Knife knowledge: Strops - The different variations of strops.

In this video we will share with you a wide variety of materials and versions of strops. We will show you some that we made ourselves all the way up to the highest end. You can find different kinds from around the world and you can spend as little or as much as you would like.
I owe Ken Schwartz a huge apology! I did not know at the time that he produced nano cloth products. I make a statement in the video that is irresponsible. I apologize. Nano cloth is not exclusive to Jenda Industries. I am not above saying that I am wrong and I want to make it known through this correction.
This video is not on the technique of using a strop, but the different styles that you will find when shopping. We attempt to explain the different versions and their purpose. We want to help guide you, possibly in a direction you didn't know you were headed. Listed below are links to the ones we referenced. Only one is a commissioned link. The rest of the links do not pay a commission. This is the first of a series we are doing on the subject.
• Kangaroo Tail Strop Ef...
• How We Sharpen Japanes...
Kangaroo tail - Dark colored in the video, Imported skin, but made in the USA
Contact Ken through Facebook
/ ken.hamaker
Kangaroo tail from knife grinders - Link is to their page. Scroll to the middle of their page. You will find information on kangaroo tail. Sometimes these are available and sometimes they are not.
knifegrinders.c...
The hanging leather and the flat strop loaded with .25 µm diamond emulsion from schleifjunkies
set of 2 leather pulling strops 85,00 €
incl. 19% VAT zzgl. Versandkosten
schleifjunkies...
Jende Industries - The link below is to their entire collection of strops
Shown in the video are: kangaroo skin, leather, nano cloth
jendeindustrie...
Bob Kramer leather strop
www.amazon.com...

[@schleifjunkies]

well done my friend, saying all what u need to know about stropping. to support you.... i am selling a set of 2 of these hanging strops for 85.-€ which is about 100 US dollars. shipping in the USA is about 30 dollars. what might also be interesting is: i will soon be able to ship diamond spray to the states. made in Germany not the china junk :) i will then charge about 65 dollars for 200 ml. this normally costs 50ml whose origin is questionable. i will offer 5+3+1 micron monocristalline and for finaly finisch a 0.25 policristalline emulsion. so far i couldn't because my emulsion contained alcohol and shipping with airfreight was prohibited. this has now been changed by my manufacturer so that we no longer have dangerous goods and can therefore ship worldwide with airfreight. i'll get the first samples next week. tests will follow and videos will go online soon.

[@nadm]

So I'll be excited to see the product. Excited to see your presentation of the product. You'll be excited to see my test on .5 µm diamond Emulsion that I'm shooting this week.

[@schleifjunkies]

@@nadm i will be sure.

[@ilzephyrli]

Stropping takes an edge to the next level. Even just bare leather does an amazing job.

[@nadm]

My man! You got that right! God bless!

[@kcet1948]

He has a museum full of strops.

[@rogerbutton6290]

So years ago I used a Black strop that had what looked like a super fine file hatch partner what am I missing what are they called I can't find in would take almost all the shape scratching out and polish the edge like a mirror

[@ohright6852]

Appreciate the knife nerd vlogs you post, for me it's a brief escape from my reality in your passion.

[@nadm]

Well I appreciate you watching all of this stuff. Thanks for taking the time. God bless.

[@Canadaman4403]

Best strop video I’ve seen yet, good stuff!

[@nadm]

Wow, thanks!

[@tomad4051]

I hope the last two years have been kind to you. Excellent video, decent amount of info, presented at a decent pace, 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@nadm]

That was an amazing comment. Thank you. We're getting better. Thank you for looking back in time at some of our old videos. We're doing the best we can but words of encouragement help to steer us in the right direction. God bless.

[@DaryooshF.Sh.P-vq6mu]

Hello Sir, Thank you for introducing this wide variety of strops. The honeycomb one and those luxurious Kangaroo leathers are completely new to me. There is one improvised choice I’ve taken great results with. A worn out sandpaper about 1500 grit. In case there is no compound around a piece of it does the job.

[@nadm]

I can understand using that for refining the Apex but I'm not sure about removing the metal unless you're doing it with very, very light touch. Interesting concept. It still feels like you're going to be doing what the stones are doing. I need to apologize for taking so long. I've had a surgery on my knee and some other things going on. We've had the court case for my car accident. We had to deal with that as well. We've also had some other major things happening personally. Deaths in the family and lots of arrangements to be made. Also, I'll let you know that I will be having another major surgery in June and will not be making it to the Blade show. I will be out of work for two weeks because I'm having all the extra skin cut off of my body. We do apologize for an interruption of videos if it were to happen. Will try to shoot some head for you guys so we can fill the space. That being said, thank you for checking out the show. Thank you for your support and your comment.

[@DaryooshF.Sh.P-vq6mu]

@@nadm Hello Sir, I prayed for you ever since read your sincere comment. Just didn’t know what should I reply. You are a great man and we need people like you to have a better world. We don’t need Superman. We need footprints of legends like you to follow for salvation. May Allah/God almighty bless you with health and long long beautiful life. My heart is with you

[@nadm]

@@DaryooshF.Sh.P-vq6mu thank you 🙏

[@jeronimomacias481]

Excellent video. One suggestion if I may, maybe demonstrate how you would strop a knife on a hanging strop.

[@nadm]

I will be doing that in another video. This video is long enough without adding stuff. So the coming week is going to deal with diamond abrasive and emotion. The one after that is going to deal with stropping techniques and stropping progression

[@ilzephyrli]

Looking forward to the diamond emulsion video! Currently using Gunny Juice.

[@nadm]

I'm looking forward to doing it. It's going to be a fun week

[@Ripper7620]

@Kenneth Camera, Yes, you & me both. I'm substantially behind the curve when it comes to my knowledge & experience with emulsions, and I am eager to learn as well.

[@nadm]

Testing begins today

[@Ripper7620]

@Never a Dull Moment, Good morning, and thank you both for this channel, and specifically for this video! I would really like to see some more of the members of the sharpening community get behind you & your channel as far as sharing it with others. Your channel is a treasure trove both to the inexperienced, and those with a greater degree of experience. I learn something I can put into practice every time I watch your videos, and I am forever grateful. God bless and be with you always!

[@andrebaran7337]

Great video

[@nadm]

Thank you And I always love some type of encouragement or listings of things you might want in the future. I’m so happy that I currently have a Lotta videos to make

[@Ripper7620]

@@nadm What I was really attempting to say, is that I would really like to see your channel just take off up into the stratosphere, as far people viewing it, because of the sheer quality of the content. There are no doubt, so many people who are interested in getting into hand sharpening, who don't know where to start, and who do not yet know of your channel, and would get immense benefits from the content you provide. Much love brother!

[@rockymountainlockpicker9606]

Stropping is my favorite method of refining and edge. Thinking about upgrading to some good equine leather

[@nadm]

First things first, make sure your angle is proper. Strop at the same angle that you sharpen with if the knife is harder than a 60. If not, if it softer than 60, then increase the angle slightly by one or 2°. After that, you will be able to look into different material. What do you recommend? It was a good start.

[@AndyinMokum]

I use two two super expensive strops. 😂 I call them: *_Andy's Old Belt Strop #1_* and *_Andy's Old Belt Strop #2!_* They're just two pieces of 4cm x 42.5cm old belt leather glued backside up, to two pieces of 4cm x 2cm pieces of scrap wood. #1 I keep natural and #2, I use mostly with 0.5 micron grinding past. I glued some old 5mm thick camping foam to the bases of the wood. That stops them from slipping. The strops work an absolute treat and cost next to nothing to make. 😀🔪

[@nadm]

Very cool!

[@EssexCountyPhoto]

Greeting from Essex County, England! Very informative video, thank you. I've just ordered a Supex 77 with a few different pastes, and hopefully learn how to use it properly... On a different topic, does an axe need honing too? I'm using a medium size Hultafors Aby. In advance, many thanks for your time. Best regards, ECP

[@nadm]

The act needs to be very thick behind the edge, and depending on what you’re using it for, I don’t know why you would want it to be honing it I can’t imagine you doing something delicate.

[@gaurlglmistrz]

Hi! Love your videos, learning so much. How much sense does it make to use a strop when I only got shapton 1000? What should be the next, higher grit stone I should get - 5000? Does this change anything in the context of the strop? I'm trying to do budget here ;) Would greatly appreciate any help.

[@ureasmith3049]

I need more practice stropping. I tend to dull and round the edge. I've had better luck stropping on the high grit stone (8K) . I just got a shapton 12K stone delivered yesterday. Excited to give it a go.

[@nadm]

I am excited for you. If you do the strapping technique on the stone you’ll be just fine. It’s fun to play around with different things. Enjoy God‘s many blessings.

[@ureasmith3049]

@@nadm Amen brother! Experimenting is fun. And thanks again for recommending epicedge knives. I love this Gyoto. Now I know what a truly sharp knife feels like.

[@learner5090]

@@ureasmith3049 I heard leather trends to round the apex, so that makes sense

[@ureasmith3049]

@@learner5090 I've been practicing since and have gotten better at it.

[@learner5090]

@@ureasmith3049 wow, what techniques would you recommended? Some tips. Thanks

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

Great Video greg. How do you clean, refresh and Maintain kangaroo leather Strops? Thanks Jas from New Zealand.

[@nadm]

I have used them a lot and I've never had to clean it. The kangaroo is so rough on the backside and smooth with a little bit of texture on the front side. The knife is already been cleaned so to speak on the surface of the whetstone. I always make sure I wipe the blade with a towel before I put it on the strap. Yes, there could be metal shavings on the kangaroo but I have never once seen any buildup or discoloration. I would have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

[@cudgee7144]

I have been using Kangaroo leather strops for yeas. I have never had to clean one. On my bear leather Kangaroo, once a year i just condition them with a good leather cream or some really good saddle oil. Used very sparingly this is all i have ever had to do. Hope this helps.

[@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897]

@@cudgee7144 thanks

[@cudgee7144]

@@jasonedwardledburynewzeala9897 No worries mate, always glad to help a mate out from across the ditch. 🤝🥰

[@morehn]

Any thoughts on kangaroo vs shell cordovan?

[@MichaelE.Douroux]

Very informative. I tried the link for the kangaroo strop and got error messages. Do you have a current link? Thanks!

[@nadm]

Hey buddy, so knife grinders owner had passed away. I’m not sure that his wife is keeping it up. Also, the kangaroo tail material is heavily regulated. There is a guy in America. I was pretty sure I put his email in there. His name is Ken. Hit me back. If you don’t have any success I’ll have to look them up on Facebook.

[@MichaelE.Douroux]

@@nadm Ok, thanks!

[@erinsquirkychannel501]

What do u use to get the leather to stick to the wood good? Also got a worksharp and wanted to replace the Lil 1in leather strip that's on it with a new peace of cut leather what would I use to get that to stick on there thank you?

[@nadm]

I used very strong double sided tape. You can use glue but that's not what I did. I need to apologize for taking so long. I've had a surgery on my knee and some other things going on. We've had the court case for my car accident. We had to deal with that as well. We've also had some other major things happening personally. Deaths in the family and lots of arrangements to be made. Also, I'll let you know that I will be having another major surgery in June and will not be making it to the Blade show. I will be out of work for two weeks because I'm having all the extra skin cut off of my body. We do apologize for an interruption of videos if it were to happen. Will try to shoot some head for you guys so we can fill the space. That being said, thank you for checking out the show. Thank you for your support and your comment.

[@Goldenowlsupplyco]

Hi there, what is the black leather on the strip closest to you on the wood block?

[@nadm]

That is the Bob Kramer brand Strop. I don’t know that I have the specific information on the leather that he uses. The information would be available on his website.

[@Psychonaut999]

Thank you for the informative video! Any thoughts on Hetinax?

[@nadm]

I know nothing of that. Please tell me more.

[@Psychonaut999]

@@nadm I have not tested it yet but will. It is a polymeric composite material from cellulose dust and phenolic resin. "Hetinax keeps its flatness better than leather and prevents the blade becoming convex when used on abrasive compounds. Working with hetinax is similar to working with leather." (Gritomatic) "Hetinax is a layered pressed material with a paper base soaked in phenol-formaldehyde resin (also known as Bakelite). Bakelite material is one of the most common bases of organic binding for abrasive bars. It is why hetinax has all the needed properties to be used as a lapping surface in sharpening. Bakelite is tough enough to withstand bar abrasion and distortion of its geometry effectively, yet soft enough to caricature abrasive grains and damp excessive pressure on the bar with a sharpened tool. An aluminum blank with a hetinax layer is the perfect lapping for the finishing of the cutting tool, starting from 14 micrometers down to the thinnest grains (0.1 micrometers). Meanwhile, large grains from abrasive sieving easily deepen into the hetinax when pressed without causing parasitic risks on the treated surface. So, this treatment option provides a very high risk for sharpening and refining. To work with hetinax on the blanks, you can use diamond and CBN pastes (for instance, Poltava or Venevsky factory pastes). We suggest using Gunny Juice with hetinax on the blanks. (Hetinax is the best foundation for Gunny Juice polycrystalline emulsions)" (hapstone.pro)

[@JoseR.95]

Im still confused on weather to use the side of leather that is smooth or the other side with more texture

[@nadm]

You use the textured side first. Then you go to the smooth. I hope that was helpful

[@JoseR.95]

@@nadm thank you that helps alot i watched so many videos and i could not make a knife sharp until i came across ur channel

[@nadm]

@@JoseR.95 wow! I'm so glad to be able to help you. We're in this together. Your words keep me going. Let's have fun. God bless

[@Disruptrt90]

@@nadm thanks! that's the question and answer I came looking for.

[@manguydude905]

Great video! Some people stress about only using veg tan leather for a strop but iv had great results with chromium tanned leather using the suede side with a good compound. Some people use a piece of wood or even denim. Have you had experience with any of these alternatives? Thanks

[@urmelausdemeis3495]

Das würde mich auch interessieren

[@respect-ri4hh]

Does bench grinder stropping leather wheel rounds over the apex?

[@nadm]

I am not experienced enough to know the answer to that question. I will ask some people. I would think it would be.

[@Canadaman4403]

Do I understand correctly, you do not recommend putting any stropping paste or diamond emulsion on either the kangaroo tail or the kangaroo skin?

[@nadm]

That is correct!

[@AJ-by6pd]

Have you stropped on cork or shell cordovan leather?

[@nadm]

Not on court and I did look into the leather but it's very expensive and I don't really know how that could hold up against the kangaroo tail! It would cost a lot to find out

[@morehn]

I'm looking into buying scrap pieces of leather and gluing it to some wood. Can't get cheaper than that.

[@GunsNRaddy]

Whats better the smooth side or suede side for stroping?

[@nadm]

The smooth side. If you have one that is too rough then you can roll the edge. A lot of it has to do with your pressure and the type of steel and how hard the steel is. Do you want to make sure you don't do it too hard on the rough side

[@GunsNRaddy]

@@nadm with the smooth side i dont have to put compound on it? And when should i use the other side?

[@ilzephyrli]

Do you kangaroo skin similar to cow leather or similar to kangaroo tail?

[@nadm]

Similar to leather and thinner and harder. It has less give. It is not similar to kangaroo tail. Kangaroo tail has an extreme amount of texture in it. That is why it is so good for removing the wire edge.

[@trumanhw]

But if all a strop does is remove the burr ("wire edge keeping it from it's fullest potential"), then why would you need 4 µm or 1 µm or even the crazy fine stuff like 0.25 µm and even 0.025 µm !! So clearly, something else must be happening if those Jende products have any justification for existing

[@alamomonkey]

Depends on the specific knife’s function & purpose… just as he said at 26:35 in the video

[@nadm]

The higher grit stone will continue to refund the Apex and the leather strop will help to flake away the metal edge that has built up call Burr. The wire edge is normally referred to as a bur that is standing straight up and is parallel to the tip of the Apex and so it's not folded in either direction. It typically happens on softer steel, and it doesn't want to rip away. You have to use the leather and make the angle slightly higher than the sharpening angle to rip away the wire edge. Once you have done that, then using the different low microns will continue to refine the Apex after the extra metal has been Removed, and you only need to sharpen something that sharp if you're using it for something like fish because you might like a little teeth on your knife if you're doing something with a fatty property or the skin of a vegetable or fruit

[@SuperBooger2000]

Ken Schwartz has nano-cloth. I think you advertised this video on his FB page. lol

[@nadm]

Hello, I have never put anything on Ken Schwartz page. I will definitely put a correction. I just recently friended him. I have never advertised. But if you’re telling me that he owns a Facebook forum then I might’ve dropped this video on the forum. I did not know he owned a forum.. I will update the description in the video. Thank you for letting me know. Sorry for the mistake

[@nadm]

I realize now that I will make an entire video for the channel that apologizes to him personally. There is no reason that I shouldn’t do that.

[@SuperBooger2000]

@@nadm perhaps it is I that should apologize. I didn’t mean to come across as rude or mean. Ken is a nice guy and I wanted viewers to know they could get them from him as well.

[@nadm]

@@SuperBooger2000 he and I have now spoken. We're on very good terms. I am now going to be testing a product of his. He is actually sending me some nano cloth as we speak.

[@robohippy]

I come from more of a woodworking background. If you don't physically remove the burr, the blade does not function as well as it should. Unless you take your sharpening up into the 16000 to 30000 grit range, the burr remains on the cutting edge. That is way beyond what is practical for a kitchen knife. A steel does not remove the wire burr. My favorite strop in my shop is a piece of poplar or alder woods. Oh, kangaroo leather is good for stropping. It tends to compress less than most other leathers. I would want a strop compound to be a higher grit than my last stone I use.

[@nadm]

Absolutely

[@workshop_oselok_kyiv]

forgot about cordovan

[@nadm]

Thank you! I didn't actually forget about it. It's just that even though it's more precious it doesn't really, it really is just in kind of the middle of some of the stuff we mentioned. I mean it's an honorable mention. It's just that kangaroo tail is going to do the best job as the top is leather for removing a burr on soft metal and then harder leather like the one you mentioned can be used but normally we're gonna be applying diamond emulsion on it so we really don't need to spend the money on the leather. That is amazing leather though.

[@workshop_oselok_kyiv]

@@nadm Japanese cordovan is also soft and stretchy. Unfortunately, I can't get it yet, but from what I've heard, Japanese cordovan is very different from Spanish. so I think a substantive comparison of the old kanayama cordovan and kangaroo tail is necessary. and in general, the topic with leather slings is much deeper. When I started to get interested in this issue, I started watching videos of people who are engaged in dangerous razors. so they can use up to 5 different belts when sharpening a razor. since each skin has its own specific impact on the metal. regarding the use of diamonds, this is also a controversial issue, since the use of diamonds in some cases leads to cracks inside the carbides of alloying elements that are part of the steel. which subsequently led to breaking off the edge of the cutting edge. therefore, neutral elements such as pure chromium oxide or alumina may be better. but then again. there is no universal technique for all steels. each steel requires its own approach, both in the use of a leather belt and in the use of fine polishing elements.

[@nadm]

@@workshop_oselok_kyiv well I would appreciate a link. It wasn't something I heard of before the video. Thanks for bringing it up. I would love to get a hold of one.

[@abrahamkalichman6845]

Was wondering if you knew about the legal status of any sort of kangaroo leather, for sale in the Usa. If it is still being sold , you may be in for a surprise! Watch for legality of kangaroo with , us wildlife , and is customs and duty.

[@nadm]

So that situation is fluid. It's always evolving. Australia has their own organization to make sure that you're licensed and it's legal. Knife grinders is out of Australia and they are selling just the skin and the tales themselves as a legal vendor. There is a gentleman who I've tagged in my videos. His name is Ken and he also has a legal retailer in the United States. He makes the strop himself

[@abrahamkalichman6845]

@@nadm if you are speaking of Ken Schwartz , The last I heard was he resides in Sacramento, Ca. The law is very specific and very real, that any and all sales of kangaroo skin is strictly prohibited in the state of California.

[@abrahamkalichman6845]

The California Penal Code prohibits the sale of products made from, among other materials, kangaroo leather.

[@cudgee7144]

@@abrahamkalichman6845 He now resides in another life. Passed away unfortunately earlier this year.

[@alexwlf8434]

Such a great and informative video. I can help with the pronunciation of Schleif Junkies. “Schleif = sh• life”

[@nadm]

Thank you I appreciate that. You're saying that the "i" sounds like a long vowel like the same sound of the EYE

[@sMp23152]

It's hilarious when someone over the age of 50 says "This your boi". I'll never get over old people trying to stay hep to what the youngsters are sayin these-a-days. Why?!?

[@harryhthenorwegian476]

Hey man😀 Have watched several of your videos. Many of them are great and I have received great tips. But there are also limits to how difficult it can be for something as simple as sharpening a knife? But yes, I understand that you are desperate to keep the channel going, but then it will be a lot of nonsense and empty talk that means nothing? It is actually very easy to sharpen a knife...

[@nadm]

Thanks for checking out the channel. We continue to try to mix it up to give you Contant each week. Yes you can run out of sharpening tips. We keep looking for a little nuances to share with you. We have a lot of ideas and we continue to bring them to you by mixing it up. We bring a knife and boxing. Something about sharpening like a tip or two. Something like a whetstone war when we have a battle. We like to do interviews. We want to make sure we have content for a while. We already have the next 20 movies planned for you. There are people who are coming at you with different levels of education. Some people except information differently. Some people are quick. I'm glad you're one of them. Sometimes you have to take it slow and help people get started and then it becomes faster for them overtime. Please be patient with us and them. We're trying to make sure everybody can keep up. God bless.