Materials for stropping paired with compounds

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Eamon Burke

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