Leather I use below ⬇ Links to compound, and everything else, in the description. These tend to sell out fast 😬If you have any questions for future vides leave them below. Thanks for watching! leather amzn.to/42hBGi3 These are amazon affiliated links as an amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Personal statement⬇ As an affiliate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. I bought everything in this video with my own money, and am free to link to anything I want. Recommendations, comments, and criticisms, are based on personal experience with products. At this time, (time of video upload, subject to change) I am NOT sponsored by any company. Thanks

@jollyjackass

4 ай бұрын

I’ve had pretty good luck buying sides of leather through Tandy. Totally agree on the belt blanks though if all you’re doing is making a strop.

@stevealford230

4 ай бұрын

Serious question: what about hide glue? I have several vintage bottles (older than both of us, so old formula from back when shit worked) that are still good... and I would assume it should work... and I can't find my contact cement, lol.

@trumanhw

4 ай бұрын

СПАСИБА!!! Thank you! I've been asking you for this for a while and YOU CAME THROUGH!!! 🙂

@LifeMyWay007

4 ай бұрын

Your link to the Jende 4 Micron is already sold out and do not see 6 μm either. Would you recommend 2 or 8 μm since they are the closest size in stock?

@crustybutternut6400

4 ай бұрын

How do you feel about gunny juice diamond emulsions?

DUDE! DO NOT EVER apologize for making a long video. I think I've watched all of the videos that you've put out, and one thing I can guarantee I have never said is "Man, that video was too long!" Almost every video you put out gets watched twice in a row by me. And im still wanting more at the end of every one. Youre very skilled, smart, funny, and some other words I don't know. That makes me keep watching your stuff trying to learn. Youve got something here, and you're good at it. 😊 Thanks for the videos you've already put out, thanks for the stuff that you're in the process of putting together and putting out, and most importantly thanks for the lifetime of information. TONS AND TONS of YT channels suck. Yours doesn't

@tomekvilmovskiy6547

4 ай бұрын

no one say "it's too long" - they just silently skip parts or drop it ) statistics is "average watch time is 8 mins" and "more then 15mins is a waste" i don't mind long videos if it worth it (and this author makes it so), but statistics is statistics - can't be helped.

@PAINWOLF1

4 ай бұрын

I wish his was longer to, insightful and entertaining guy

@anthonyforfare7223

4 ай бұрын

Facts brother 👍😎 this dude is amazing 🤩

@kevingil1760

4 ай бұрын

I always watch his channels full videos and want more ahahah

@7784000

4 ай бұрын

​I'm not sure as I don't know the stats, but I feel that these numbers hughly depend on the type of video and the target audience​ @@tomekvilmovskiy6547

Its crazy to think that our fingers are so sensitive that we are capable of feeling a tiny burr in a knife that you can barely see

refreshing to see someone on youtube who actually knows what they are talking about. as a former tooling service tech, i can expand on what he is saying about burrs. when steel dulls the cutting edge rounds over. as opposed to carbide, which is sintered and therefore the material breaks down and falls away from the tool material. rough sharpening is traditionally done with the grinding direction away from the cutting edge as is shown here, resulting in the steel curling back over the opposite edge. this is a perfectly normal result of the material. carbide will not burr, but the sintered particles can lose their bond at the cutting edge with the end result being not as sharp as it could be in either case. my experience doingn that work taught me that grinding in the opposite direction for a final few passes will eliminate the burr AND result in a very crisp cutting edge. especially on carbide for reasons i have yet to understand. from the perspective of a tool grinding machine, if the last pass grinds INTO the cutting edge with a feed in of maybe .005" to .010" results in a burr free and insanely sharp edge which may only require the briefest and lightest swipe of a superfine stone. the greatest acknowledgement i ever got as a tool grinder was when the owner of the company inspected my work and cut his finger.

My favorite character on Sharpening Street is Big Burr

Dude, my life is full of dull knives... you are saving me from all that! You are a mad genius!!! GLORIOUS!!!

@OUTDOORS55

2 ай бұрын

Haha thanks! Appreciate the support 🙏🙏👊

Made a strop out of a piece of wood, old belt, and some red compound I had. Works great.

@lelandsmith2320

4 ай бұрын

Yep, $2 belt from the local thrift store.

@moonasha

3 ай бұрын

apparently jeans work well too, I've sharpened plenty of razors with them anyways

@groosbro1

3 ай бұрын

@@moonasha Cotton is rough enough to knock the burr off. Even better if you coat the cotton with a compound.

@TrevorV

Ай бұрын

What do you mean by "red compound"?

@groosbro1

Ай бұрын

@@TrevorV Sorry, it's polishing compound that comes in bars, it's used in the jewelery trade to polish gold and silver. It's meant to be used on a buffing wheel but it was what I had.

I really like this channel. It reminds me that if I buy the absolute best knife sharpening tools, the best stones that have been blessed by various monks, and worked my hardest, this dude could do a better job with a random 50 year old brick that has been laying in the elements he found on the side of the road.

Im going to say it . Alex makes the BEST sharpening videos on KZread. Its not even a contest. No one has properly explained before exactly what the strop does, with such clear images

This is THE definitive stropping video Alex! THANK YOU for making and sharing it. This video contains everything the viewer needs to know about stropping. Combining it with your previous sharpening videos will yield an incredibly sharp knife, IF THE VIEWER PAYS ATTENTION! Saving this one to my Knives Playlist.

@mariomurcia7509

4 ай бұрын

i was about to say the same, this is the most information dense and all encompassing video on stropping ive ever seen. learned so much and confirmed some things i already knew, all around an amazing video. i would show this in a school

Little tip. DOUBLE sided carpet tape works great for attaching leather to wood or whatever you like. Alot less messy and a bit more forgiving also can be removed afterwards if you wish. Thanks for the great vid and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable

@user-xf4es7eh9y

4 ай бұрын

alternatively just use wood. imho it works better than leather, with diamond. any wood works but I like woods that aren't too soft, like balsa, or too hard like oak. woods like birch or basswood are ideal. those sticks for stirring paint work just fine. There is nothing magical about leather as a substrate.

@toddcarr.

4 ай бұрын

@@user-xf4es7eh9y I agree with that I've used Denim, stir sticks, leather, wood, dowels, cardboard and other materials as a stropping base to get slighty different results. The compound does the cutting in that case, although some materials can be used bare without compound to get the job done in a pinch, and diamond compound is definatly my favorite to use.

@dchall8

4 ай бұрын

@@user-xf4es7eh9y I use a plastic cutting board since it's right there in the kitchen where I'm sharpening knives.

@renecastro6110

Ай бұрын

I totally use double sided tape for my strop

When you slapped that piece of leather on the table and said “ Does this bring back memories? “ I lost it!!😅 too funny and so true. My Dad when he got really mad at my brothers and I, would whip his belt off and smack it on something and say to us..”You guys want a piece of this?” I was laughing so hard I've got tears in my eyes. Alex your sense of humour is absolutely the best! Great video as usual..Number 1 fan in Nova Scotia. Cheer MikeR.

@artsnow8872

4 ай бұрын

Did anyone ever ask for a piece of that?

@imgadgetmanjim

4 ай бұрын

@@artsnow8872My mom had a board of education (written on it) that had holes that whistled on the way to my behind. Or alternatively she made me go out and pick a switch from the weeping willow which transferred the weeping to me😮. But hilarious stuff.

@miker5502

4 ай бұрын

@@artsnow8872Lol😅 Not me that’s for sure! Cheers MikeR.

@jakeboehm5267

3 ай бұрын

Lol

@plainlake

2 ай бұрын

And here I was thinking about leather-bound fun in my 30s...

Alex, I'm a professional sharpener. Your video on stropping is outstanding. Well done, young man. Keep up the good work. Best regards,

There is nowhere else on KZread that provides this level of detail delivered in a clear, concise and articulate manner. What long video? I watched it twice and several parts of it a lot more than that. Thanks for this - I'm making a new strop tomorrow following exactly what you've shared with us here.

Your tutelage has been invaluable and I've been sharpening many more years than you've been alive. Thank you.

I ran across an old cowboy belt in my closet a few years ago, a co-worker said his dad would sharpen all his knifes on a belt for decades. Incredible results! This video took it to another level. Thanks man

Those zoomed in shots are always so incredible, both because they really help explain what's going on and because they're beautiful

You encouraged me to make my own strop, 2 or 3 years ago, so I went online and bought some thick sheet of leather, cut a 2.5 x 6.5 inch piece of hardwood plywood with a sort of "handle" on one side, glued the piece of leather onto it using woodglue (smooth side down, but still holding perfectly for 2 years of weekly use. But it was some industrial grade woodglue from a friend of mine, so maybe that helped). Then I used a utility knife and cut along the sides of the plywood, to fit it perfectly to the contours of the piece of wood, for the reasons you mentioned in the video So far, I've only tried 1.0 micron aluminium oxide compound for stropping and it worked very well for all of my pocket and kitchen knives. Although, S90V takes quite some time though XD My sharpening routine starts depending on the condition of the apex with a coarse DMT 8", next a fine DMT 8" and finally the leather strop. As I started out on those crappy amazon stones, years ago I felt the sharpening to be extremely exhausting and frustrating, you generate tons of slurry, arms getting tired, but barely any results. My 2 step diamond stone set-up (based on your recommendations) however is really !really fast, effective and no mess at all. No water, no oil, no slurries in the kitchen... my wife also likes it a lot more ... :D Maybe I will try out those diamond compound in the future, however I'm quite happy at the moment with this set-up. Thanks for your content ❤👍 Did I mention that I really appreciate those insane macro-footage 😯👍

Would you be willing to either describe how you apply the diamond compound from the syringe? Know you said it depends… but would be interested in seeing how much you apply; what tools you use to mash it into the leather; how thick you do for your compound. There are quite a few about the aluminum oxide, but few on diamond compounds.

As cursed as this may sound, I've been using a strop made out of a piece of microfibre cloth stuck onto a piece of wood. With green compound on it, paired with dialux green compound. It was intended to polish the main bevel of a knife for it to shine. The use as a strop was an accidental discovery. Just make sure to not put too much pressure and go with a very shallow angle, as microfibre is highly compressible. You can even lie the blade flat and strip away as the not compressed part of the cloth will still polish the secondary bevel and edge.

DAMN! Off a 400 grit stone...... it just goes to show that a guy is better off spending effort on keeping a constant angle while sharpening rather than 20 different stones or gadgets.

@Molb0rg

Ай бұрын

Yep, it was a good eye opener

11:53 you can strop straight on glass and the benefit is that it is a very flat surface if you’re making micro bevels. cowhide is around 4mm-6mm and it squishes and stretches which makes a convex edge. kangaroo leather is 1mm-2mm thick and it has much more grain to it than cowhide which also holds more compound and has a better tactile feel to it than cowhide. kangaroo leather is ten times stronger than cowhide and it doesn’t stretch and it’s more abrasion resistant than cowhide so it holds up a lot better than cowhide. kangaroo leather is usually around $30 for the whole thing except for the tail which by itself is around $50. the tail is a better quality for strops than the hide but the kangaroo hide is still much better than cowhide. a barbers strop is still an effective tool for removing the burr and polishing strops are more for removing metal. you can remove a burr with a brick or a polishing strop but people who think that’s what was designed for are wrong.

@endotherm

3 ай бұрын

I made one using kangaroo tail and it is indestructible. Kangaroo TAIL is the strongest leather in the world. It was surprisingly easy and not excessively costly to buy a couple of suitable strips online. Might have helped finding them seeing I live in Australia.

Please do a video on how to apply compounds (especially emulsions)!! 🙏

@SirPraiseSun

14 күн бұрын

they go in the trash learn to sharpen ur blade on a sharpener

I've found that leather from a 2 year old unicorn and the yellow pixie dust compound leaves my knife edge magically sharp! Thanks for the great information. I really enjoy your channel sir.

Excellent demonstration, thank you

Yeah. I see some people say an edge is "over stropped". I think a more accurate assessment is in those cases the edge is actually just badly stropped. Using a strop carefully, and not just looking at it like a cure all for bad sharpening. Can lead to some amazing edges. In my opinion.

Nothing related to that vid. But wanted to compliment your work. From all the sharpening clips and channels which were really „in“ a while ago, i still enjoy only your channel at the moment fir many reasons. Whenever i got friends over (which became somewhat rare lately due to personal reasons) every one is like „dude, your kitchen knives are amazing“ i just tell them to watch your vids. I only use cheapest knives and ever since i use your tips, they are extremely sharp and also keep the edge so much longer. Again.. appreciate your work. Keep it up!

@OUTDOORS55

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the support! It's definitely appreciated 🙏

Great breakdown of the process.

Thank you so much. You answered every question I ever had about stropping.

Great video (perfect length too). I learn something new in each video you put out. You were the one that got me to finally start my proper sharpening journey. Absolutely love the instant macro shots to true understand what is happening to the steel. Keep it up.

The macro footage are lovely❤ i love macro AND knives.

Thanks for the great video on this and including the info on the diamond paste you recommend!

That was a comprehensive presentation. Thanks

Another excellent video. Thank you so much for the information and examples you provide us. You are without a doubt the best sharpening tutor on youtube. Keep up the great work!

Love the longer videos, thx ✌️

@OUTDOORS55

4 ай бұрын

They don't do as well but I wanted to get as much as possible in this one👍 Thanks my friend!

@Penitten

4 ай бұрын

@@OUTDOORS55 that's the wonderful aftermath of tiktok and deteriorating attention span... Edit: btw, because of you, I recently bought my first "starter kit" to get into knife sharpening^^

So much great information. Thank you!

Beautiful! Thank you for the information, stropmeister!

Give beavercraft strops a try they are fantastic ! The white stropping compound really does help it’s a game changer in my eyes I used it on my bk9 and Victorinox’s explorer blades they are almost hair whittling sharp

*Making money is an action Keeping money is a behavior,but"Growing money is wisdom"Who else agrees with me that this quote is fire still?❤💯*

@olivesdra

4 ай бұрын

Awesome quote; I made the wisest decision when I put this quote into practice, I inve'sted with one of the best{Mrs Mary Margaret*}. Now I receive weekly returns😊. . .

@8iqhappy580

4 ай бұрын

Well I engage in a nice side hus'tle and the good thing is I do it with one one of the best (Mary Margaret) she's really good!

@AshleyBennett507

4 ай бұрын

Did someone just mention mrs Margaret!? Damn! You just made my day; what a coincidence.. I've worked with her for over 2years and I can tell how good she is

@wandinugraha1321

4 ай бұрын

No doubts, this Mary Margaret must be an icon; how good is she and how safe is "profit making" with her.?

@wandinugraha1321

4 ай бұрын

That's interesting, any way to connect with her? I have to get started.

For anyone looking for the Jende 4 micron compound, if you go directly to their website, they do have it in stock. They also have smaller sizes.

Ace video, thanks for taking the time to make this. I learn so much from you 😊

I'm now 'hooked' on your videos! This was incredibly detailed, straight forward and helpful. Even if I just wanted to know what a strop does, no one does this type of video better. I'm on amazon now ordering my 'kit' and making my own strop. Unfortunately much of the stuff in your links is currently NOT available.

Most steels I ever sharpened are 14c28n, nitro-v and D2... nothing more fancy! I prefer toothy edge but few passes on the strop makes it better! I don't get hair whittling everytime but I get it to shaving every time. I just have a fallkniven CC4 or victorinox diamond sharpener, and as a strop I use the leather from the fallkniven stone sheath or an old leather belt! And if the knife is starting to get dull, stropping brings it back in shape few times before needing sharpening again! For the first few times I dulled my knife too but I kept trying, watching your tutorials and neeves knives I learned how to hold the angle, that I don't need different grit stones, etc. I think I'm begging to develop a feel and movement that works for me! You don't need top notch expensive stones and sharpeners, because even with those there can be user error, I'm not saying you can just get that 5$ sharpener either, I had one that was just crumbling with each pass... See what others recommend in your budget, build confidence with a knife you don't mind ruining. And think of it as a fun project, if you think it will be frustrating you already set yourself to fail! Good luck!

@Bob_Adkins

4 ай бұрын

There are diminishing returns on sharpness. "Hair-whittling sharp" lasts only one use, and it's instantly downgraded to barely shaving sharp. Same with "shaving sharp", it doesn't last much longer long, depending on what you're cutting. I find that "almost shaving sharp" gets you the most for the least effort and lasts a little longer.

@artsnow8872

4 ай бұрын

Yes, I think that how long an edge lasts is more important than splitting hairs (fun intended).@@Bob_Adkins

Your videos are incredibly helpful - thank you so much!

Thanks. This video answered my questions in relation to strops and compounds.

Just made my first strop yesterday. Glad to know I did it mostly right. Thanks! Do you have a vid on cleaning the strop? I used the green compound from Harbor Freight and its already pretty dirty after stropping like 9 blades.

Can you make a video on the significance of scratch pattern angle on the bevel? Is there any difference between 45° and 90° patterns? In 45° pattern, is there a difference between stratches going from handle to tip or tip to handle? It seems like 45° tip to handle pattern is the norm. Is there a particular reason for that?

@niky00045

4 ай бұрын

I'm very much a noob, but from what I can gather, it doesn't matter much (as long as it's not parallel to the edge that is). the idea of "45" (maybe 30 to 60, it doesn't matter, depends a lot on the length of the knife) is because it's the only way to hit the whole blade at once -- so it looks better AND you're sure you've hit the whole thing.

Fantastic video, thank you! The close-up shots are demystifying the process for me!

Good job explaining and showing things. Thanks.

This video is great, based on your videos and recommendations, especially for the brand DMT, I made myself 3 strops and got the 3 paste set from them, 3 6 and 9 micron I think, I also got the 3 set of dmt small stones which are fine for pocket knife sizes, They were the best value for the money but their design means they aren't full stones, they are polkadotted to hold the abrasive to the plastic frame but they still work pretty well. So well in fact that I'm looking at getting better and bigger versions of the same stones though I can't decide what I want next, those stones I mentioned or one of the glass stones you've showed recently. I think the glass stone as a single sharpening tool rather than running up through stones would be better. Either way my 3 strops are the real heroes, they make the knife psycho hair whittling sharp, the difference between sharpening super well at a high grit with barely any pressure and just using a basic strop is a massive difference and working my way through my strops makes the knife insane.

I have aluminium oxide compound for a lifetime. Given the fact that Mora knives are my go to knife, I'll be fine. 😁 I agree on the commercial strops being sold. My annoyance with them, many don't have the leather right up to the edge of the piece of wood beneath it. A scandi grind can't be stropped near the handle that way. 👺 Great video. Lots of useful information. 👌

@twatmunro

4 ай бұрын

If I bought a strop and the leather wasn't flush with the edges, it'd be going straight back to the seller. That's no use to anybody. I bought a block of the Veritas green compound when I first started sharpening seriously, and I've had nothing but good luck with it. When I take a knife off the strop, I've generally got a mirror finish on the edge. I believe Veritas rate it as half a micron or something, which seems ridiculous. Alex has sold me on the idea of trying some of the diamond jizz though.

@Ve-suvius

4 ай бұрын

@@twatmunro Yeah I send one back to the seller. I have the Veritas compound also. As well as other compounds. None of them diamond. I have enough to serve me the rest of my life. And I have mainly simple steels, Mora knives, Hultafors HVK GH. etc. No need for diamond paste... I do have different microns regarding the aluminium oxide compound. The black being 0.6 micron according to Knives and Tools. That one is the most fine one I have. Also the red and green, the yellow Flexcut Gold . It's all good for me.

@Ve-suvius

4 ай бұрын

@@twatmunro I also bought a piece of leather at Baptist. 50 x 30 cm. 16 euro. What's with the Matt Monro guy in your profile pic, and the name twat munro. Any reason behind it..

@Yuzuki1337

4 ай бұрын

I wouldn't mind aluminum oxide as much for my softer knives if I wasn't cutting so damn much food with them :(

@Ve-suvius

4 ай бұрын

@@Yuzuki1337 For kitchen knives I just wash them off before using. Even a few passes on your jeans if being outside should clean them off I would say ?

Excellent video. Fantastic explanation! Thanks for putting it up!

You are awesome you're videos are just plain great ! Thanks for all your hard work on our behalf!

This has been an awesome video!!

Cool video. Very detailed and explanatory. Thank you much.

I was waiting for this video, thanks man, you went way more into this than I thought you were going to!

Awesome video man. Everything I watch from you answers questions I had but didn’t know how to ask. Keep up the good work

that was great thank you. answered a lot of questions.

Honest like always! Great video, great tip and sharp ideas!

Excellent video as usual. Great content. Thanks man!

Great detail and presentation. Thanks!

My new favorite video so far!

This answered a lot of questions for me. Thanks! Love your drawings btw.

One of the best and most visually convincing I have seen!!! Great advice

Been a fan for years! Love you dude, great video. Thank you

I personally lovw the in-depth dive you did here! Very educational and very interesting. I learned alot!

lots of good info here, thanks!

Thanks for upping my strop game.

I've been watching you for a few years now, and your videos have gotten better and better! Great instructions and love the macro/explanations of what is going on on the edge...

Awesome! Excellent video!

Fantastic video, thanks so much Alex.

Epic vid dude, very much appreciated!

Thanks once again for sharing your knowledge. Cheers.

This is one of the best put together sharpening videos out there

Excellent tutorial.

Thank you for your awesome work!

Time flies when you have an accurate and interesting explanation. Thank you !

Great video man! Overflowing with useful info in under 20min

Again a very nice sharpening Video

Excellent video bud, helped me out a lot 😊

This was a fantastic video, thank you for making it.

You're doing gods work with these vids man

You rock glad you put this out awesome information!

I LOVE that you have the zoom camera and are putting out all these videos. I've been wanting to sharpen a handful of my knives for years now and keep dragging my feet. But now these new videos will really help me out!!

As usual, good job in your explanations. The more I watch, the more I learn.

I have been watching your videos for a while and I have to say that your explainations and visualizations are fantastic! The science of sharpening a knife free hand has always been difficult for me and your videos have made it very clear. Thank you for taking the time to share your information with us.

really love your videos! i learn so much for my knife making hobby, thank you very much!

Excellent video! Thank you, Sir.

you are making by far the best videos on youtube about these things I have ever seen. bravo to you.

This was a perfect length video for me. It was all necessary information and no extra fat. Awesome content!! ✌🏼

Excellent video! Thanks!

Great knowledge. Good teaching method. Thank you.

Thank you thannk you thanks you thankya thank ya thank u tank u tank you thank you THANK YOU!!! I feel like you wrapped up the last bit of questions ive had for the last year! Thank you again!

Was about to make my first strop in the next days. And boom you drop this masterpiece. Amazing! Thanks for all your hardwork, my sharpening is definitely a step higher thanks to you.

I don’t know if you’ve ever ordered from Tandy leather before but I’m always super happy with their leather. Because I buy rolls of belly for sheath making I’m generally not quite as concerned about small imperfections or inconsistencies but I also was recently at one of their physical stores and they told me that if you order by actually calling the store, you can be more choosy about getting rolls without imperfections

What a fantastic video! Years ago, I watched one of your videos and you were the first person that i learnt what an "apex" even is. You make really great content. Probably my favorite channel for knife-sharpening!

Great video, even for a novice such as myself it was straightforward and clear.

Fantastic video! Thank you!

I love the longer videos. I watch them while I have my lunch break. Then I go home and start practicing what you've just taught me. My wife appreciates it, man. Thanks!

This is the best sharpening content on KZread. Period