Sporran straps

[neo71665]

[cavscout]

I believe the main friction point is at the hip bone. By the time the strap meets the sporran the strap is creating very little pressure against the kilt, especially compared to the sporran itself.

[Panache]

The "sharpening" you see them doing is to straighten the edge. Even with the most fine stones the razor's edge will form a roll on it from the pressure of sharpening it. Think of the razor edge as a J shape the leather only straightens the hook out.

The smooth leather does nothing more than to straighten it out but in turn does make it sharper. Plain leather will not sharpen by removing the metal.

So it's like the difference between using a burnisher on one's kitchen knives instead of a sharpener, right?

Cheers

[neo71665]

So it's like the difference between using a burnisher on one's kitchen knives instead of a sharpener, right?

Cheers

Aye, exactly

[bunchdescendant]

So it's like the difference between using a burnisher on one's kitchen knives instead of a sharpener, right?

Cheers

Panache-

For sharpening clarification:

During the sharpening process, the edge of the blade gets what is known as a "wire edge" on it. It is a small area of the blade, right at the edge that will be repaired with "stropping" on a "strop". That "J" shaped area, if you will.

A strop is either 1 or 2 sided, made from leather. Mine has the smooth sides (skin side) out, as it should be. If it's just 1 sided, it will impregnated with red rouge. If 2 sided (2 pieces sewn together), it will have white rouge on one side and red on the other. Red is coarser of the two.

When sharpening, you push the knife edge forward, like you are trying to cut a slice of the stone off. To strop the knife, you pull the edge across the strop the opposite way. this "removes" the wire edge and final polishes the edge for the ultimate sharpness.

The flesh side of the leather is not used on a strop, just the skin side.

Hope this helps

Ray

[neo71665]

^explained it way better than I could. I just know how to do it, can show ya but never been much of one for writing it down.

[Panache]

Neo and BD,

Thanks for helping me to get it straight.

Cheers

Panache