 cut the balsa down to fit my stone holder and have been using it with some "yellow crayon" (flexcut gold) with pretty great results. The crayon isn't very fine 2 microns or so and gives me a very strong toothy convex edge that allows me to sharpen only every 2 or 3 weeks with only 1 gyuto used on a fast prep line.


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## JohnnyChance (May 25, 2011)

tk59 said:


> Yeah. I think it's inevitable... Now I have to find some place local to make me a strip.


 
I just got 6 feet (two 3' sections) of 3" wide Balsa that is 1/4" thick at a local art supply place for about $6. You can glue it to a backing or just put it on some of that non slip grippy mesh stuff you put underneath rugs to make them stop sliding on hardwood floors.


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## Eamon Burke (May 25, 2011)

I just cut up the balsa to fit in a stone holder. I find that having a strop the dimensions of a stone take makes the whole process easier--if I strop it like I finish on stones, I'm consistent.


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