Thread: Diamond Pastes

Originally Posted by sheajohnw

I do however keep hearing a siren call across the water from Japan about a 20K synthetic stone with amazing properties. Its high cost holds me back, but I keep wondering whether I could one day squeege the hairs off my face leaving it BBS on all areas with the aide of such a stone.
HTH

When the time comes, you won't be disappointed. I prefer it over a Jnat edge, over an Escher edge, over any other I've experienced. It's cured my HAD.

Paste and especially Diamond paste or sprays will perform varyingly depending on the substrate. The harder the substrate the more cutting or polishing the paste will perform. With a hard substrate there is no place for the grit to go, so it digs into the steel. Other variables also apply, pressure and the condition of the steel.

Second, grit size is less important than grit hardness and shape. For example .25 Diamond can be polished by .50 Chrome Oxide, where one would think the smaller size would produce a finer/smoother edge… Not always so.

Diamond will produce a far different edge than Chrome Oxide. Diamond will cut/sharpen more aggressively, Chrome Oxide will polish/smooth the edge more than sharpen. There is some sharpening but nothing like diamond.

.25 Diamond is a good refreshing paste or to gain a bit of sharpness with a hard razor, .50 Chrome Oxide can then smooth a .25 diamond edge for comfort.

Diamond works well with, leather paper, felt, cloth, canvas and linen and poly/nylon webbing.
Chrome Oxide also works well with paper, Cloth, canvas/linen, leather, paper, and webbing.

In my experience paper and felt work best with Diamond.

Canvas/linen, paper and webbing are best for Chrome Oxide.

With good Chrome Oxide, a .25 Diamond strop, plain leather and linen, an edge can be kept shaving indefinitely.

That Diamond vs Cro2 war is still going on Ah some things never change

As stated above with the crisp sharp edge of diamond abrasives you also get from many synthetic hones. Cro2 being more rounded like many natural hones leaves a more buttery edge.... What do you like more? Experimenting with them all gives you the opportunity to find what you like. I still have a paddle strop from... oo forgot the name... Miller?? back many years ago with 1.0 and 0.5 diamond pastes on it... used it for a month and put it in the kitchen knife box... Hated shaving off diamond edges, but that is me and I had to play with them all (spending a ton of cash ) but I have a system that works every time and I love it.

So get out there and try it all, go to gatherings, contact anyone close enough to bounce ideas and swap gear with... Get out there and do stuff