{"product_id":"leather-strop-board-walnut","title":"Leather Strop Board, Walnut Paddle with Polishing Compound","description":"\u003cp\u003eA strop is leather over a flat board and it is the last thing an edge should touch before you work with it. This one is a 12 inch walnut paddle with a 2.5 inch face of vegetable tanned leather bonded flat to the wood. A tin of green polishing compound comes with it. No knife is included. You bring the blade.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eItem\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStrop board\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSize\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e12 inch walnut paddle, 2.5 inch leather face\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLeather\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eVegetable tanned full grain, glued flat to the paddle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTooling\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNone, the face is left smooth\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStitching\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNone, the leather is bonded to the wood\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEdges\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSanded and oiled walnut\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardware\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHanging hole through the handle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFits\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAny blade, this is a finishing tool\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWhat is included\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eThe strop board and one tin of green polishing compound. No knife is included.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePersonalising\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStamped initials, 20 dollars per piece\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCut and stitched by hand in High Point, North Carolina.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWarranty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifetime warranty against defects in the stitching and the hardware.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe face is vegetable tanned full grain, tanned with bark rather than chemicals, and that is why it is here. Vegetable tanned leather is firm and it stays firm. A soft face rolls under the blade and rounds off the very edge you are trying to straighten. There is no tooling. The face is left smooth, because a stamped pattern gives the compound somewhere to sit where the blade never goes. It starts pale and darkens as the compound loads in. After a year the middle is close to black.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow it is made\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe paddle is cut from walnut and shaped so the handle sits in your palm, 12 inches from end to end. The leather is cut oversize, glued flat to the wood, then trimmed level with the edge of the paddle so there is no lip for a blade to catch. Nothing is stitched here and there is no welt, since nothing is wrapped around steel. The walnut edges are sanded and oiled instead of burnished. A hanging hole goes through the handle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow it is used\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRub compound onto the leather until the face has gone green. Lay the blade flat with the edge trailing and drag it backwards along the board, never into the edge. Turn it over and repeat, with light pressure. Ten passes a side is plenty. This goes after a stone, not instead of one. A stone cuts metal away. The strop straightens the last thin part of the edge and polishes it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you sharpen already and the edge fades faster than the steel deserves, this is the missing step.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCooks who want an edge to hold between sharpenings\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who owns a stone but no strop\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWoodworkers keeping chisels and plane irons keen\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who would rather spend a minute than ten\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 12 inch walnut strop board\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne tin of green polishing compound\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo knife is included, and no sharpening stone\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWalnut came off a tree and no two boards read the same. One paddle has dark streaks down it, the next is quiet and even brown. The leather takes oil at its own rate, so faces vary in shade before use. What arrives will be close to the photographs, not a copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe face does not want conditioner while it is in use, since the compound keeps it fed. Keep it dry and off the wet end of the bench. If the leather glazes and stops biting, scratch the surface up with the edge of a steel ruler and load fresh compound on. Never wash the face and never leave it near heat. More is on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eInitials go into the leather with a stamp rather than a laser. You add it on the product page. It is 20 dollars per piece. Around 20 characters fits, so initials or a short name rather than a sentence. We send a proof image before the stamp is struck, which adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 or more. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e has the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes a knife come with this?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The strop board and one tin of compound, nothing else.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat size blade does it fit?\u003c\/strong\u003e Any blade. This is a finishing tool, not a fitted case.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I use this instead of a stone?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. Stropping removes no metal. A blunt edge wants the stone first.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow often should I strop?\u003c\/strong\u003e Every few uses. It takes under a minute.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill the compound run out?\u003c\/strong\u003e Eventually. Any green honing compound replaces it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe stone that comes before this one sits in the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/leather-sharpening-stone-pouch\"\u003ehand tooled leather sharpening stone pouch\u003c\/a\u003e, which ships with a bench stone. The \u003ca href=\"\/products\/leather-knife-care-kit\"\u003eleather knife care kit\u003c\/a\u003e rolls a stone, a strop insert, a cloth and oil together. This board sits in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/sheaths-accessories\"\u003esheaths and accessories\u003c\/a\u003e, it turns up in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/gifts-for-him\"\u003egifts for him\u003c\/a\u003e, and the newest work is under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/new-arrivals\"\u003enew arrivals\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44145070702710,"sku":"VEF-LTR-1503","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/accessory-03-strop-board-walnut_32b2b8b8-647a-4139-9155-6b8aa61e43b9.jpg?v=1788843582","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/leather-strop-board-walnut","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}