HIOMAKIVI STROP Leather Strop Board 300x75

Now available: a double-sided strop! The top side is covered with nearly 4 mm thick, medium-firm Italian leather (switched to a more consistent leather on 19 October), and the other side with a softer, roughly 2 mm thick napped leather flesh side, which I often call suede. In between is thick birch plywood. This board offers countless possibilities.

"I had a real eureka moment when I started using a long strop board. You only truly appreciate a long strop once you use one."

My own method is to hold the board at an angle, with one end resting on the table and the other in my hand. If you sharpen to, say, 3000 grit, I recommend starting on the napped side of the leather. This makes it easier to remove any remnants of the burr. Then move on to the smooth side. I move the knife back and forth a few dozen times. The difference between an unstropped and a stropped knife is astonishing. I remember the first time I did this properly: I could hardly believe how effective the leather was. And this was done without any compound at all!

You can boost the strop's effect with compounds. I like to say this is how I normalise my sharpening: I always get the same quality when I apply, for example, LUXOR Polishing Paste Red, 6.5 micron to the rougher side of the board. Red Luxor has a grit of 2500–3000, which is almost perfect for finishing the bevel and edge of a puukko. See the bottom video for instructions on using the compound.

Length: 300 mm (+- 1 mm)
Width: 75 mm
Thickness: approx. 24 mm (plywood 18 mm + 2 x leather)
Hardness:top 4/6 (medium), rougher back 2/6 (soft)
Vegetable Tanning

Bonded using M1-certified solvent-free glue – completely odor-free.