Sharper-Knives.com

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The strops pictured on this page are 16 inches long by ~3-1/2 inches wide by ~3/4 inches high.  (Note: All measurements quoted are accurate to + or -  ~1/4 inch due to variable amounts of sanding required.)  Very high quality leather personally selected by me that is ideal for stropping has been glue mounted to a sealed Poplar wood board (although unsealed fir is pictured above.)   One of the important characteristics of the leather I use is that it is very firm and not too thick so it has little or no "give" to it.  This is important so the leather will not curl around your edges and cause rounding of the edges. 

Since the photos shown above were taken, I have implemented some design changes that, in my opinion, greatly improve the looks, performance and durability of these strops.  Unless another wood is requested, I'm now using furniture grade clear white Poplar for the bases and all wood surfaces are sealed with at least 4 coats of a clear semi gloss outdoor spar varathane type sealer before the leather is glue mounted to the wood base.  The sealer makes the wood more attractive, and more importantly, water resistant and less likely to warp if/when the leather is ever cleaned with a water based cleaner.  I think these additional steps greatly enhance the quality, longevity, appearance and feel (as one touches the wood) of these strops.

Also, before and after applying the several coats of the sealer and before mounting the leather, the bases are carefully flattened on both the top and bottom using sandpaper (up to 600 grit) mounted on a granite reference plate to assure that both the tops and bottoms of the bases are as flat as possible before the leather is applied.

In addition, as of late April, 2010, I've been using a very special and costly grade of leather on these strops that is even better than what I used previously.  The new leather is slightly thicker than that pictured above and therefore is more durable.  But it still is very firm with no increased "give" so there is no increased propensity to round edges.  The next photo below shows the "new" very high quality leather mounted on one of the sealed Poplar bases I'm currently offering.  I'm finding the new leather noticeably improves my edges even without loading it with any additional abrasive.  (But I still recommend loading the leather with your preferred abrasive.)



The next three photos show sealed Pine bases with the thinner leather I'm no longer using for these wood mounted strops:







In the photos below, you can see the grain or pores of the leather which allow the leather to become embedded with abrasive.  I think that leather like this is ideal for stropping after an appropriate abrasive has been applied and becomes embedded in the pores of the leather.



And here (below) is an extreme close up of the same leather magnified many times (not sure exactly how many though).  You can really see why this leather is so effective at trapping and holding on to very fine strop abrasive.



I can make strops sized like the ones pictured here (~16" x ~3-1/2" x ~3/4" which is the size I recommend for kitchen knives) for $35 plus shipping for the sealed, flattened, Poplar version with the highest quality leather.  The exact price depends on the wood used and the size you order.   Currently Out of Stock

Pre-load option:  At your request, (and while my non personal supply of Adams #2 lasts), I can ship these strops pre-loaded with Adams #2 Metal Polish, which makes an outstanding strop abrasive, for an additional $3.50 per side.