Magnetic Backed Leather Strops
The above photo shows the back side of an 8 inch DMT plate as well as the back or magnetic side of the strop.
Above one can see the back side of an 8 inch DMT plate along with the
front or leather side of the magnetic backed strop. This particular
strop has been loaded with Adams #2 metal polish which is whey the leather shows some discoloration. (Incidentally, Adams #2 Metal Polish contains a very fine grit imported "rouge" and makes a fantastic strop abrasive.)
The above photo shows a profile view of a DMT8XXC plate with a magnetic backed leather strop mounted on the back side. (Both the leather and magnetic backing I'm currently using are very slightly thicker than what is shown in these photos.)
Here's
a closer view of the magnetic backed leather strop mounted on a DMT8XXC
Diasharp plate which is shown here mounted in a standard stone-holder.
These magnetic backed leather strops are designed to fit
and temporarily mount on to the backs (or fronts) of your existing or
separately purchased DMT8 Diasharp diamond sharpening plates.
Both sides of the Diasharp diamond plates are engineered by their manufacturer
(DMT) to be extremely flat (.001 inch) and thus they make an ideal base and
mounting surface for our leather strops. The magnetic backed leather
adheres quite firmly to the DMT plate yet remains easily removable so
the plate can be used wet and cleaned as needed without any
interference from the strop.
One of my customers recently asked me if these would work for a DMT Duofold "stone" which has a honeycomb non-continuous surface. It never occurred to me that these magnetic backed strops might also stick well to those, but I tested it, and much to my surprise, I discovered that these magnetic backed strops will also stick reasonably well to DMT's non continuous (honeycomb like) surfaces which DMT uses on their Duofold "stones" and their "benchstones." Although the magnetic backing doesn't stick as quite as strongly as it does to the smooth Diasharp plates, it sticks well enough, imo, to still function quite well for stropping. Also the magnetic backing I'm using is thick and rigid enough so that the non-continuous honeycomb texture of the surface does not affect or alter the smooth surface texture of the leather. So one still gets a great feel from the strops mounted on these kinds of DMTs.
So I'm now also making these magnetic backed leather strops sized to fit the DMT 8 inch Duofold or DMT 8 inch "Benchstones" (8" x 2-5/8ths") or even their larger "stones." All the 8 inch versions are priced the same at $21 each. This price includes free first class shipping within the U.S. For other sizes, please contact me by
email to discuss your requirements and obtain a quote.
Below is a photo showing one of the 8" x 2-5/8" magnetic backed leather strops mounted on a (well used) DMT8 "benchstone." By the way, this photo also accurately shows the current thickness of the magnetic material as well as the leather I'm currently using for these strops.
In the photo below, you can see the non-continuous or honeycomb pattern that is characteristic of this kind of DMT "stone." Although the magnetic backing doesn't stick quite as firmly to this type of surface as it does to the continuous smooth surface of the DMT Diasharp plates, it still seems to adhere strongly enough to work quite well as a strop.
The
above photo shows a piece of thick cowhide as well as some
thinner "young" cowhide. As you can see, the thin "young" leather is less than half the
thickness of the thicker cowhide. I prefer to use the thinner type of cow leather
for these magnetic backed strops because it has very little "give" to
it. Therefore it is less likely to "round" ones edges than a thicker
softer leather. When combined with the magnetic backing and attached
to a rigid DMT
plate, the thinner type leather provides a very pleasant firm and solid feel as one
strops on it. If, however, anyone is interested in ordering a strop
made from the thicker leather, I can do this as a custom order (at a
somewhat higher cost). Please feel free to contact me for an exact quote. In my
opinion, however, the thinner type leather offers superior performance at
lower cost.
Note: I'm currently using a slightly thicker "thin" leather than that pictured above. It is very high quality leather. It should prove to be more durable over time. It still has very little "give" to it.
These magnetic backed leather strops are normally sold and shipped "unloaded,"
and are intended to be "loaded" with your preferred choice of strop
abrasive (because leather alone without an abrasive doesn't do much for your edges, imo). In the near future, I hope to be able to carry and make
available a selection of high quality strop abrasives (and possibly DMT
plates) as well. In the meantime, as an option, I can "pre-load" a
strop with Adams metal polish (my current favorite strop abrasive) for an additional $2.00 per strop.
Magnetic Backed Leather Strops
for DMT 8s: Size 8" x 3" x ~1/8" or 8" x 2-5/8" x ~1/8"
Price = $22 each, unloaded; or, $24
pre-loaded with Adams metal polish (both prices include free USPS first
class shipping within the US. TO PLACE AN ORDER PLEASE CONTACT ME BY EMAIL, thanks.
International ShippingYes, I now can ship internationally, but only on the understanding that I can't guarantee that it will ever get there. So far I have had good luck though, although one order I shipped by USPS international first class (economy) shipping took two months to arrive to the Philippines. But at least it did finally arrive. Feel free to contact me at the email address shown on this page below with your order information and location for a quote regarding international shipping costs. If you want to go ahead with an order, I can send you an invoice via paypal.
Finally, please also note that
leather is a natural product that normally contains minor variations in
the surface finish that are not always considered flaws. But if there's something
in the leather that would affect the performance of the strop, I will not
use it.
If you have any questions about these items, please feel free to contact me by email: peter@sharper-knives.com