Thread: Info on different types of strops

Hi,
It can get a bit confusing. Here's some info to get you started.

Although there are many different materials on offer these days, the end result varies very little.

The different leathers have different feels, & it's primarily down to personal preference, & the perception (or possible misconception!), that one is outperforming another. For example, Latigo has plenty of draw (feeling of resistance), whereas horsehide has very little. Despite this, they perform very much the same.

As long as the leather used has been treated correctly, & is good quality, whatever you choose will be fine.

Stropping pastes are used in place of hones, on strops set aside for that purpose. Even if using pastes, a clean, uncontaminated strop is needed for everyday use.

A balsa strop is just a piece of balsa, fixed to a firmer surface, that can be loaded with paste. It's a nice cheap option when you need to sharpen a blade, but don't want to use hones for whatever reason. There are arguments for & against the use of pastes over hones.

Hope that helps get you going.