Quote Originally Posted by gssixgun View Post
This is exactly the type response that we always get on SRP as I said "We" tend to be a "HONE is God" forum and the use of pastes tends to be looked down upon...
I agree with that Glen. I was definitely one of those who had mixed feelings about paste. Not for others but for myself. Intellectually I knew that it is another abrasive just as a hone is a bound abrasive whether natural of synthetic.

Emotionally I think the fact that I tried to learn to hone razors and failed twenty five years ago made me feel that using paste was somehow a shortcut. I felt that if the old timers could get them with the hones alone that I too should be able to do so.

Now I've come to the conclusion that those old boys got them as sharp as could be gotten on the hones but not as sharp as can be gotten with paste. The sharpest razors I've gotten were finished with diamond paste. If I were honing for others I would definitely finish with the paste on balsa.

I'm beginning to do that for myself. I'm finding there is a learning curve with this as well. I still have to get the razor to a level of sharpness with the hones that I can improve with the pastes so it isn't "cheating" after all the way I see it now.