The disposable strop

Carpet or drywall work is tough on utility-knife blades. Rather than go to the trouble and expense of replacing the knife blades, I touch them up with a couple of strokes on my disposable strop. Literally, in seconds, I can put a serviceable edge on a utility knife.

As shown in the drawing above, I staple strips of 220-grit wet/dry sandpaper to a length of wood lath. When I've worn out the top layer of paper, I tear it off and let the next layer take its place. The stacked abrasive paper cuts very aggressively, and the padded effect caused by the layering creates a tapered edge on the knife blade that is both strong and sharp.

You can use the same system with 320-grit or 400-grit wet/dry paper for honing plane irons and chisels. For an even keener edge, strop the tool on a strip of leather with a bit of jeweler's rouge rubbed into its surface. I glued a length of an old belt onto the back of my disposable strop for this purpose.

Mark White, Birmingham, AL