Stropping Block | Split Leather

Stropping block with dark-blue leather from Tärnsjö Garveri, vegetable-tanned for maximum stropping performance. The leather is mounted on a base of Swedish pine, with a Japanese samurai motif engraved on the underside. The wooden base has been treated with paraffin oil and beeswax for protection and lustre.

The stropping block acts like an additional stone that you can use quickly and easily to remove the final burr and achieve a razor-sharp result.

Dimensions: 212 x 66 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight: 135 grams

A generously sized leather strop that gives knives their final razor-sharp finish. The strop uses leather of the highest quality (vegetable-tanned in Tärnsjö), and we warmly recommend it as a complement to basic sharpening.

1. Place the strop in front of you on a non-slip surface, or place it in a whetstone holder

2. Place the knife at the start of the strop and draw the blade forwards. Note: Move the blade away from the edge, the opposite of a cutting motion. Then turn the blade over and repeat. Do this a handful of times until the edge feels truly sharp.

Use the same angle as the knife's primary edge. If you are unsure of the angle, a rule of thumb is that Japanese knives have an angle of around 15 degrees. Also try to keep each stroke as even as possible.

If you want to take your stropping further, you can saturate the strop with oil, apply an abrasive spray or use a polishing compound (such as Autosol or Tormek paste). However, we recommend using the leather without any product, as it may otherwise become sticky or stiff as it dries. In addition, an excessively polished edge will lose its bite and soon begin to feel slippery on a tomato. An untreated leather strop can be your best friend for many years and is always ready at short notice.