Thread: Powdered Graphite

Dragging up an old post, but since I'm looking into this, I figured others might also.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Don't do it. It's a lubricant and will ruin your strop. The idea in stropping is to create some draw and dress the edge. The graphite will lube the strop and you will accomplish nothing and you'll probably never be able to get the stuff off the strop.

I have just started looking into stropping compounds and am looking for something simple (read inexpensive and works). I ended up running across this patent in the process:
Patent US1602437 - Razor-strop dressing - Google Patents
"the graphite will maintain the strop pliable and prevent cracking or breaking thereof," so someone at one time thought it actually helped the strop.
I also hear rumors of using glass as a hone, and even rumors of it working far better than expected.

For a good idea of how effective compounds are, I ended up running across this blog a couple days ago where a guy takes a blade with a couple notches out of it and puts it under the microscope:
Knife Sharpening Techniques: Global Boning Knife - Sharpening Progression