Thread: That's a Strop!

Hello

I don't think the cadmium was used merely to pigment the leather yellow, due to its heavy use I am sure that it must have played a more active role during the whole tanning process, it was probably used to "prepare" the leather for further treatment, but I am not really sure of why and how...

I would like to find out though, I might ask the maestro himself...

Cheers

Yes, it would be interesting to know why it was/is used and how the leather compares to other methods of tanning.

vschwager, I would also be interested to know what the Maestro uses to hone his blades. Does he like a particular stone or set of stones etc.? Perhaps pasted strops? It would be nice to know.

Regards,
EL

Hello

I have seen Mastro Livi use the following

Corundum (hardest waterstone, Mastro Livi uses it to prepare the blade and establish an initial bevel)
300 grit strone
1000 grit
3000 grit
Belgian Cuticle
Arkansas

then he finishes off using the Monstre Strop, where he has applied stropping paste onto the canvas side of the strop. Hard to believe, at the very end and before stropping, he passes the blade onto his nail lightly to remove any burr left - however the man is a virtuoso honer, he has a feel for the material which I cannot ever hope to match, it's as if the steel is talking to him...

This is what I have seen him do. He also uses an old rag (a piece of old jeans fabric) to see if there is any burr onto the blade, if there is the blade cuts into the fabric, if there isn't, then the blade has no burr left and is ready for the subsequent stage.

in the end, Mastro Livi knows a trick or two on how to get an edge on any blade, and knows exactly where any blade stands as to grinding/honing.

Cheers