polishing paste
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autosol - available from 99% or motoring shops.
http://www.thepolishingshop.co.uk/Liquid_Polishes.htm
http://www.thepolishingshop.co.uk/Liquid_Polishes.htm
is there a type of chalk, i saw a couple of guys with something they aplied to their leather belts to hone the edge of a blade..?????
Matthew.Passmore
Settler
Which of the pastes is closest to the Starkie strop type? I know that worked well when I saw it used.
looking at it i'd say it's the blue compound that would be closest.
(in fact i'd say the bluemax is the stuff you get with the starkie strop.)
(in fact i'd say the bluemax is the stuff you get with the starkie strop.)
I'd love to hear from someone who has tried the various compounds from Axminsters. I started off using Autosol on my leather strops and it served me well for years. I fell out with it a little because of the way it left the strop damp and very messy but I "cured" that problem by keeping the strop wrapped in cling film when not in use. The event that turned me off Autosol for good was when a tube of the stuff split open in my bag, the contents of the tube covering everything else in there 
For the last couple of years I have been using the stropping compund from Starkies. This seems to be faster cutting than Autosol but still manages to give a nicely finished and well polished edge. It does tend to clog the strop after heavy use though. I scrape the strop clean with either the back of an old knife or something similar every couple of knives-worth of use. At least the stick of compound cannot leak in my bag! *LOL*
If I want a really finely stropped edge on something a little more special than average, I'll use a seperate strop loaded with jewellers rouge once I'm finished with the normal strop.
Being clever (? ) I thought that I could easily bypass the middle-man and buy this type of compound elsewhere and save a few bob...
I saw that Cromwells did a version called "Steelbrite". "..used for mirror finishing stainless steels, chrome plate and a range of non-ferrous metals" it said, and it was about £6:50 with the VAT. "Thats the stuff for me! " I thought, and ordered some. When I saw it I was overjoyed. £6:50 for a lump that must weigh 20 times as much as one of the little sticks from Starkies
Then I tried to use it on a strop.
This stuff is designed for use on a buffing wheel. It's as hard as hell, and getting enough of it onto a leather strop to be of any real use is almost impossible!
Once bitten I'm now twice shy about trying to get usable compound for less than I pay at Starkies, so if any of you guys know of compound that is as soft as the Starkies stuff and cuts as well, but is cheaper I'd love to hear about it..
For the last couple of years I have been using the stropping compund from Starkies. This seems to be faster cutting than Autosol but still manages to give a nicely finished and well polished edge. It does tend to clog the strop after heavy use though. I scrape the strop clean with either the back of an old knife or something similar every couple of knives-worth of use. At least the stick of compound cannot leak in my bag! *LOL*
If I want a really finely stropped edge on something a little more special than average, I'll use a seperate strop loaded with jewellers rouge once I'm finished with the normal strop.
Being clever (?
) I thought that I could easily bypass the middle-man and buy this type of compound elsewhere and save a few bob...I saw that Cromwells did a version called "Steelbrite". "..used for mirror finishing stainless steels, chrome plate and a range of non-ferrous metals" it said, and it was about £6:50 with the VAT. "Thats the stuff for me! " I thought, and ordered some. When I saw it I was overjoyed. £6:50 for a lump that must weigh 20 times as much as one of the little sticks from Starkies
Then I tried to use it on a strop.
This stuff is designed for use on a buffing wheel. It's as hard as hell, and getting enough of it onto a leather strop to be of any real use is almost impossible!
Once bitten I'm now twice shy about trying to get usable compound for less than I pay at Starkies, so if any of you guys know of compound that is as soft as the Starkies stuff and cuts as well, but is cheaper I'd love to hear about it..
is this "Steelbrite" based on wax? Probably some kind of a hard wax which makes sense since those buffing wheels get pretty hot - a soft wax wouldn´t be useful, unless you want to redecorate your place ...
If it´s hard wax try to melt it by heating it and drop it on your heated strop
It should work pretty good
If it´s hard wax try to melt it by heating it and drop it on your heated strop
It should work pretty good
andyn
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
After seeing Weekend Warrior using it, I use "Flitz". Seems to work a treat for cleaning up blades and getting a good polished edge. Also great for round the house for general metal polishing.
I used to use rouge but it is very slow and doesn't seem to touch harder steels. Now I use flexcut gold. It's not cheap at 6.50 a block but at my current rate of usage it's going to last about 10 years.
Yup, I second that, Bent stick.
I find, as Old Jimbo has told us over and over again, that Flex cut , like all the waxy bars, works best when smeared on thin cardboard.
A slightly more aggressive polish, can be got by using one of the car-paint cutting pastes, I use "Pro-tet" C3 rubbing compound.
But these pastes, I find, do not do well when used on cardboard, it chews the card up. Better to use this on a thin strip of leather thats glued to a wooden board......and , yes, its gotta be scraped off from time to time.
Ceeg
I find, as Old Jimbo has told us over and over again, that Flex cut , like all the waxy bars, works best when smeared on thin cardboard.
A slightly more aggressive polish, can be got by using one of the car-paint cutting pastes, I use "Pro-tet" C3 rubbing compound.
But these pastes, I find, do not do well when used on cardboard, it chews the card up. Better to use this on a thin strip of leather thats glued to a wooden board......and , yes, its gotta be scraped off from time to time.
Ceeg
Longstrider.
Cleaning old compound off strops, the waterless hand cleaner gels work well.
The hard block of compound.
Try using a cigarette lighter to heat the block and soften it a little. You may be able to persuade it onto your strop.
Hope that helps.
Cleaning old compound off strops, the waterless hand cleaner gels work well.
The hard block of compound.
Try using a cigarette lighter to heat the block and soften it a little. You may be able to persuade it onto your strop.
Hope that helps.
I've not tried using Steelbrite (or Steelcut, another Abramax compound) on strops, but I do use Tripoli on some - and it is just a case of scribbling the Tripoli onto the leather to give moderately even coverage. Rouge works - I've got both powder and block; chromium oxide powder works really well (but tends to get blooming everywhere); Autosol, Flitz, Flexcut Gold, Tormek honing paste - they all work, but so will bare leather (it just doesn't cut as fast).
I have used Abramax grey and that seemed to work reasonably well, but as Espy mentioned getting it onto a strop was done by scribbling it across the rough surface of the strop.
I also have the paste for an open razor, that works very well.
Both the Avramax and the razor paste came from Axminster.
I also have the paste for an open razor, that works very well.
Both the Avramax and the razor paste came from Axminster.
I use the red polishing compound from a dremel!! It works great and is cheap. Also, if you have a dremel you get some tools for it aswell!!!
If the wax is really hard, try heating up the strop with a hair dryer and then rub the wax on. It may work, and you know what they say, nothing ventured..........
If the wax is really hard, try heating up the strop with a hair dryer and then rub the wax on. It may work, and you know what they say, nothing ventured..........
Longstrider said:I'd love to hear from someone who has tried the various compounds from Axminsters. I started off using Autosol on my leather strops and it served me well for years. I fell out with it a little because of the way it left the strop damp and very messy but I "cured" that problem by keeping the strop wrapped in cling film when not in use. The event that turned me off Autosol for good was when a tube of the stuff split open in my bag, the contents of the tube covering everything else in there
For the last couple of years I have been using the stropping compund from Starkies. This seems to be faster cutting than Autosol but still manages to give a nicely finished and well polished edge. It does tend to clog the strop after heavy use though. I scrape the strop clean with either the back of an old knife or something similar every couple of knives-worth of use. At least the stick of compound cannot leak in my bag! *LOL*
If I want a really finely stropped edge on something a little more special than average, I'll use a seperate strop loaded with jewellers rouge once I'm finished with the normal strop.
Being clever (?
I saw that Cromwells did a version called "Steelbrite". "..used for mirror finishing stainless steels, chrome plate and a range of non-ferrous metals" it said, and it was about £6:50 with the VAT. "Thats the stuff for me! " I thought, and ordered some. When I saw it I was overjoyed. £6:50 for a lump that must weigh 20 times as much as one of the little sticks from Starkies
Then I tried to use it on a strop.
This stuff is designed for use on a buffing wheel. It's as hard as hell, and getting enough of it onto a leather strop to be of any real use is almost impossible!
Once bitten I'm now twice shy about trying to get usable compound for less than I pay at Starkies, so if any of you guys know of compound that is as soft as the Starkies stuff and cuts as well, but is cheaper I'd love to hear about it..
You have to heat the leather and the bar to apply it...
Go over to the Bark River forum and do a search on pollishing compound and strop.
The black and green stuff Mike sells is very good, as is the green bar from Lee Valley.
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