Stropping it with leather aligns the metal at a microscopic level. I had an old woodworking teacher show me before and after stropping and the difference is amazing. Before, the metal has these grind marks that look scratches that go in all directions. After stropping, all the scratches were aligned in the SAME DIRECTION, hundreds of them in a microscopic level. That's what gives it that mirror finish and razor sharp edge. It was amazing.

This is my new fav channel. So interesting to see someone use hand tools in the 21st century. Its so cool to watch and it makes me wanna learn woodworking.

Great video as always. Absolutely love your channel, very fulfilling and relaxing. Some before and after close up pictures would be great if you're doing a restoration video, so that we can see how much of a difference you've made.

Geez Louise, I wish I'd come across this channel a month ago. I found a hand-plane buried in a bunch of mud and since my girlfriend just graduated from a cabinetmaking program I thought I'd give a go at restoring it...made a bit of a mess though because I'm clueless. This'll be a big help! Also just found a saw sitting under a microwave tonight, so I'll be coming back. Thanks Eoin!

My favorite plane was from a middle aged woman who was getting rid of her deceased father’s woodworking tools. There’s a wonderful feeling being able to give old tools a new lease on life. Tools with a bit of history really feel special.

Never thought I'd be invested into an Irish joiner/carpenter but love the accent and his personality

When flattening the plane you should have it assembled and the iron set back, the stress of thee assembly can bend the body out of straight if you flatten it unassembled.

great video! the stropping is basically just an ultra-high grit abrasive, especially if you use the stropping compound. But even if you use bare leather it is still abrasive enough to polish up and remove any remaining bur. So it's basically getting that edge super fine, and also polishes it up even more than the sandpaper will.

I'm from New Britain ,CT. USA. Hardware City. The home of Stanley Tools. Great job.

This is proper woodworking not using electric ⚡️ brilliant channel

I’m a hand tool collector too. I always relate to the satisfaction it brings you! I wanted to congratulate you on all the success. Also, I have had so much trouble with drying wood especially stringy woods like shag bark hickory. A video on that topic would be greatly appreciated! I understand it’s mostly moisture content but any tips or tricks would help.

Thank you for the informational video Eoin. My grandfather has recently given me one of his older hand planes and it needs a bit of restoration.

Once I have a house I'm going to invest in these old hand tools, seems like a very rewarding and fun hobby

I want to use more old handtools from now on. they will last a life time, they are simple and you can repair them your self. Very nice

Always good to see people using hand tools. Personally, I always reach for the power tools when doing any DIY. But as we all know, nothing beats a hand finish.

My dad is a mechanic and he’s always talking about lapping stuff. I’m sure he once taught my sister how to lap valves when we were younger

why do i love this channel?!?!? i can barely put together ikea-esque furniture but am binging the heck out of ur vids. 10/10 eoin!

Cool channel. I was born in 82 and these where the tools i remember from the 80s or 90s

I love these videos after work. They really chill me out. I learn so much but one of the most important lessons is I need to find a cork lass with a similar accent I could listen to it all day.

Love seeing your videos! I was born in a small town with Mennonite influence in Ontario & I appreciate seeing your videos on traditional methods! Thank you for sharing 😁

I love this channel very calming and rustic I love it good work!!!

Loving the content, especially as you get a feel for the longer form KZfaq stuff. Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the awesome video, using this information I was able to tune up a knock off Stanley no4 to a nice little plane for 40usd. I've got it shaving curls that are 2 thousandths on either side.

I have practically an identical plane I need to restore! Thanks so much for this!

You are right about the leather. It does exactly what you said. It aligns the microfibres in the steel.

find ur videos relaxing, thanks from new Zealand

Thanks for sharing this! I've always wondered how people serviced these types of hand planes.

Went from tt to KZfaq and I'm glad you did. You're a smart fellow and I enjoy your stuff.

The paste you apply to leather for stroping is a very fine abrasive. Just like sandpaper there are different grits of paste. Stroping is basically grinding... but VERY fine.

Stropping aligns the metal along the bur and also removes some of the bulkier chunks of the bur (bulkier relative to the rest of the edge on the microscopic level) leaving a smoother sharp edge that cuts more cleanly and is less susceptible to dulling through use if treated properly

Great video. Thanks for posting!

Love these videos! Keep up the Superb work!

Your videos are quickly becoming my favorite. You and tik history. That sweatshirt is really nice.

Great work! Im a carpenter too and i learned Not to Move back an Forth while grinding - instead Move only in one Direction. so u have a more constant Movement. Sorry for my english

I mean I love what he does and the accent just is amazing. Great channel overall

Just bought my first one off eBay. Brilliant video Eoin 👍🏼

Loving these longer videos!

3:34 that's called surface tension, and water has ALOT of it. Love seeing ya interested in all these things too

I have learned and enjoyed. Thanks!

so glad I discovered this man‘s channel

"Lucy Gone Mad" is a GREAT band name!

Great no frills videos, thanks for not overshadowing your vids with annoying music.

Hey, love the videos! Have you considered making a video about why you prefer hand tools and what made you decide you didnt want to use power tools?

Stropping removes the microscopic-level inconsistencies of the edge so you have a true, razor sharp edge.

i love these long form videos

Damn am I glad to see another video

Great video, love your shop, mine is just as messy😂

Very enjoyable mate. New fan from sunny Glasgow

Another satisfying video

Great video Eoin! Could you perhaps do a video on all of the adjustments on a hand plane?

Love your work. Love you WD furrty ❤

Would you ever consider making a video explaining how you can get into wood working? Like the very basic tools you need and how to progess from there

❤❤❤ another great vid as per usual 😌

When sharpened to a fine edge, the end looks like wood that's been broken and has fibers sticking out. If the bevel is long enough, the edge can curl irregularly fore and aft. Stropping dry takes those fiber like protrusions, and any curling of the edge, and aligns them evening out the surface. A wire brush behaves this way. You can mash the wires unto a line, and cut with them. As you cut they move around, fray and become irregular and thus more blunt. Aligning and compressing the edge will reduce the bluntness and restore the ability to cut.

Great video 👍 thanks

Just stumbled open your channel, very interesting stuff brother! 😊

These videos are like Christmas I can't wait for the next one 😂

My understanding is with the leather, it removes the burrs from the blade so it's as sharp as it can be and more of a flat surface.

Hi just found you on KZfaq last night most have watched most of your videos great to see a young fella doing so well and even better your Irish well done. Can I ask you do you sell tools on the internet and if so please send me a link I am all always on the lookout for new places to buy my hand tools ❤

Great video. There’s an argument to be made for lapping with the blade and frog in as the sole will slightly deform. I don’t know if it’s hogwash, but I figure better safe than sorry.

I didn't know WD-40 was a good way to clean rust, I honestly thought it was just for lubrication. I need to learn more about it lol. Thanks lad, beautiful plane. Love anything old and Stanley!

Stropping or honing polishes the flats of the blade, at the cutting edge, so especially sharpens from 1000 grit to say 6000 grit, bigger scratches that end at the edge essentially create a serrated edge, polishing the flats of the blade turn it in to a very fine edge instead. Look at an edge you dress on the 400 side of the diamond vs the 1000 vs after stropping, you'll see with a good eye or a magnifier that the edge is smoother across its width as you go further with polishing, that's essentially how you get the best edge possible from the steel you're working with. The finer the polish, the sharper the edge, though as you say, 1000 and a strop is generally plenty. The other thing stropping does is it wipes away the burr created by the stone, however fine it may be. Scrapers cut with the burr after you work the edges with a hard round bar, a slicing action doesn't want a burr in front of the cutting edge

This may have been said 1000 times already but I'm going to say it anyway. What the leather strop is doing is polishing the edge, removing the burr, and (this is what it makes it cut so smoothly) gets rid of serrations in the blade, making it a more uniform edge on a microscopic level. an example can be like cutting vegetables (without a sawing motion) with a serrated steak knife compared to a "regular" chefs knife.

Stripping is just sanding with an extremely fine grit (the stropping compound + leather grain). It’s basically like using 60,000-100,000 grit sandpaper. In fact you can get the same effect with lapping paper at that grit grade.

I think the leather strap is mainly for honing and polishing the edge

Hi Eoin, well done nice work with nothing to fancy. How would stop the plain from rusting?

Why is it called a frog? Also your video made my morning! You are the best!

Great stuff wet and dry paper be better for Sanding and removeing the rust.

Do you have a card scraper sharpening/use video? I can't believe how effortless it looked to scrape the varnish off of that handle

Nice clear video! I've a Stanley No.4 that I've struggled to get setup properly for awhile so this is really useful. Where did you buy the diamond sharpening stone? I own a waterstone but it's a real pain for sharpening with.

If you turn the body around when lapping it, you'll keep it flatter and you'll find the end towards the direction you push will get worked harder than the other pushing works it harder than pulling. 40 is a touch overboard, you'll find a better finish, so a nicer action in use too with something over 400.you can obviously start coarser if you really feel the need.

Frog, iron/cap iron,and lever should be installed under tension but retracted when lapping that sole 👍

Watched all your tiktoks and saw you say KZfaq pays and tiktok doesn't. So im here watching these too now.

Please tell us where you got your sweatshirt from! Its amazing 👏

Great job again lad, your man will be thrilled with the outcome on that I'm sure. Looks great and cuts like a gem. If anyone from WD-40 sees this, you need to make Eoin his own Special Edition tin of "WD-FAHRTY", maybe when he hits a million subscribers, so about January with the rate this lad is picking up the subs!

Your life flashed before your eyes when you turned over that slab didn't it haha

I was just thinking about restoring one of these.

I love the way he says “dubble yoo dee fordee”

Could watch you all day. W dee thought tee

I just saw one of these baybays in very good working order at an antique store for 80 bucks American.

That method won’t ruin a chisel edge at all. Stumpy Nubs actually has a video proving it as well

I Need a few hats like you have

Here for Eoin's personality first and foremost. Lucy a close second. Learnin' a thing er two third.

Good man

So what does honing on leather do? When you sharpen, at a microscopic level, the edge has tiny pieces of steel hanging out from it and bend in different angles. Honing tries to uncurl and break off those microscopic twists and curls.

Finally someone who understands WD-40 is, when properly used, a cleaning agent, not a lubricant

Loving these videos, half built a jewellery box for the misses and I'm working on a picture frame aswell, anyway I picked up a Stanley No 4 planer and right next to the ?mouth ? Of the plane needs a weld as it's cracked right out to the edge where it is, very small but is it worth fixing ? I know she's probably almost 100 so I know it's got more life in it still, just thought clamping the cracks together should do it, then I can start planing normally?

Fun with surface tension

Thanks. I have an old #7 that could use some work.

Eoin’s mum: Tell me two of your best friends. Eoin: Um um, Linseed oil and WD 40

Is there something I could use for flattening the sole other than a granite slab, as I don't have one

Nice

Did you make that screwdriver handle?

You don't need to lap the entire sole flat. All that matters is the toe, fore and aft the mouth and the heel. You can have low spots between and will make zero difference in use.

How long did it took you too learn woodworking?

Anyone else just throw this on in the backround, his voice is almost like therapeutic. Same level as jacksepticeye

Kroil makes another very good penetrating oil

Does anyone know of a reference guide for old hand planes? I have a few that I want to re-beautify but not exactly the same as original.. I just don't want to mess with anything that has collector value and should be left alone...

Wouldn’t leaving the bare metal be asking for rust?

i wish someone loved me as much as this man loves wd40