I have recently started using a strop after many years of sharpening with stones only and I am surprised a the difference it makes.
I am however surprised that my selfmade balsa strop with medium grit paste (no idea about the kind of compound or the numbers) actually seems to RAISE a bit of a burr when I have already pretty much removed the burr left over from the stones by pulling the knife through a bit of cork.
I recently put a new bevel on a knife on my stones after reprofiling, removed the small burr by pulling through the cork and the knife was shaving sharp. I wanted to take it one step further and did a few passes on the strop with each side and the knife absolutely refused to shave afterwards, on both sides. I deburred again with the cork and then the knife was noticeably sharper than after just the stones.
Am I doing something wrong? Isn't a strop supposed to be the best way of getting RID of a burr? I set the knife on the strop gently, at a low angle, then move it slowly against the edge while raising the spine slowly. As soon as I notice it biting into the wood I stop and then pull it over the strop with the edge trailing, with very gentle pressure (just the weight of the knife basically).
The strop was made by cutting out a rectangular piece of RC plane balsa wood (the lightest and softest), roughing it up crosswise with a few passes of 80 grit sandpaper, rubbing the hard paste stick all over it, "trowelling" the paste firmlly onto the wood with the straight spine of a knife and then melting it on with a few passes of a heat gun.
(When everything is properly deburred the edge blows me away, though. I have just put an edge on my 26cm Wüsthof Classic that seems to part hairs by simply touching them, no tugging is noticeable. If I wasn't so used to knives it would almost be scary)
I am however surprised that my selfmade balsa strop with medium grit paste (no idea about the kind of compound or the numbers) actually seems to RAISE a bit of a burr when I have already pretty much removed the burr left over from the stones by pulling the knife through a bit of cork.
I recently put a new bevel on a knife on my stones after reprofiling, removed the small burr by pulling through the cork and the knife was shaving sharp. I wanted to take it one step further and did a few passes on the strop with each side and the knife absolutely refused to shave afterwards, on both sides. I deburred again with the cork and then the knife was noticeably sharper than after just the stones.
Am I doing something wrong? Isn't a strop supposed to be the best way of getting RID of a burr? I set the knife on the strop gently, at a low angle, then move it slowly against the edge while raising the spine slowly. As soon as I notice it biting into the wood I stop and then pull it over the strop with the edge trailing, with very gentle pressure (just the weight of the knife basically).
The strop was made by cutting out a rectangular piece of RC plane balsa wood (the lightest and softest), roughing it up crosswise with a few passes of 80 grit sandpaper, rubbing the hard paste stick all over it, "trowelling" the paste firmlly onto the wood with the straight spine of a knife and then melting it on with a few passes of a heat gun.
(When everything is properly deburred the edge blows me away, though. I have just put an edge on my 26cm Wüsthof Classic that seems to part hairs by simply touching them, no tugging is noticeable. If I wasn't so used to knives it would almost be scary)
