Thread: Paddle strop or hanging strop

Originally Posted by STF

Quite right, we can discuss the best way to start stropping till the cows come home but at some point you just have to git er done.

My two pence worth is that when I started which was not all that long ago compared to most here, I was advised to use a board strop for a while.

It gave me the chance to strop my razors which is an absolute must while learning the flip without damaging or cutting anything.

I progressed to a hanging strop which I still cut but not as badly as I could have and I did understand the mechanics from using that board.

If you are going to go with a hanging strop immediately, as gssixgun said, lay it flat on the counter for a while. The first nick in my lovely new strop bought tears to my eyes.

I am thinking 3x12 for size on a paddle with Veg tanned cowhide on the one side and canvas or nylon webbing on the other. I think I can start here and when I decided to move on to a hanging strop This will always work on knives.

Thanks for everyone's help

I like bench/paddle strops for knives, but not for hollow-ground razors. The reason is that in stropping knives, the spine is lifted above the strop surface, so any variability introduced lies in varying the angle of the spine. Whereas with hollow-ground razors, the spine-edge relationship is built-in, so a hanging strop is preferable to introduce variability via tension as held. Best to start out with a cheap strop, as it is easily nicked or cut when flipped. How the shank is gripped is key. I prefer a slight turn of the wrist during the flip, gripping the shank from side to side biassed towards the bottom of the shank with my thumb and biassed towards the top of the other side of the shank with my forefinger. This differs from how I strop a kitchen knife on my vegetable-tanned leather bench strop, where I use both hands with a descending half-lap count, guiding the far end of the blade with my off-hand in the same way that I'm controlling the motion in holding the handle of the knife with my dominant hand.

I prefer a hanging strop. I agree with the others about not wasting money on an expensive one to start since you will inevitably nick the crap out of it. However, be careful that you get one that has a smooth surface. Some cheap strops are a very rough surfaced top grain which I do not recommend. Top grain is fine as long as it is not too "bumpy" for lack of a better term. Actually I use top grain as part of a stropping progression from flax to cotton cava's to suede to top grain to smooth split grain.
Consider an old belt maybe. That is what my Dad always used. You just want it to be straight and flat.