Arm Stropping am I the only one?

Japanese Knives - by Tokushu Knife
Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
R

Rideon66

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2022
Messages
544
Reaction score
1,871
Location
US
So seriously I generally strop on newspaper, but have found that arm stropping really works. It actually seems to work really well.

I enjoy a edge off an axe and knife Tam O Shanter. It leaves a nice bite that seems to cut paper towels pretty nice and clean. Slicing tomatoes thin. Well I started stropping the cleaver on top of my left arm. Doing so after a few uses brought that back to a really clean cut. Maybe better than I started with.

Still not as drop through as @cotedupy on a paper towel, but that has more to do with his skills at sharpening.
 
I palm/arm strop double edge razor blades. 5 strokes a pop, my longest lived blade still shaves cleanly after about 3 years and 50-100 shaves.

Haven’t really tried it on kitchen knives, but I imagine it shouldn’t be too far off from a bare leather strop since it’s all just meat wrappers. Biggest issue is having a wide enough forearm that the curvature doesn’t give you problems with the process.
 
Yup. I started doing the palm stropping on razors and used the arm some. So I ended up trying it on knives. I have plenty of arm meat to strop on so not an issue there.
 
mengwong said:
I hear it works better on shaved forearms…
Click to expand...
Lucky for me I have thin blonde light arm hair with thick leathery skin. So this works well for me.

Just test all your knives and razors on one arm and by the time you are done you won't have any hair to worry about. Then strop to make the edge better.
 
YeopAsda Knife Sharpening Stone Set - Premium 4 Side Grit 400/1000 3000/8000 Whetstone Sharpener Kit - Non-Slip Bamboo Base,Cut Resistant Gloves, Angle Guide,Flatting Stone,Honing Guide,Leather Strop
$39.99
YeopAsda Knife Sharpening Stone Set - Premium 4 Side Grit 400/1000 3000/8000 Whetstone Sharpener Kit - Non-Slip Bamboo Base,Cut Resistant Gloves, Angle Guide,Flatting Stone,Honing Guide,Leather Strop YeopAsda
HiramWare Knife Sharpening Stone with Non-slip Rubber Base, 400/1000 Grit Premium Whetstone, Double-Sided Knife Sharpener for Kitchen, Waterstone for Honing Blades Manually
$8.99
HiramWare Knife Sharpening Stone with Non-slip Rubber Base, 400/1000 Grit Premium Whetstone, Double-Sided Knife Sharpener for Kitchen, Waterstone for Honing Blades Manually Hiram Deals
Knife Set, 15 Pieces Kitchen Knife Set with Built in Sharpener, German High Carbon Stainless Steel Knife Block Set, Dishwasher Safe, Black
$79.99
Knife Set, 15 Pieces Kitchen Knife Set with Built in Sharpener, German High Carbon Stainless Steel Knife Block Set, Dishwasher Safe, Black Amorston Offical
HOSHANHO 8-Piece Kitchen Knife Set, Japanese AUS-10 Super Steel Knife Set with Block, Professional Ultra Sharp Chef Knife Set with Scissors
-23%
$199.99 $259.99
HOSHANHO 8-Piece Kitchen Knife Set, Japanese AUS-10 Super Steel Knife Set with Block, Professional Ultra Sharp Chef Knife Set with Scissors HSH-DE
HENCKELS Razor-Sharp 20-Piece Statement Knife Set with Block, With Bonus Sharpener, German Engineered Knife Informed by over 100 Years of Masterful Knife Making
$199.95
HENCKELS Razor-Sharp 20-Piece Statement Knife Set with Block, With Bonus Sharpener, German Engineered Knife Informed by over 100 Years of Masterful Knife Making Knife Aid, Inc.
Angerstone Axe Sharpener - 3.8”Oversized Axe/Hatchet Sharpening Stone - Whetstone Blade & Tool Sharpener, Dual Grit 180/320 Sharpening Puck with cowhide Sheath for Bushcraft, Camping and Field Use
$15.99
Angerstone Axe Sharpener - 3.8”Oversized Axe/Hatchet Sharpening Stone - Whetstone Blade & Tool Sharpener, Dual Grit 180/320 Sharpening Puck with cowhide Sheath for Bushcraft, Camping and Field Use Crazy Potato
Knife Sharpening Stone Kit, KERYE Professional Japanese Whetstone Sharpener Stone Set, Premium 4 Side Grit 400/1000 3000/8000 Water Stone, Flattening Stone, Angle Guide, Leather Strop, Anti Cut Gloves
-15%
$25.47 $29.99
Knife Sharpening Stone Kit, KERYE Professional Japanese Whetstone Sharpener Stone Set, Premium 4 Side Grit 400/1000 3000/8000 Water Stone, Flattening Stone, Angle Guide, Leather Strop, Anti Cut Gloves Woot
Sharp Pebble Premium Whetstone Knife Sharpening Stone 2 Side Grit 1000/6000 Waterstone- Whetstone Knife Sharpener- NonSlip Bamboo Base & Angle Guide
$42.99
Sharp Pebble Premium Whetstone Knife Sharpening Stone 2 Side Grit 1000/6000 Waterstone- Whetstone Knife Sharpener- NonSlip Bamboo Base & Angle Guide MIGHTY DREAMS
Kuisine Kitchen Chef Knife Block Set,High Carbon Stainless Steel Razor-Sharp Blade Ergonomic Handle,Knife Set Block with Built-in Sharpener,Elegant Gift(Black,15pcs)
-18%
$32.99 $39.99
Kuisine Kitchen Chef Knife Block Set,High Carbon Stainless Steel Razor-Sharp Blade Ergonomic Handle,Knife Set Block with Built-in Sharpener,Elegant Gift(Black,15pcs) Kuisine Direct US
Intelitopia Complete Knife Sharpening Stone Set – Dual Grit Whetstone 400/1000 3000/8000 Knife Sharpener with Leather Strop, Flattening Stone, Bamboo Base, 3 Non-slip Rubber Bases & Angle Guide
-21%
$26.99 $33.99
Intelitopia Complete Knife Sharpening Stone Set – Dual Grit Whetstone 400/1000 3000/8000 Knife Sharpener with Leather Strop, Flattening Stone, Bamboo Base, 3 Non-slip Rubber Bases & Angle Guide keepooon
Wakoli Damascus Kitchen Knife Set, 5 Piece Professional Chef Knife Set made from 67 Layers of Damascus Steel with VG10 Core, Knives Set for Kitchen with Pakkawood Handles in Wooden Gift Box (EDIB)
$259.00
Wakoli Damascus Kitchen Knife Set, 5 Piece Professional Chef Knife Set made from 67 Layers of Damascus Steel with VG10 Core, Knives Set for Kitchen with Pakkawood Handles in Wooden Gift Box (EDIB) OLEIO USA
THRWCLUB Axe Sharpener 400/1000 Grit - Hatchet/Axe Sharpening Stone, Axe Blade Sharpener, Sharpening Puck, Lansky Puck, Dual Grit Multi-Purpose Hatchet Sharpening Tool with Leather Sheath
$9.99
THRWCLUB Axe Sharpener 400/1000 Grit - Hatchet/Axe Sharpening Stone, Axe Blade Sharpener, Sharpening Puck, Lansky Puck, Dual Grit Multi-Purpose Hatchet Sharpening Tool with Leather Sheath IEXPO
MIDO PROFESSIONAL ABRASIVE Knife Sharpening Stone 400/1000 Whetstone Sharpening Stone with Non-Slip Rubber Base for Kitchen, Hunting, and Pocket Knives or Blades
$9.99
MIDO PROFESSIONAL ABRASIVE Knife Sharpening Stone 400/1000 Whetstone Sharpening Stone with Non-Slip Rubber Base for Kitchen, Hunting, and Pocket Knives or Blades miduguoji
Knife Set with Block, N NOBLE FAMILY 16Pcs Kitchen Knives Drawer Organizer Set with Sharpener, Cutting Board, Anti-Slip Chef Knives Set with 6Pcs Steak Knives, Black
-23%
$99.99 $129.99
Knife Set with Block, N NOBLE FAMILY 16Pcs Kitchen Knives Drawer Organizer Set with Sharpener, Cutting Board, Anti-Slip Chef Knives Set with 6Pcs Steak Knives, Black Jianyamei
MOSFiATA Kitchen Knife Set, 12 Pcs Japanese Stainless Steel Knife Sets for Kitchen with Oxford cloth storage bag with Knife Sharpening Rod, Dishwasher Safe, For Outdoor
$79.99
MOSFiATA Kitchen Knife Set, 12 Pcs Japanese Stainless Steel Knife Sets for Kitchen with Oxford cloth storage bag with Knife Sharpening Rod, Dishwasher Safe, For Outdoor iHome888
Angerstone Portable Whetstone Knife Sharpening Stone - Outdoor Hunting Knife Sharpener Stone Kit Dual Grit 400/1000 - Pocket Sharpening Stones for Knives with Cowhide Pouch for Bushcraft Camping Field
-7%
$13.99 $14.99
Angerstone Portable Whetstone Knife Sharpening Stone - Outdoor Hunting Knife Sharpener Stone Kit Dual Grit 400/1000 - Pocket Sharpening Stones for Knives with Cowhide Pouch for Bushcraft Camping Field Crazy Potato
zongchuan 5 PCS Damascus Chef Knife Set, Ultra-Smooth Cutting Experience and Professional Grade Sharp, Kitchen Knife Set,Handle Ergonomic Design,9CR18MOV High Carbon Stainless Steel,Dishwasher Safe
-33%
$51.10 $76.79
zongchuan 5 PCS Damascus Chef Knife Set, Ultra-Smooth Cutting Experience and Professional Grade Sharp, Kitchen Knife Set,Handle Ergonomic Design,9CR18MOV High Carbon Stainless Steel,Dishwasher Safe ZongChuan Official Store
MasterChef Chef Knife Set with Bag, Knife Roll Set with 5 Professional Quality Kitchen Knives for Precision Home Cooking, High Carbon Stainless Steel Blades & Triple Riveted Handles
-19%
$64.99 $79.99
MasterChef Chef Knife Set with Bag, Knife Roll Set with 5 Professional Quality Kitchen Knives for Precision Home Cooking, High Carbon Stainless Steel Blades & Triple Riveted Handles Amazon.com
HOSHANHO 16-Piece Knife Set, Japanese AUS-10 Stainless Steel Kitchen Knife Set, Ultra Sharp Chef Knife Block Set with Sharpener
$428.99
HOSHANHO 16-Piece Knife Set, Japanese AUS-10 Stainless Steel Kitchen Knife Set, Ultra Sharp Chef Knife Block Set with Sharpener HSH-DE
Knife Sharpening Stone - Dual Grit Whetstone 400/1000 3000/8000, Knife Sharpening Stone Set, Tpstone Knife Sharpener Tool,Easy to Use
$25.99
Knife Sharpening Stone - Dual Grit Whetstone 400/1000 3000/8000, Knife Sharpening Stone Set, Tpstone Knife Sharpener Tool,Easy to Use TPstone choice
So the burr was taken off in the original sharpening and then stropped on newspaper. Then the blade used a few times before the arm stropping. I guess I could try it right after de-burring on the stone and see.
 
I palm strop my razors as a regular thing. I did try underside of forearm for a bit but the palm has more cushion that better conforms to the razor for me.
 
Rideon66 said:
So the burr was taken off in the original sharpening and then stropped on newspaper. Then the blade used a few times before the arm stropping. I guess I could try it right after de-burring on the stone and see.
Click to expand...

Wait, so what are you hoping that it’s doing if not deburring? Abrading or straightening the edge? That seems pretty unlikely to me.
 
I use palm stropping on one side to push the burr remnants to the other one where I can abrade them with a fine stone, and the other way around.
 
ian said:
Wait, so what are you hoping that it’s doing if not deburring? Abrading or straightening the edge? That seems pretty unlikely to me.
Click to expand...
Stropping is the final step in getting your edge razor sharp. After you've sharpened your knife to form a burr and then honed the burr off, stropping removes the microscopic-level inconsistencies of the edge so you have a true, razor sharp edge
 
I would think it would have more effect than a newspaper yet that seems to work for professionals with more skill than me.
 
I have never used compounds. I started with straight razors and never wanted that horrible feeling on my face. If leather works on straight razors then my arm leather will work on a knife.
 
Rideon66 said:
I have never used compounds. I started with straight razors and never wanted that horrible feeling on my face. If leather works on straight razors then my arm leather will work on a knife.
Click to expand...

I dunno. The consensus seems to be you want some firm material to avoid rounding of the edge too easily.
Leather is backed up by a firm piece of wood. Newspaper is put on a table and the balsa-boys yeah well, balsa is firm right?

My arm, even though I'm 60 kg and about 8% fat, is not firm. It's kind of soft, and round and the 'leather' easily disforms when being pressed or is being pushed. even with low pressure.

I do believe you can palm push the burr to one side, but maintaining a consistant angle to strop both sides. I dunno..
 
I love stropping carbon steel blades on my hand. Sharp edge and force patina all in one. ;)
 
So I never had leather with a hard firm piece of wood behind it. I use a strop like for razors. It doesn't round a razors edge and it is sharper than any knife?
 
You are right, I forgot about those kind of strops. Im not a straight razor guy.


Do people also use those strops for kitchen knives?
 
I have in the past used hanging strops on knives. Nothing special nothing weird either.
I then went to newspaper I liked that better.

I am not an expert here. I don’t arm strop all the time. All I can say is after several uses it wasn’t cutting paper towels. After arm stropping. Oh and this is a $15 wokshop cleaver.
IMG_0590.jpeg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top