Thread: Quit being lazy!!

Originally Posted by earcutter

No... You aren't reading it right. He said ten.

Actually, he said 10 on the diamond before and after each shave, so I guess that would be 20....seems excessive to me, but you're right, if it's workin' for him, that's all that matters.

Cheers!

Originally Posted by earcutter

Only at SRP can we all be doing different things and all be right lol!! Heck! You can't even live your life without someone saying you're doing it wrong lol!!

I like my linen. Heats up my blade and makes it malleable for the leathers turn .

How you liking the .25?

I really do like the .25, although I think .50 is probably good enough. I watched a few "DrMatt357" videos on YouTube where he goes down to .05 micron to get the edge shiny without any scratch marks under a 400x microscope. I called a company that makes diamond spray and he said .05 for a straight razor is ridiculous, because that is only used for tiny computer chips. He suggested I use 1 micron and .25 micron to refine my edge. I ordered a paddle strop from SRD a few months back and just now realized that they included a bottle of .50 micron spray, so I have three grades of the stuff.

So after I finish honing, I do 100 laps each on the 1 micron, the .50 micron, and the .25 micron. This is not for refining the edge, but to see if the hone job will last longer.

In terms of maintenance, before and after each shave I do 10 laps on the .25 in addition to my regular stropping routine. Occasionally (maybe every 1 or 2 weeks) I add 1-2 sprays of the .25 to the felt to refresh the strop. DrMatt357 is pushing a fabric strop with .10 micron spray for maintenance purposes that costs $50. He claims that will extend the life of the hone job for "years." His "perfect" hone jobs are $35. I am improvising a little from his concept.

Actually I believe what Lynn Abrams says, that .50 micron is more than satisfactory but I had the .25 so I'm using it before and after each shave to see how long the edge will last.

I have a 400x USB microscope and the best honed razors I have used (purchased from Classifieds here) don't usually have the mirror finish, so I'm just playing around with diamond spray to see if I can make their hone jobs last longer. I get somewhat of a mirror finish but don't get all the scratches out like DrMatt357.

I always do 20 linen/ 60 leather before the shave and 10/10 after

Originally Posted by Phrank

Actually, he said 10 on the diamond before and after each shave, so I guess that would be 20....seems excessive to me, but you're right, if it's workin' for him, that's all that matters.

Cheers!

10 round trips, or 20 strokes. Could be excessive, I really don't know.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

10 round trips, or 20 strokes. Could be excessive, I really don't know.

Question for you...noticed you mentioned, "mirror finish" a post or two before. That's one of the things I really like in my blades...I have the .25 crox, but you mentioned about getting that mirror finish on your blade...how are you doing that? I'd love to be able to keep that finish on my blades.

Originally Posted by Bdnield

the normal 15-20 strokes on the strop

I'm surprised that no one has pointed out that 15-20 on leather isn't normal. 50-60 is usually the standard, with different variations with material component. Personally, I typically do at least 20 on leather after the shave, and then 50-60 before I use the razor again.

Originally Posted by kwlfca

I'm surprised that no one has pointed out that 15-20 on leather isn't normal. 50-60 is usually the standard, with different variations with material component. Personally, I typically do at least 20 on leather after the shave, and then 50-60 before I use the razor again.

Agreed - my routine is always the same, 20 linen, 60 leather, before and after each shave.

Originally Posted by Phrank

Agreed - my routine is always the same, 20 linen, 60 leather, before and after each shave.

I don't even bother with my HPW anymore, gets too much dusty powder on my razor and is uneven in "grain" (smooth one way and rough the other way). I don't have any issues using just leather.

Originally Posted by Phrank

Question for you...noticed you mentioned, "mirror finish" a post or two before. That's one of the things I really like in my blades...I have the .25 crox, but you mentioned about getting that mirror finish on your blade...how are you doing that? I'd love to be able to keep that finish on my blades.

I quit using CrOx because it seemed like the only thing I was getting out of it was green fingers.

This is where I got my diamond spray: Diamond Suspension / Diamond Slurry / Diamond Spray / Polishing Pads - Beta Diamond Products, Inc.. It is not the CBN spray DrMatt uses but I was told it is just as good. 4 oz of the 1 micron was $40 and 4 oz of the 1/4 micron was $45. My mirror finish isn't perfect, but I don't need to get a finer grit and make it perfect to get optimum shaves.

You might want to look at the DrMatt357 videos on YouTube to see what he's doing. I think what he does is overkill and I insist on being able to do my own honing but he does get the ideal mirror finish. I learned enough from the following videos to get some spray and see if I can extend the life of the hone jobs.

The Secret To Creating The Perfect Straight Razor Edge - YouTube