"Grabby" Strop

[Kevin]

When honing tools, the leather strop becomes "grabby".  If the strop is "wet" with oil, then the strop exerts an even pull while honing.  If the strop is unevenly "wet", the strop pulls when the tool hits a dry spot.

The solution is to keep the strop "wet" with oil or honing compound.  If I keep the strop "wet" with a light film of honing compound, that is way too much honing compound.  If I keep the strop "wet" with an oil, the oil oozes out while honing.

Is there a specific type of oil that can be used to keep the strop just slightly "wet"?

I have tried everything that I can think of as an oil, and nothing seems to work well.  Nothing seems to penetrate the strop to retain a slight film to prevent the strop from being "grabby".

[Jeff Farris]

Do not over-oil your strop!  It is quite easy to get too much oil on the strop, making it less effective.  You should apply a very thin stripe of honing compound all the way around the strop every two or three tools.  By using a thin stripe all the way around, you get even resistance around the entire wheel.