I've noticed that the rough side of my strop has become smooth, and I'm concerned it's not sharpening my knives effectively anymore. What could be causing this issue, and is there a way to fix it?
3 Answers
If the strop is feeling too soft, that's not good—it could round your blade more than sharpen it. You might want to add some more honing compound and keep using it as normal. But if your knife is really dull, just remember that stropping alone won't do the trick; you may need to start with a coarser stone first.
It sounds like the honing compound has built up on your strop. You can easily fix this by scraping off the excess with a card scraper. This should help restore some of the texture you’re missing and get it back into shape.
It could also be that your knives need a more aggressive sharpening method. Strops are great for maintaining an edge, but they’re not meant for fixing a worn-out cutting edge. Once it starts to look eroded, a good sharpening on a stone might be necessary first. You can also refresh your strop by scraping the old compound off with a utility knife; it’ll be like new!