Thread: Help please. What's this paste?

Hi everyone. Struggling here to maintain a good edge. I've got a couple of paddle strops. One came ready pasted with what I think is green dovo paste. I've also got a couple of the small blocks....( http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/acata...ste.html#a1419 ) I've put the red paste onto one strop but haven't used the black. Can anyone tell me what grade these pastes are and when I should use them. Trying to avoid honing. Really appreciate any help.

The descriptions on this retailer's site may help you.

http://www.executive-shaving.co.uk/s...trop-paste.php

The red paste is rather coarse. The one time I tried it my edge became duller than what it was before. The black is a very fine grit that is slow to cut.

The green I have not tried but if you go to www.classicshaving.com you can find some info on the various grit sizes.

What you really want is a 3 paste system.
0.5 micron diamond or chrome oxide
1.0 micron diamond
1.8 micron boron carbide or 3.0 micron diamond

There are so many abrasive pastes that it is easy to get confused. Use micron size as your guide until you have more experience.

I hope that others will chime in with more options.

Thanks Randy. That's really helpfull, and the red paste really didn't seem to help as you say.
So am I right in thinking the strop I got pre pasted with green dovo paste is a really course 6 micron? And if thats right when would you use it?

"IF" it is a 6 micron, verify that first, then it has no place for me. It is simply to coarse. If it is 6 micron then take some non-abrasive hand cleaner, like GOOP, and clean it off the paddle strop and use a different paste.

Pastes are usually used when a previously shaving sharp razor starts to pull while shaving. The coarsest micron used to refresh the edge is from 3 to 1.8 micron, approx 8000, grit.

Pastes are not used to restore the edge of old razors, usually, ( somebody is going to jump in and say "I do!" )

Hope this helps,

Originally Posted by randydance062449

"IF" it is a 6 micron, verify that first, then it has no place for me. It is simply to coarse. If it is 6 micron then take some non-abrasive hand cleaner, like GOOP, and clean it off the paddle strop and use a different paste.

Pastes are usually used when a previously shaving sharp razor starts to pull while shaving. The coarsest micron used to refresh the edge is from 3 to 1.8 micron, approx 8000, grit.

Pastes are not used to restore the edge of old razors, usually, ( somebody is going to jump in and say "I do!" )

Hope this helps,

OOH, OOH, I Do, Sorry Randy, I couldn't resist. I use pastes to touch up, just as your a describing.

Thanks for the info. I'll try and check out what the green paste is, but looks like I'll need some more. I was hoping the dovo paste would be ok........ it seems to be the only type available here in the uk.
Good to know that I can clean the strop too Randy - thanks. I wasn't sure if that would work.

sorry, but gotta chime in hear as well. at our Texas meet up, john crowley was getting nowhere with a henckels that i gave him to hone after about 30 min on a norton 4k8k. pulled out a handamerican strop with i think 3 micron diamon paste and started getting a notible difference in the edge after about 5 min. i know the norton helped, but we could not feel much until after the paste.

thanks to that, i now have 2 bench leathers from handamerican at home with diamond pastes on the way. i hope i get the paste today!!

exerimenting, keeping the idea of looking outside the box.

vgod

Originally Posted by Kenrup

OOH, OOH, I Do, Sorry Randy, I couldn't resist. I use pastes to touch up, just as your a describing.

Supposedly:

Red is 3 micron
Green is 6 micron
Yellow is fat conditioner
White is the cleaning polisher for linen

Ofcourse they probably don't cut anywhere near those speeds.