I’ve recently been using my green stropping compound quite a bit before using my edge bevelers, and I wanted to learn more about the different kinds of strop compounds out there. Let’s take a closer look at what leather strop compounds are and what they have to offer.

Leather strop compounds come in four colors, mainly black, white, red, and green. They all vary in grit, and the most common compounds are the green compound and white jeweler’s rouge, both of which cost between $8-10 for a bar that will last a very long time.

With all the different kinds of leather compounds out there (including polishing pastes!), it’s helpful to know what we’re getting into when we start working strop compounds into our regular rotation. Let’s look at which strop compounds will be most helpful for maintaining and polishing your tools.

History of Leather Strop Compounds

Though it is unlikely the first leather strop and strop compound ever made, a 1794 ad by George Packwood in the London Times tells us that back in 1794, he was advertising his razor strop and strop paste in the London Times. If you’re curious about what George Packwood looks like, here is a 1796 engraving of him by A. Walkinshaw, held at the British Museum.

Since then, leather strop compounds have grown in number, and this trend is not likely to stop given the increase in attention paid to keeping knives (especially chef’s knives) sharp. (People taking up pandemic hobbies likely contributed to this!) 

For leatherworkers, strop compounds are critical to have around the workbench to keep knives, edge bevelers, and skivers sharp. Stropping is slightly different from sharpening, as this study by John D. Verhoeven at Iowa State University on experiments in knife sharpening demonstrates. 

Types of Leather Strop Compounds

The next most common strop compound is probably the green strop compound, which is made of aluminum oxide and chromium oxide and is often applied to leather strops. This compound is useful for sharpening tools before using them.

There are a few different kinds of leather strop compounds. For starters, there are different colors of “crayon” compounds – these seem to be the most common option when one is looking for leather strop compounds. There’s the common jeweler’s rouge, which usually comes in a reddish-brown color; usually, it’s used to achieve a polish more so than honing or sharpening the tool.

The next most common strop compound is probably the green strop compound, which is often applied to leather strops and is made of aluminum oxide and chromium oxide. This is useful for sharpening up tools just before using them. The other two most common colors are black and white. The black compound will take off the most material from the edge of your tool, so it’s preferable to apply it before sharpening a tool that’s a bit duller. 

The white compound is very fine, so it won’t have much effect on tools that need a bit more sharpening. However, it will be effective for reaching a mirror finish on your tool after sharpening. Something also worth noting is that these colors are not exactly standardized; some brands of strop compounds actually have the white compound as the coarsest, so be sure to pay attention to what reviews are saying about the particular compound you’re looking at purchasing.

Polishing pastes can also be used as leather strop compounds. Some think that these pastes get embedded in the leather strop, which allows for a surface that develops and becomes better and better at retaining the polishing compounds. Sometimes, these pastes are used by woodworkers for woodworking tools, which means that they are likely good enough for leatherworkers as well. 

These work by squeezing it out (kind of like toothpaste) onto the leather strop and then rubbing it in before stropping your tool. Whether one chooses the “crayon” compounds or the polishing pastes comes down to preference.

Check out this video explaining different leather strop compounds in depth: 

Characteristics of Leather Strop Compounds

Leather strop compounds can feel kind of like crayons, as mentioned above. However, the finer the compound, the more chalky and smooth it may feel since the high grit is necessary for polishing and refining tools after lower grits have been used to create the burr.

These compounds are applied similarly to drawing with a crayon; just rub it against the surface of the strop as if you were trying to color it in (though it may be wise to avoid completely coloring the strop with the compound, as this may diminish its effectiveness). 

Leather strop compounds come in various colors; assuming that the materials within the compound are the same chemicals without any added coloring, the following table can describe use cases for each color.

Leather Strop Compound Colors and Uses

Color	Use	Abrasive Agent
Black	Remove the most material when stropping	Emery
White	Remove and polish metal	Aluminum oxide
Green	Remove and polish metal (often finer than white)	Chromium oxide
Red	Polish metal	Ferric oxide

The leather strop compounds of the paste variety have been described as kind of gritty, like certain kinds of toothpaste. Some take this to mean that more of the material is being removed, but it does come at the cost of a subjectively less pleasurable texture. If you happen to like the grittiness, more power to you! 

Pros and Cons of Leather Strop Compounds

Pros of Leather Strop Compounds

When it comes to maintaining the sharpness of your tools, leather strop compounds offer numerous advantages.

1. Buying leather strop compounds to strop tools with is cheaper than buying expensive tools
2. Leather strop compounds are easy and quick to apply
3. Wide variety of options for strop compounds to use

Cons of Leather Strop Compounds

While leather strop compounds provide many benefits, they also come with drawbacks.

1. Using strop compounds can be tedious for people who don’t want to sharpen their tools
2. Leather strop compounds will require a strop
3. Can be confusing to know how which strop compound to buy

How Leather Strop Compounds Are Made

Though leather strop compounds are very cost-effective, it can be interesting to know how they are made. As mentioned earlier, the green stropping compound is made of aluminum oxide and chromium oxide.

However, to get the “crayon,” wax is melted first, and then the aluminum oxide and chromium oxide powders are added. Then, when the mixture is runny, it can be poured into a mold of some sort. After it hardens in the molds, you just take it out, and you have your leather strop compound. 

This is a video by James Wright demonstrating how he makes his leather strop compound: 

Cost of Leather Strop Compounds

Leather strop compound is generally very inexpensive; you can find six bars for around $16 or a large bar of Dialux for about $8. When you consider the fact that each of the six bars can last at least two or three years (and likely longer than that with a regular amount of stropping), leather strop compound is one of the most cost-effective elements of leather crafting.

Tips for Working with Leather Strop Compounds

1. Apply leather strop compound to the grain side of the leather strop (though sometimes, you’ll see strops with the flesh side exposed)
2. Contrary to popular marketing, covering the leather strop with a stropping compound may actually reduce its effectiveness in sharpening your tools. Cover the leather with just enough compound to see some of the leather, but avoid covering it entirely with the compound so that it looks like you’ve colored it in. 
3. Charge strop compound often! Since you don’t need to absolutely coat your leather strop in the compound, frequent applications of light coats of the compound is the way to go when sharpening/polishing your tools. Strop before using your tools to reduce how much time you need to spend actually sharpening your tools.

Cover the leather with just enough compound to see some of the leather, but avoid covering it entirely with the compound so that it looks like you’ve colored it in. 

Hearing From the Pros on Strop Compounds

I reached out to some leatherworkers for more experienced information about strop compounds, and I actually learned quite a few things. When making a leather strop, using a strip of chromexcel or tight-grained leather like latigo is preferable.

If you want to make a strop yourself, glue it so the grain is facing upwards and charge it with strop compound before stropping. The softness and springiness of the grain help the edge of the tool get stropped effectively.

A two-sided leather strop allows you to strop with two degrees of coarseness. Coat one side with the coarser compound and the other side with the finer compound—this will allow you to move from the coarse side to the fine side and get the edge of your tool as polished as possible. 

The last tip I found was that if looking at all the different kinds of compounds is overwhelming, go with white jeweler’s rouge. Many leathercrafters have sworn that this is the only one they’ve ever needed for all of their stropping purposes.

Leather Strop Compound Care and Maintenance

Leather tool maintenance is an important aspect of leather crafting. It ensures that tools remain sharp and effective for precise work. This includes proper care and maintenance of leather strop compounds. Store your leather strop compound somewhere cool and dark, as the waxes in the crayon-style compounds may melt if exposed to higher temperatures.

Also, ensure that your strop and the compound stay free from dust, dirt, and debris. Contaminants can reduce the effectiveness of the compound and potentially damage your tools. If possible, store it in its original package to help protect it from environmental factors and to keep it organized. Beyond this, not much has to be done. It will take a long time to use up a bar of strop compound, so apply it often to your leather strop, then store it in the box it came with. 

Related Insights

What grit is a green compound?

The green compound is usually made of chromium oxide (though nothing is preventing strop compound manufacturers from adding coloring. However, it is usually 60,000 grit, and it is best used for stropping your tools right before using them; it does not take much material off, so using it frequently yields the best benefits.

Do you need a stropping compound?

If you plan to have a razor-sharp edge on your tools or want to avoid sharpening them as often, the stropping compound can help. However, it can be enough just to have a piece of leather with a tight grain to use as a strop.

Can you use a polishing compound for stropping?

A polishing compound can be (and is) used for stropping – this is a common practice in woodworking. It usually comes in a tube, much like toothpaste, and it often has the texture of toothpaste as well. You’ll simply apply the polishing compound to a leather strop and strop as normal. 

Conclusion

Strop compound is a really useful, inexpensive substance to keep on the workbench. I keep a small bar of green strop compound that I apply to a leather strop before picking up a knife or edge beveler. I hope that learning about strop compounds has encouraged you to go out and buy a bar yourself – it’ll make a noticeable difference to how smoothly your leatherwork goes!