# Outdoors > Gear and Equipment >  Knife stropping

## Gibo

Just got a piece of leather to glue to some ply for a stropping paddle. I have no idea what I am up to. 

What side do you strop on? Smooth or rough? 

Once I make a paddle what's to stop me using it for disciplinary activities around the house? 

What compound should I be buying and from where? 

Cheers 

PS I currently use a jap wet stone to great effect but want to go to the next level  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Dama dama

Smooth side up, I use autosol metal polish from Repco.

I prefer a 4X2 with a nail in it for the kids.

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## Shearer

Smooth
Nothing
Jewellers rouge (or Autosol)

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## Biggun708

I use autosol plus some compound  @nick-d gave me... You're welcome to some .... Bloody good stuff..

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## Biggun708

I presume the discipline is for the wife?? If so, go for it...

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## Gibo

> I presume the discipline is for the wife?? If so, go for it...


Yes, she is very naughty  :Wink:

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## Gibo

Cheers team  :Have A Nice Day:

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## 25/08IMP

> Yes, she is very naughty


And make sure you use the rough side 

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

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## Kooza

Strop it like it's hot  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Gibo

Ha ha!! The guy I bought the leather off called bullshit on me saying I have never had a strop before  :Grin:

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## Nick-D

> I use autosol plus some compound  @nick-d gave me... You're welcome to some .... Bloody good stuff..


Yeah the green compound is perfect for a user knife IMO. Will make it hair popping but keep enough of a toothy edge that it will perform for camps tasks well.

I go extra fine dmt then strop. 

Coming to the bop meet @Gibo? Welcome to lop a piece of my block they last ages

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## yerimaginaryM8

What are the pro's of stropping? does it really make any serious difference? for a touch up I go with less than 5 minutes on a 3 stone lansky plus a lick on a steel good to go fillet a bin full of cod or bone out a couple of deer, life is short would stropping change my life?

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## Gibo

> Yeah the green compound is perfect for a user knife IMO. Will make it hair popping but keep enough of a toothy edge that it will perform for camps tasks well.
> 
> I go extra fine dmt then strop. 
> 
> Coming to the bop meet @Gibo? Welcome to lop a piece of my block they last ages


Yeah il be there mate.

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## Rushy

> Ha ha!! The guy I bought the leather off called bullshit on me saying I have never had a strop before


I don't believe you haven't either Gibo.  It was another term for wanking when I was a kid.  Maybe that is what he meant.

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## Gibo

> I don't believe you haven't either Gibo.  It was another term for wanking when I was a kid.  Maybe that is what he meant.


Yeah im sure it was too  :Grin:

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## hotbarrels

Well bugger me - I've been doing it wrong all this time.
I use the 'rough side up' since it is more absorbent and you can load it up better with compound.

I use PFERD 800 grit grinding compound available form PPS in Auckland.

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## Tahr

> Well bugger me - I've been doing it wrong all this time.
> I use the 'rough side up' since it is more absorbent and you can load it up better with compound.
> 
> I use PFERD 800 grit grinding compound available form PPS in Auckland.


Most paddle stops are rough side up.

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## Gibo

This is good. I have not yet stuck the leather down.
Maybe if i dont stick it to a board i can use both sides?

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## Biggun708

I go for rough...

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## Tahr

> This is good. I have not yet stuck the leather down.
> Maybe if i dont stick it to a board i can use both sides?


You need the hard surface.

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## Gibo

Well considering your knife collection Tahr and by that alone I will go with the rough side  :Grin:  No offence to smoothies on here  :Wink:

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## Rushy

> Well considering your knife collection Tahr and by that alone I will go with the rough side  No offence to smoothies on here


Makes sense.  You're a rough bugger anyway.

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## Shelley

Put the rough side up, it will eventually go smooth anyway, but rough will let you get more compound on the leather. Make the strop quite long as a good long stroke is better than a short one, terrible to run off the end.
Use lots of glue, and rough up the smooth side with 40 grit sandpaper or a wire brush before you glue it down, you don’t want it lifting.

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## Shelley

Put the rough side up, it will eventually go smooth anyway, but rough will let you get more compound on the leather. Make the strop quite long as a good long stroke is better than a short one, terrible to run off the end.
Use lots of glue, and rough up the smooth side with 40 grit sandpaper or a wire brush before you glue it down, you dont want it lifting.

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## Nick-D

> What are the pro's of stropping? does it really make any serious difference? for a touch up I go with less than 5 minutes on a 3 stone lansky plus a lick on a steel good to go fillet a bin full of cod or bone out a couple of deer, life is short would stropping change my life?


Yeah man. It's the icing on the cake. When I finish on the stones my knives will glide through paper and shave, but after a strop the hair jumps off. 
Really does take it from good and sharp to absurdly sharp. Also makes the edge look all shiney and nice.

Once you start using one you'll  never go back

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## Cordite

There is still a role for the a traditional steel.  The steel has the advantage of WORK HARDENING stainless steel edges.

Have a look at this geezer to get the gist:




Hope that is useful.

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## gonetropo

> I don't believe you haven't either Gibo.  It was another term for wanking when I was a kid.  Maybe that is what he meant.


due to political correctness you can no longer call someone a wanker, the correct term is "owner operator"

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## Rushy

> due to political correctness you can no longer call someone a wanker, the correct term is "owner operator"


Ha ha ha ha. Do you hear that Gibo? It's a business opportunity now.

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## Savage1

Just don't get one with the studs, they hurt like hell.

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## Rushy

> Attachment 76308
> 
> Just don't get one with the studs, they hurt like hell.


Don't you go bringing out any more of your B&D toys on here Savage1.  This is a family show.

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## gonetropo

> Don't you go bringing out any more of your B&D toys on here Savage1.  This is a family show.


i knew of a guy who was into bondage, bestiality and necrophilia
i told him he was flogging a dead horse

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## Pengy

> Attachment 76308
> 
> Just don't get one with the studs, they hurt like hell.


Standard issue for dealing with the naughty boys?

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## Rushy

> i knew of a guy who was into bondage, bestiality and necrophilia
> i told him he was flogging a dead horse


Very clever.

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## scottrods

I have a double sided paddle strop from DLT knives in USA. Its the bark river one. I use lansky to sharpen the knives, then hone, then bark river black compound. Then change to the other side of the paddle, and use bark river green compound.  If I sharpen a convex blade, I use 1500, 2000 wet n dry paper on a mouse pad, and then the strop compounds.

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## EeeBees

I recently made a strop using veg-tan leather ... one side flesh side up, one side flesh side down ... works a treat ... the flesh side down, just to finish off ...

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## TeRei

> There is still a role for the a traditional steel.  The steel has the advantage of WORK HARDENING stainless steel edges.
> 
> Have a look at this geezer to get the gist:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hope that is useful.


He seems to qualify his remarks about use i.e. not where it might get nicked etc. How useful is that skinning and boning deer. Just bought the new Scarysharp kit from Geoff at the Sikashow. We still have the original model pumping out sharp knives.His new future model looks even better. Quality NZ product.

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## Sideshow

> Attachment 76308
> 
> Just don't get one with the studs, they hurt like hell.


 @SAVAGE what's that look like spelt backwards on you bum :Wtfsmilie:  :O O:  :XD:

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## 40mm

i brought an old barbers strop from a junk store. it seems to take the fine burr off the back of my chisels after honing. makes a difference for sure. the apprentice tells me that they slice through nails so much easier now!

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## Willie

Just checking in to see how you got on with making the strop. I have just added leather to a stone holder and using that to finish knives off in the scary sharp system, seems to be working so far!

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## Shelley

> Just checking in to see how you got on with making the strop. I have just added leather to a stone holder and using that to finish knives off in the scary sharp system, seems to be working so far!


Could you post a photo of that?

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## McNotty

Evening everyone, have been doing a fair bit of sharpening on Japanese whetstones, but didn't get into stropping my knives as didn't have the gear.  After finding this thread, I thought I'd give it a go. Ripped the lining out of a welding gauntlet and used the internal leather and that gave me a decent piece, albeit a little thin but did the trick. Stapled it onto a bit of matai floor board and good to go.  I couldn't believe the difference after chucking a little autsol on it and giving my Svord Santoku a quick few strokes. Next level sharp and like a bloody mirror. Cheers chaps

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## Nick-D

> Evening everyone, have been doing a fair bit of sharpening on Japanese whetstones, but didn't get into stropping my knives as didn't have the gear.  After finding this thread, I thought I'd give it a go. Ripped the lining out of a welding gauntlet and used the internal leather and that gave me a decent piece, albeit a little thin but did the trick. Stapled it onto a bit of matai floor board and good to go.  I couldn't believe the difference after chucking a little autsol on it and giving my Svord Santoku a quick few strokes. Next level sharp and like a bloody mirror. Cheers chaps
> 
> Attachment 138434


Yeah man, amazing what a difference a few strokes on the old strop with do aye

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