Strop | Split Leather

Strop in thick and lovely leather from Tärnsjö tannery.

Dimensions: 50 x 15 cm

A generously sized leather strop that gives knives the final razor-sharp finish. The strop is of the highest possible leather quality (vegetable-tanned from Tärnsjö), and we highly recommend this strop as a complement to basic sharpening.

1. Place the strop in front of you on a flat and hard surface, such as a kitchen counter. If the surface is soft or uneven, you risk dulling the edge, and the strop will thus have the opposite effect.

2. Place the knife at the beginning of the strop and draw the blade from left to right once. Note: You should draw the blade away from the edge, in contrast to a cutting motion! Then turn the blade over and draw it from right to left. Repeat the procedure a handful of times until the edge feels really sharp.

Remember to use the same angle as the knife's primary edge was sharpened with. If you are unsure of the angle, a rule of thumb is that Japanese knives have an angle of about 15 degrees. Also try to get as smooth a pull as possible. You can use one hand to hold the strop still. If you wish, you can also glue the strop to a hard surface, such as a glass plate.

If you really want to go in-depth with your stropping, you can apply diamond paste to the strop. This provides a greater abrasive effect and gives the edge an almost unreal bite.

NOTE: Minor variations in the leather may occur. These can be small tears or other marks that can arise, for example, if a cow brushes against barbed wire. The strop is a natural product, and therefore cosmetic variations are part of the product's appearance.