Suehiro Japanese Leather strop set 31cm + abrasive paste

Opt for Suehiro Japanese leather to give your knife blades an ultra-marked polish! Also known as"stropping", leather polishing perfectly cleans your blade of any residue.

When you magnify the edge of a blade, you can see a few small steel "scraps", sometimes even after passing over a finishing whetstone. Indeed, even if it's difficult to see them with the naked eye, you can make out small white lines on the tip of the cutting edge. These micro-pieces of steel prevent your knife from having an ultra-smooth edge.

Japanese suehiro leather completely smoothes this tiny part of the edge, leaving it perfectly smooth, like new. Thanks to its large wooden handle, it's easy to use!

What's more, a small block of green abrasive paste is supplied with the leather, to enhance its fine abrasive action.

Instructions for use :

- First apply the green paste (solid format) by rubbing it into the back of the leather. The next step is a little like using a whetstone: find the angle of the cutting edge, then bring the knife back towards you, maintaining the aforementioned angle (the top edge of the knife must face you).

- Once you've slid your knife as explained above, you need to turn the knife the other way round (i.e. edge facing you) and maintain the angle while pushing the knife downwards this time.

- Repeat the above two actions, alternating them, while taking care to polish the blade over the entire cutting surface (from tip to base).

- Then move on to the front of the leather to finish the maneuver (without abrasive paste this time). Simply repeat the same actions as on the back, but with slightly less pressure.

Please note:

- The leather must be used after the knife has been thoroughly sharpened (it must not be blunt, otherwise it will not be effective).

- The result depends on the hardness and steel of your knife: you will notice the action of the leather more or less quickly.

- For a simple test, you can use a sheet of paper after polishing, and the blade should encounter no resistance!

- The leather has a small leather cord, so you can hang it on a utensil bar and always have it to hand.

- To maintain your leather, there are a few things you need to remember. If you use abrasive paste on the surface of your leather, a kind of crust will form, reducing its effectiveness. To avoid this, you need to clean your leather, and there are several techniques for doing this: some only use water (hot or lukewarm), while others use a mild soap as a complement. You can also use a wire brush, but make sure the bristles are really soft, or you risk damaging your leather. Once you've done that, leave it to air-dry, then apply leather balm to moisturize it and prevent it from cracking over time. You can apply it with a soft cloth, to help it penetrate. You can also use a vegetable oil (which has the advantage of being suitable for food use). Finally, store your leather in a clean place, away from contact with other objects (e.g., if a grain of sand or other small hard object gets lodged in your leather, it could scratch your edge).

So don't hesitate, and come and enjoy stropping your kitchen knives too!