Razor strop

"Strop" redirects here. For the Australian comic character, seeJohn Cornell.

Astraight razorwith a hanging strop

Arazor stropor simply astrop(sometimes called arazor straporstrap) is a flexible strip ofleather,canvas,denim fabric, balsa wood, or other soft material, used to straighten andpolishthe blade of astraight razor,aknife,or a woodworking tool such as achisel.In many cases stropping re-aligns parts of the blade edge that have been bent out of alignment. In other cases, especially when abrasive polishing compound is used, stropping may remove a small amount of metal (functionally equivalent tolapping). Stropping can alsoburnish(i.e., push metal around on) the blade.

The strop may be a hanging strop or a hand-held paddle. Various abrasive compounds may be applied to the strop to aid in polishing the blade while stropping to obtain a mirror-like finish. Common abrasive compounds include half-microndiamonds,greenchromium(III) oxide,white rouge (aluminum oxide), and jeweller's rouge (iron(III) oxide).

Use

Stropping is traditionally associated withstraight razorsused forshaving,as these are the thinnest blades in everyday use, and therefore require frequent stropping. Kitchen knives may be straightened on ahoning steelif less sharpness is acceptable. In principle, any blade may be polished by stropping. Custom strops are made to hone irregularly-shaped tools, such aschiselsor gouges, and nearly any piece of smooth leather or heavy fabric infused with abrasive compound may be used for stropping.

See also

• Knife sharpening
• Sharpening
• Sharpening stone

External links

• Scienceofsharp,effects of various blade sharpening and stropping techniques, mostly on straight razors, shown by electron microscope.
• Electron microscope analysis of various sharpening techniquesby John D. Verhoeven