Stropping Question

[Deeter]

Ok guys I know you can help me on this.       This is my 2nd year hunting trad.  Last year I only used a bastard file to sharpin my broad heads.  This year I am looking for a sharper edge and I want try my hand at stropping them.  Is there any thing I need to put on the leather strap or do I just leave it plain?  Thanks

[bsv]

KME .com they have everything you need..a sponsor  here.and pricing is more than online.

[Charlie Lamb]

Do a search on "Yellow stone". It might be "Yellowstone".
 
It is used in powder form (If any of you know a different application tell us please).

I put it on a leather strop. I've glued the leather to a wooden paddle. I use it any time a blade needs touching up and nothing more aggressive unless the edge is badly damaged.

After initial edge forming, 8 or 9 passes on the strop and the edge is razor-sharp and polished bright.

[Charlie Lamb]

I forgot to add... to get the Yellowstone to powder form I rub it on a file then card the file clean. It lasts a long time.

[LB_hntr]

I personally don't use any pastes or stuff on my strops. I just use leather.

Since you are just getting into stropping I will also mention a few other awesome strops that are free and work fantastic.

1. Cardboard. Just strop on the flat cardboard. Works awesome.
2. Blue jeans. Just lift you leg so you thigh is horizontal and strop on the blue jeans that are tight against your thigh. Works amazing.
3. Old leather belt.

If you want to buy stropping leather buy raw belt material from a leather store or online. I buy mine from Tandy leather. Its cheap for a section of 3in x 4 foot.

Even though I use leather most of the time I can honestly say that cardboard is so close in the end result that its hard to beat. I can also strop very fast on card board because I can move really fast as I'm not worried about cutting or nicking the cardboard like I worry with leather. Cardboard is free and available easy where as leather cost money and harder to find.

[vintage archer]

DEETER  I use a strop as my primary sharpening method.Once a blade is sharpened by stone or file the edge can be taken up a notch by stropping  and easily maintained.  

A leather strop can be used dry or with a compound.  Compound such as aluminum oxide can speed up the process.

    http://vintagearcheryco.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=16    

There are more advantages of using a compound then making the stropping process faster….When stropping you are polishing the blade. Polishing does remove metal which eventually builds up on the strop nullifying the benefits. Using a powder compound particularly if it is white like aluminum oxide give you a idea when the strop should be cleaned .The white powder turns dark gray indicating you should dump or clean the strop . knocking the strop on a bench will dump the compound with metal residue .

I prefer a powder compound over a paste as it allow easy cleaning of the strop . Paste holds the metal residue however I use both.

  LB hntr  is correct about using cardboard.

 Another suggestion is a paint mixing stick (wood) which can be obtained in the paint department of wal-mart or a hardware store free .
The mixing stick can be used with or without compound

An old leather belt can be used as other discarded leather. A section of a wide belt can be mounted on a board and is very handy.

There are good arguments for using the smooth side of leather or the rough side…I prefer the rough when using a compound and the smooth with out compound.

[Mike Vines]

I bought my leather strop and polishing compound from Tuffhead and will never hunt without using it.  I'm simply amazed how well it finishes up the broadhead.

I too used to do the "cheap" way, by using cardboard, but they NEVER came out as sharp as when I used the stopr and compound Tuffhead sells.

[bigbadjon]

I have charged my strops with black and green buffing compound for years. People say they use a bare strop but a piece of leather has no grit and won't do anything to sharpen a blade.

[damascusdave]

I find that just shooting them into my Rinehart Rhinoblock target does about as good a job of putting that final bit of edge on as anything...the material they use is incredible stuff...I would just shoot them into my Rinehart elk or moose target but I elected to use the money I would have used to buy those to hunt for the next few years

DDave

[Bladepeek]

If you do use stropping to polish the edge, it's important to maintain the proper angle as you lift the blade from the strop. Some people give the blade a little flip as they lift it and this just rounds off the edge.

The blade should be pretty well shaving sharp before you start stropping and you use absolutely minimum pressure and make sure the cutting edge never gets rubbed on the strop as you lift it at the end of the stroke. At this point, you're just polishing the scratches out of the edge - not trying to "sharpen" it by removing metal.

[vintage archer]

BLADEPEEK  YOU ARE RIGHT ON  

THE NUMBER ONE MISTAKE  WHEN STROPPING IS NOT TO PICK THE BLADE UP OFF THE STROP AT THE RND OF EACH STROKE...  IF THE BLADE IS TURNED TO REVERSE THE STOKE AND STILL IS IN CONTACT WITH THE LEATHER THE BLADE CAN BE ROUNDED OR DULLED.  

THE SECOND MISTAKE IS NOT BEING CAREFUL  PLACING THE BLADE ON THE LEATHER AND CUTTING THE LEATHER.... NOT THE END OF THE WORLD BUT ANNOYING       THE LEATHER THAT GETS CUT UNLESS GOUGED DEEPLY  WILL HEAL SOMEWHAT WITH ADDITIONAL USE

[YORNOC]

I've used jewelers rouge from Tandy on my strop for all my leather tools and broadheads for longer than I can remember..
But I'm always looking to get better. I'll be looking at the above!

[Homebru]

No offense intended.....jeweler's rouge is for softer metals like gold that we aren't using for broadheads.

 

Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:
Do a search on "Yellow stone". It might be "Yellowstone".

My local WoodCraft Store carries this "yellow stuff" (it's either yellow stone or yellowstone).  I happen to use the "green" chromium oxide for stropping.  

As above:
1.  Don't "snap" at the end of the stroke.
2.  Cardboard is a workable, inexpensive alternative.
3.  Start with a sharp broadhead.
4.  Imagine trying to make a broadhead out of a piece of flat steel from HD by ONLY using 1000 grit sandpaper - maybe use something between the bastard file and the strop.

Hope this helps.
homebru

[Roadkill]

Toothpaste in a pinch

[Butch Speer]

Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:
Do a search on "Yellow stone". It might be "Yellowstone".
 
It is used in powder form (If any of you know a different application tell us please).

I put it on a leather strop. I've glued the leather to a wooden paddle. I use it any time a blade needs touching up and nothing more aggressive unless the edge is badly damaged.

After initial edge forming, 8 or 9 passes on the strop and the edge is razor-sharp and polished bright.

x2  

I'm a woodcarver & that's what I use on my carving tools. I use thin, hard pigskin on a 1x2 for a strop. Aluminium oxide or green chromium oxide work good too. Leather alone will sharpen an edge but, sharpening compound does it better & polishes the bevel. A polished bevel will glide thru things much easier than one that's not polished.