How To Clean a STROP Like a PRO - KNIFE SHARPENING TIPS

How To Clean a STROP Like a PRO. This will be part of a short series of short videos showing knife sharpening tips for beginners and pros alike.
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Chapters:
00:00 INTRO
00:06 What You’ll need important!
00:26 How To clean the strop
00:45 If you’re cleaning more than one
01:03 What if the strop is too rough?
For entertainment only. I am not, and will not be held responsible for anyone re-enacting/ duplicating anything seen in these videos. Do so at your own risk. Do not duplicate anything seen in this video. Unless you are an adult responsible for your own decisions. Thanks
All my videos are copyright protected and not for sale.

[@OUTDOORS55]

Check my website www.outdoors55.com/shop for sharpening stones and COMPOUND I have personally used and recommend.

[@kevinAuman1]

Okay brother ive got one for ya? How do you clean a kangaroo leather strop for the edgepro that has been loaded with diamond emulsion (which is a liquid and allows the abrasive to soak deep into the leather meaning you will likely never get it all out) I'm obviously asking for a friend of a friend 😂

[@james3876]

Love that this guy doesn't waste time, just dives right in and leaves out the fluff

[@AXXEMEASE]

After all these years its great to see you're still at this and I've gotta say you were honestly the one who taught me to sharpen the way I do now through your videos so thanks for all the amazing tips and tidbits and thanks for all my sharp knives friend! stay well !

[@RichardT2112]

Nice! The finger on the used razor still gave me the shivers! 😂

[@OUTDOORS55]

Haha me too😬

[@r1w3d]

I was always ashamed of telling people I do this to my strops, mainly because I was always told by older sometimes wiser men not to ever do it. Now I know at least I'm not crazy. Stay awesome Alex 😎

[@hello7533]

Im stuck in an endless cycle of cleaning my strop, then stropping my razor blade back to shaving sharp, send help

[@OUTDOORS55]

Thats the struggle with chromium oxide.

[@evank7113]

Can you do a vid on diff types of strops. And diff sides of leather. Smooth and coarse etc 🙏🏻

[@MattMadeIt123]

Answered my question from your last video. Couldn't be easier. Thanks.

[@randmayfield5695]

Again, a great instructional. I have learned a lot watching this channel. Thanks.

[@tombrown4683]

Great concept ! Helpful info in to-the-point format. Keep doing these.

[@tomwheeler9244]

Don't throw dull razor blade away..sharpen it ;)

[@therogers4432]

I like your thinking here Bud 😁👍 And in all seriousness, my Dad has one of those Husqvarna robotic lawnmowers, but the trees are always dropping bits of branches onto his lawn that dull the blades completely inside of a week, and a pack of replacement blades here in the UK are around £14 for 2 sets (6 blades), so I've taken to re-sharpening the dull disposable blades using my DC4 and strop once a week and reckon I've saved him over £50 so far this spring 😉👍 The only tricky part is weight-matching the 3 blades (to within 0.1 of a gram, or the sensitivity of my electronic scales...) after sharpening so his fancy mower doesn't shake itself to pieces, but it cuts way-better and with noticably less strain on the motor/ batteries after I do it, so why not re-sharpen disposable razor-blades if you have the patience and want to cut-down on waste 😊 (or are a cheapskate... 🙄), huh?

[@tomwheeler9244]

@the Rogers I do it just for fun..which is why I love this channel..dull things are dangerous..

[@therogers4432]

@@tomwheeler9244 I agree totally 🙂 Dull things are indeed dangerous, but I can guarantee that living a dull life is 100% fatal... 😖

[@Arwndr]

The same fist thought was at that moment about dull blade )

[@tomwheeler9244]

@Yar V I sharpen fingernail clippers,knives,scissors,food processor blades,anything with a edge is meant to be sharpened..why not learn to do it? A friend a me used to drive a hour in the 70s to have a guy sharpen our gerber MKIIS..we thought this guy was a wizard or shamen..:)..then one time we were able to see him doing it on a grinder in the back room of the shop..not with grinding wheels but sharpening wheels..long story short,if he could do it so could I,so my journey to hair popping sharp began,this is one of my favorite channels for this information

[@courier11sec]

Commenting to feed the algorithm. Thanks for the concise tip.🙂

[@erfanahmadzade2283]

Thanks for the tips How often should you do this How bad your strop should look like for this process

[@Enigma-Sapiens]

Great video and how-to, thanks, Alex!

[@jayr526]

This is a great video because it's got great material in it, and completely devoid of fluff Thank you.

[@sparkymullarkey7674]

How often should I be cleaning my strop?

[@jessefleming1421]

The best educational knife videos. Thanks again!!

[@jeffdowns2146]

Appreciate you making your videos. They are very helpful.

[@Mister_Ess]

You taught me and still teach me how to Sharpen to this Day

[@kanukkarhu]

Awesome! This is exactly what I was wondering about! . 👍

[@lostbuffalo196]

THANKS 55...............I always enjoy your videos, and the Great Information you provide. Thank you

[@helenarusso]

Hello Lost Buffalo how are you doing 😊

[@samspade2104]

Definitely appreciated this video. Thank you.

[@bumblebee2989]

Perfect! Just what i was looking for!

[@TheAdequateMedia]

Love this

[@deemond5289]

I would have been afraid to do this, thanks for showing me the way.

[@rickkcir9959]

How do you prevent the sand paper from leaving grit in the strop?

[@normanyacob4235]

I was stropping my knife and thought how do I clean this stuff? And then bingo! I received a notification on my phone about this video! I was like, "Awesome...!" Thank you and cheers...

[@JesusChrist_IsTruth-LoveForALL]

Same, me and some others were commenting on another one of his videos about this, maybe he saw and helped us out with our questioning.

[@williamang9649]

Thank you for teaching me ! 🥺

[@patrickvilda9929]

Another great tip 👍. Thank you !

[@boboleec4939]

thank you so much😀

[@mohdzaudikhasni8829]

Keep uploading alex, appreciated your idea.. i do with metal ruler before this.. next time I'll try your method 😅

[@MASI_forging]

Great video. Thank you for sharing 👍👍

[@mikeboone4425]

I like seeing you on a regular bases keep it up. Happy Trails

[@Keith_the_knife_freak]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@edanpino-xt1ph]

I’m so happy to have found this. My strop has a lot of dull green compound stuffed into everything (the Knives Plus block is amazing but dear Gods is the fact that it was pre-loaded fucking me)

[@callmejackaroo4723]

How did I not discover your channel 2 years ago, when I began my obsession with things that go slice?!?

[@richardf9137]

Nice Tip! Thanks

[@ricktenter1631]

Nice!

[@lionknives3]

Thanks!

[@washingtonstatepicker3460]

Your leather surface is so smooth compared to mine! I cannot get mine that smooth!

[@jeremynedrow7003]

I always use a brass brush to clean my strops.

[@JohnDoe-zb7dz]

And when done scraping I use hot olive oil to condition and remove the left over compound residue. Works great for a wax based compounds such as Spark River crayons. YMMV.

[@Arwndr]

Few days with that question on mind, wanted ask you about 👍🏻🙌🏻🤝🏻 ) And Wow ) Done! Thanks! ☀️✨🌿

[@SolidSnakeFPV]

Thanks You just saved my strop with that sanding tip.. it wasn't too coarse.. my dumbass tried to heat up the compound and rub it on and I basically created a glass streak that was completely saturated and hard🤦‍♂️.. been benched for a while.. just saved it and can use it again.. by sanding it💪

[@Hungrybird474]

I did this and it worked really good . Thanks outdoors55 bro 👏. I tried some of the $13 diamond paste on Amazon and what a huge difference it has made on the ending edge compared to the green block compound . It’s given me a more sticky edge which I prefer . Also , I like to do a couple swipes with a ceramic rod and drag through some soft wood before stropping .

[@Dan12345]

I find after getting as much as possible off, spraying some general purpose oil (like Ballisol) onto the strop really helps get the stubborn parts out.

[@Taegashi]

I’m glad you made this video especially how hard you were on green compound in the last video. Now I gotta strip my strops so I can get diamond compounds. I see what you did there. Lol

[@glbernini0]

I found some old weightlifting belts at a garage sale & made "WHAT I THINK" are some good wood backed strops out of them! Great for only $5!

[@geoffang5561]

How do I know when I need to clean off my strop and apply new compound?

[@JesusChrist_IsTruth-LoveForALL]

I think when it starts gunking up and getting kind of a hard layer. That's how mine is right now.

[@GravitySchoolScuolaMtb]

Hi, I use an 80 diamond lapping stone with +/- the same results, but I save the razor blade ;-). Keep going like this, I love your videos.

[@larryseibold4287]

Good stuff. I want that high speed trick. how do i implement that in my sharpening? :)

[@martymar1484]

Nice ..

[@BenoJ3000]

Ill take a coarse sand paper to condition i like how it leaves the strop for new compound. On your chromium/wax based stuff, you can apply the thinnest layer of petroleum jelly, and/or, heat the surface. I transitioned to diamond long ago and now just sand

[@S7ORM3X]

for me it worked using an eraser, but ill try this next time cheers

[@javiergimenez9621]

Does it work on the leather strops that are smooth leather??

[@OUTDOORS55]

Yes....it will work IF you are using compound. I generally don't recommend applying compound to smooth sided leather unless it's less than .5 micron. The .5 or less microns compound can be used for years may only require a wipe down if and when it gets loaded with material. I wouldn't put chromium oxide on smooth sided leather as it doesn't stay in place well, and is just not necessary as the smooth side is better suited for ultra fine compound or no compound. Unless you are using a very poor quality leather and the rough side isn't suitable for stropping. In which case use the smooth side but don't worry about scuffing it up removing the old compound. 🙂

[@Xxxero42]

I have a strop paddle with 2 styles of strop. A rough leather, like you just cleaned, and a smooth leather, which I don't think would handle a razor blade well. How would you clean a smooth leather strop? Can you please do a video?

[@sabrewolf7160]

My green stropping compound has turned brown. Do I need to get a new one?

[@mikefox7947]

Does the sand paper work on the smooth side of a strop?

[@mmr159]

I wanted to buy one of your strops but it seems knifepointgear domain is dead/down. Thanks for the tip to refresh my old one but hopefully you’re still selling these.

[@OUTDOORS55]

Ill be selling them again in the future. Had to shut down due to a recent move. Ill be back up shortly 🙂

[@scius1379]

Do you have any thoughts regarding balsa strops?

[@scius1379]

Any concern about grit contamination from the sandpaper?

[@Peter-od7op]

How often do you clean

[@jdthewelder8308]

Is there a set timeframe or "uses" after which you want to or need to clean your strop?

[@joebridges3926]

Ok so I'm wondering where I can get compounds other than online ?

[@kalieber2]

Hey, so I have a strop which I used without compound but the burr discolored it. At which point should I do that?

[@michaelspooren9213]

Domain knifepointgear is down. Where can I buy a good strop like the on you use in the vid?

[@MarkkuS]

Is it a 120 grit strop after the sandpaper?

[@LiquidRetro]

Won't the sandpaper leave behind grit and contaiminate the strop?

[@scottbennington2936]

Nature's Law of the Strop. 1) Final step to get hair whittling edge on your blades. And it works every time. 2) Will dull a hair-whittling edge to useable in 10 passes. Got it!! :) Thanks again for these tips. They are useful.

[@OUTDOORS55]

Use a hammer as a hammer, and it will be a great hammer. Use a hammer as a house, and it makes a crappy house. Everything has to be used correctly👍

[@denttech2515]

Really like the channel. Seems though the sandpaper could contaminate the strop. Even a little can't be good. Maybe an old file to slightly rough the surface? Just something to consider. Edited: then again, you're the one with an electron microscope. Would like to know for sure. Cross contamination could be a video idea. Its important when dealing with gemstones, but I dont know at what point it will affect a knife

[@kit2770]

How common is it for stropping compounds to pose some kind of health risk?

[@andyxb09]

How do you get your strops so evenly covered with green oxide and it looks a bit damp/oily. Mine goes on blotchy. Thanks.

[@edgarrolla6748]

Love your videos, man! Any chance you'd risk building a leather belt strop to use in a sander? 🤭

[@wigglos]

Won't sanding your strop leave coarser grit material from the sand paper in the leather?

[@Antimonyish]

Wouldn't sanding the strop contaminate it with lower grit?

[@jimmiewood4071]

@outdoors55 Did you ever do a review and hardness test on that Buck knife?

[@OUTDOORS55]

I never did a review. The hardness was 60 I believe but I really disliked the knife. It was a big piece of junk unfortunately. Just like my last buck.😐

[@jimmiewood4071]

@@OUTDOORS55 thank you for the info

[@ProfaneZugzwang]

Another great video. I could use some help with strop recommendations. I need a new one. I have a small cheap one, but I want to upgrade. Also, I've heard a few people say strops aren't necessary. Opinions?

[@JesusChrist_IsTruth-LoveForALL]

They aren't necessary. You can get a sharp blade with even a 400 / 600 grit as Alex has demonstrated before. They just help remove any burs and give you a fine polished edge, as the stropping compound is a really fine grit. You definitely don't HAVE to strop. You can also make your own strop. Buy a piece of leather to a size in the video, even off Amazon, and glue it to a piece of wood (2x4, 1x4, whatever really, match the piece of leather you get) and you got yourself a strop. I bought a piece of leather on Amazon and glued it to a piece of wood (smooth side down, so rough side is facing up) and I put these little rubber feet on the bottom of the wood then just get some green or white compound (jewelers rouge, whatever) and put it on. Got yourself a homemade strop, if you choose not to buy. 💪

[@OUTDOORS55]

Unfortunately i can't recommend any commercially available strops. I haven't found one thats any good. I used make GOOD ones and sell them but stopped temporarily due to a recent move. Id suggest going to your local leather supplier and picking out some decent 9-10oz high quality vegtan. It makes a world of difference. Stropping is just personal preference. Some like it and some don't 🙂

[@jamesadams8572]

Professional sharpeners say it makes the edge last longer.

[@timreid9556]

Sharpen the blade like a card scraper and use it again

[@malvinmalvin]

How often should one realistically clean a strop?

[@just9911]

Should only be every other year or so. If you have to do it frequently you are probably using too much compound

[@just9911]

Though my reference might be screwed up as I sharpen and strop a LOT of knives, but I am very light with my compound application. I really don’t have a set schedule, it’s just when there is a decent layer of compound built up.

[@OUTDOORS55]

It depends on how much you use it. If you notice it not feeling as smooth when stroping or theres a buildup, scrape off the old and apply some new🙂

[@malvinmalvin]

@@just9911 Thanks!

[@malvinmalvin]

@@OUTDOORS55 Thanks!

[@jammbbs1688]

Razor balded are outlawed my only razor blade is dull how do I make sharp to clean my only strop that's filthy and needs reconditioned help please

[@JesusChrist_IsTruth-LoveForALL]

Sharpen your razor blade back to sharp and use it again! 🎉

[@OUTDOORS55]

Where do you live that small razor blades are outlawed?

[@lukearts2954]

Another chapter in the book on great knife sharpening! I suppose other people already pointed out that a Stanley blade is probably not very suited for shaving? Or is it a cultural thing to call it a razor blade rather than a Stanley box cutter? ;) Luckily the images don't leave any room for confusion =D

[@OUTDOORS55]

These aren't Stanley brand. They are actually carpet blades from personna. 🙂

[@jim7042]

Might sound silly but I use my pressure washer to clean all my strops. Oh well works great for me and I have been doing this for at least 12 years. The one I use is powerful enough to mess it up and yours maybe as well so be careful.

[@zennez1985]

💚🤘

[@AngriestEwok]

But when should I clean my strop?

[@Lickitysplits]

Holy smokes u sand fast. Don’t even need a random orbit sander with that speed.

[@gedfi]

I've been lazy and "stropped" on a fine ceramic rod. I'm lucky you're not making strops at the moment, because after the last couple of videos I would most likely have bought one. And got told off by the missus about bringing yet another knife toy into the kitchen. But our cucumber dice are smooth enough to stick to each other... I fear I've spoilt my kids.

[@JuniorFarquar]

Son has new strop. Course side is adequately...course. Other side is way too smooth, shiney even. Seems ineffective. Advice?

[@JuniorFarquar]

F.U. yt for shadow banning me on all videos. Truth is bad, I guess.

[@e.t.preppin7084]

I just run my random orbital sander on my strop until clean. 👍

[@ICheat_ILie_ISteal]

Everytime i strop... Compound gets all over the edge of my knife. Lol too much compound?

[@SP-ny1fk]

Nobody needs a vice, but a vice usually latches on and won't let go

[@psychoscout]

Strops need compound? 😅

[@tothy007]

Add mineral oil

[@lostcontent2024]

What about diamond sprays ? dont you just reapply?

[@OUTDOORS55]

Diamond lasts a lot longer on strops. Your problem with diamonds is the strop loads with material. Sprays are typically.5 microns or lower and will take a LONG time to load. So unless you strop a lot you may only have to clean them once every several years.

[@sweetmeatnc1504]

So is there a reason for doingthis? Ive never cleaned my strops just put on new compound. And it seems to work fine. Not hatin this is a real question.

[@mmr159]

Two reasons I can think of… wanting to change the compound type and wanting to remove build up.

[@strikenryken]

I believe there are tiny bits of metal stuck in the compound and putting fresh compound on a clean strop brings it to a more effective place.

[@DreadX10]

I do it when the strop is no longer consistent. Maybe because shaved steel particles plus chromium oxide plus oxygen creates harder spots on the strop than where there is 'fresh' compound. This causes less than all of the edge being in contact with the strop.

[@OUTDOORS55]

A strop can load with metal after prolonged use. Chromium oxide also breaks down so removing the old broken down compound and applying new will rejuvenate it. If using diamond compound you can go much longer between scrap downs🙂

[@sweetmeatnc1504]

@@OUTDOORS55 ok cool thanks, and thanks everyone else that answered.

[@ANXIETOR]

Is this a long short?

[@OUTDOORS55]

Shorts are terrible. They aren't searchable so no one in the future will be able to find the information in the short.

[@gedfi]

Or rather a short long.

[@alpha3854]

What about the people who say to use vegetable oil or WD40? Any merit to that?

[@devin2355]

I use mineral oil and it works just fine

[@simon7688]

Can you please review the "sharpens best" tungsten carbide knife sharpener? I would love to see that debunked to hell

[@tauriskerwwsdiiv5276]

I use a pencil eraser. Have you ever tried that?

[@LitoGeorge]

I just dont see this as necessary. I used the same stuff on my strop frequently untouched for up to six months at a time, with no noticeable difference really. Someone once gave me a tip to use the swarf from the final stone sharpening and put in on the strop. I did that. It worked well. Always hair shaving sharp, from chisels to knives to drawknifes to spokeshaves. Funnily enough, today I decided to add some black emery to one side of my strop, and rouge to the other for fine stropping. Worked like a bomb. So - why do it if doesnt really make a difference? No, I am far too practical to sharpen to hair whittling sharp each time. Too many tools, too many other fun things to do.

[@OUTDOORS55]

So you use it up to 6 months at a time and then what? Reapply new to the top? Are you using chromium oxide (green compound)?

[@LitoGeorge]

@@OUTDOORS55 sure, if I want to. What I have been doing is adding new compound (and I mix and change whatever is at hand) to the top, and then going to town, or sometimes the swarf from the final sharpening (diamond/stone). Works great. Today I did two plane blades, one pre WW2, and one that was made in the 1860's (!), with the same method, except I added black emery compound to the very used side of the strop, and then rouge to the other lesser used side. I'll admit the rouge made the bevels shine like a mirror. And both hair shaving sharp, in short order. With the older iron, I had to completely re-establish a 35deg angle. So, I used old 180grit paper on top of a 400 diamond stone, then 400 diamond stone for 80 hard strokes, then 1000 diamond for 50 hard strokes and then 20 easy strokes or so on a 2000 diamond. Strop two sides, then whole thing took about 8 minutes tops. Its honestly no big deal when you do it a hundred times. I think this art can be a bit obsessive for a select few, and its unnecessary for most. Whatever floats your boat.

[@mijzelfmaardanik]

Wait Wait Wait ! That is not a Razor Blade... That is an "Utility Knife Replacement Blade". If you try this with a "real" double egdeg razor blade it bents or snaps in half.