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Making a Power Strops
If you want to use a power strop then I would recommend making one ourself. The artists guild in Pueblo Colorado,
researched materials that ould make good power strops. Ones that would stand up, hold compound,stay flat and true to
shape and would be readily available. They ended up using MDF. MDF is Medium Density Fiberboard. It can be
obtained at most all home supply stores including Lowes and Home Depot. Make a circular wheel from 5/8 thick MDF.
Can do this by arking a circle on the MDF. Then drilling a pilot hole in a press at the enter. Mounting on a carrier
board with a screw or nail. Then, clampingthe mounting board to a band saw and turning the MDF to cut theperfect circle
with the band saw. Then drill out the pilot hole to the orrect diameter to fit your mandrel. You can use your
3/8 inch drill to turn our strop. Then, you can mount the drill on any picnic table etc. with a uick clamp and power
strop any ware. To make a mandrel for your wheel,use a long 3/8 inch bolt, and washers backed with sandpaper to rovide
friction to capture your MDF wheel. Place a lock washer and nut on the bolt, and tighten very tight. If you want,
place another nut to lock the first down. Make sure you get a 3/8 bolt long enough to provide adequate extension of
the bolt past the nuts. Chuck it up into your drill and your in business.
Using your MDF Power Strop
First use 40 or 60 grit sand paper backed with a board to “true up your
wheel”. Don’t worry too much about the ends of the wheel, make sure the sides… both left and right
are true with no wobble. Run the wheel so that it
rotates AWAY FROM YOU!! NOTE: GRINDING WHEELS ROTATE TOWARDS YOU. IF YOU MOUNT YOUR WHEEL ON A GRINDING
WHEEL ARBOR, THEN YOU MUST TURN THE GRINDER SO THAT IT SPINS AWAY FROM YOU. When you use the wheel, put a generous amount of compound on each side. Then place your knife parallel to the
wheel surface WITH THE SHARP EDGE FACING UP. Contact the wheel with the side of your knife (sharp edge up), making sure that
the ENTIRE BLADE IS COVERED BY THE MDF WHEEL, press it firmly to the side of the MDF wheel and then tilt the knife so that
you hone the blade at an appropriate angle. Repeat the steps using the other side of the MDF wheel. This method
not only allows you to see the exact slope you are sharpening to and also so that NO waves are formed on the blade.
I very seldom use the edge of the wheel. I even carefully use the sides to power hone my gouges when needed. Using
the side of the wheel gives you an excellent view of the angel you are maintaining. If and when the sides become in
need of dressing, then use the 40 to 60 grit board backed sandpaper to re-true up the sides then place compound back on the
sides. Avoid over heating your blade. If your knife is very flexible, then you might want to take a scrap of wood
and use it to push against the knife blade while you are tilting it (SHARP EDGE UP WITH THE WHEEL SPINNING AWAY FROM YOU)
make sure that the blade doesn’t bend. Remember, that power stropping is NOT to remover nicks, rough edges etc.
That is for stones or diamonds.
Hand Stropping
II use a piece of leather
mounted on a flat board. Any will do BUT, make sure that the leather and the mounting board are wide enough to COMPLELTLY
cover the length of your knife; I rub plenty of the green orgold compound into the leather, then count my strokes evenly
on each side. Remember to NOT TWIST YOUR WRIST at the end your drawing stroke or you will place a curled edge on your
blade. The two worst enemies of a carvers knife are the curled edge and the wave down the edge of the blade.
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