Printable View
Hello all.
I have my first strop. A 3" Big Daddy.
I've seen opinion for and against spraying or pasting the felt side of my strop. I've heard some new str8ters have had good results in tuning up their blades with CROXd strops. I was becoming convinced that paste/spray could only help.
Please can you take a minute to weigh in pro/con and why?
Thanks all.
Pasted strops can be a nice tool for keeping an edge going for a bit.
Or even used after honing to give you that added oompfh or smoothness depending on finisher used.
But from your post you say that this is your first strop.
In that case I would not recommend any paste at all.
Strop using both sides each time, and your razor should be going for quite a while.
Get a second strop for pastes or sprays.
Or a barber hone/finisher..
IMHO that is;)
@Birnando,Quote:
Originally Posted by Birnando
Thank you. Do you mean strop using both sides of the felt and both sides of the leather??
No, just the user side of each of the two.Quote:
Originally Posted by Siguy
Firstly, do about 30 or so laps on the felt.
Then do about 30-50 on the smooth side of the leather strop.
Ok. That's what I thought. I was checking in case there was some new found knowledge out there I hadn't gotten to yet. :hmmm:Quote:
Originally Posted by Birnando
When I first started out honing I used pasted balsa and pasted felt prior to going into my standard stropping series. However, as I improved with my honing and after working with a local Mentor (Deighaingel/Gerrit) to further clean up honing techniques I found that the pasted portion was no longer noticeably beneficial. But, that is just my experience/my opinion. Now, it would be a tough call for me if I were using pastes on a razor as it would probably just be easier/more efficient to drop back into a honing series then strop/finish rather than using pastes as it would add an extra step and if pasting did not give me the results I wanted I'd be back on the hones anyway. That's my current thinking but, of course, likely to change. ;)
I recently watched Lynn's 'Refreshing A Razor' video (linked also in Beginner's but I'll put It here as well)
Straight Razor Honing-Refreshing Straight Razors - YouTube
... and his approach is interesting and he provides a lot of information on how/why.
Shawn
-----
My curiousity had me rivoted to this video last week. The video is what had me thinking about a paste/spray in improving my edge. But peeps are advising against it on a new strop. I think I'd better listen and wait to get my SR back from SRD.Quote:
Originally Posted by Prahston
It is my view that pasted strops are great for bringing back an old or tired edge. I also use it to give a certain level of smoothness on a newly honed edge. I don't have it on my strop that I use daily. Mostly because I don't need it daily and it is a little bit on the messy side and gets on other stuff without using much. My fear is that putting it on one side of the felt on my daily strop and pretty soon I'd have it everywhere. The magnetic paddles look like a stroke of genius. If had known of them in the beginning I would have traveled that route.
I have a second felt bench strop for sprays. From the posts I've read, it seems as though a few years back there was a greater enthusiasm for pastes and sprays. Maybe as people have become more graduated in their tools and techniques, pastes have become less needed for many users.
Ive tried slurry dia spray cbn crox on various mediums and the best combo IMHO is crox on linen hanger. I don't know why but that works for me. I don't crox after my jnats or Escher.
Great! Another thing I'm going to have to compulsively research ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by RezDog
Here is a post i did on pasted strops that might help http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...ugh-guide.html
The other consideration if you want to try pastes but not risk your strops is order an extra piece of secondary material from SRD (.. or whoever you may have purchased from..) then paste and use it on a table top. SRD's price is like $6-$16 depending on which strip you order so not risking much... And, I imagine you could do the same thing with just used denim... Take a torn up pair of jeans, cut enough of the material sans seam to wrap around a 2by4, 1by4, 'whatever' then staple/tack in place and paste on the user side then strop away. If it doesn't come out the way you want you just take it apart and throw away the denim or hand wash and re-use. You can also find balsa fairly readily at Hobby Shops and the same approach would work without being out a bunch of $$$ or messing up your normal gear.
Whatever damage a beginner can do on leather they can do tenfold with abrasive mediums. Learn to use your strops au naturel first then consider pates ,honing , etc.
Con: You can never un-paste a strop. <-------- IMPORTANT.Quote:
Originally Posted by Siguy
Con: Changes the draw of good leather.
Con: Paste that is fine enough does not sharpen (more later).
Pro: It can calm a too sharp edge (tame a harsh edge). Sub-micron paste only.
Pro: It can sustain a shaver for a long time.
Pro: After honing it can add that little bit to the edge. <--- after honing there is value....
Pro: Sub-micron abrasive is gentle enough that some have used
pasted strops for months with no rounding and good shaves
as long as the tester had the patience to keep the test going (glenn).
Pro: Some strops are gummy and have "too much" draw and
a dusting with something like 0.5 micron CeOx (cerium oxide)
can free up the draw. This has value when someone applies odd stuff
or excessive strop dressing and rubbing with brown paper does not
help. Draw is necessary so removing too much draw is trouble.
BTW: An old strop will have auto pasted itself. Natural iron oxide, common
dust and traces of hone dust will paste a strop over a decade.
A well cared for leather strop will get better and better with
over time. Only the smallest applications of strop dressing are needed.
No new strop will match your old friend if you slice or loose it.
Recommendation #1: Stick with 0.25 or 0.5 micron spray and apply
in small amounts over time. I have no problem with applying 0.25 micron
diamond to the fabric half of any strop. If the leather is good just say
no to paste.
A paste that is fine enough for a daily shaving strop is not abrasive enough to make
a dull edge shave.
Yes it is possible to apply graded modern pastes to a four sided leather covered
"strop" and hone an edge. There are fine honing solutions that use leather
on a stick and use a progression of paste from six micron down to about
one micron. It often works for a shaver but not for a honemaster. These
old school paste solutions are not as good as modern water stones.
They do work with modern pastes....
Recommendation #2 Have a professional honemaster hone your razor at least once
perhaps more. He has $thousands$ invested in hones and has honed thousands of razors
over years to develop the touch to get it right.
The current prices are a bargain...
Review Lynn's video as referenced above on maintaining a razor that has been
previously honed correctly. He covers the pasted strop nicely.