Thread: In depth question for you experts.

Here is what I have.
Pocket Microscope
Black English Bridal Leather Stropping Board
2" English Bridle Beginner Strop- Black
2 1/2" Wide English Bridal Leather Strop-Black
Felt Stropping Board - Made in Canada
3" Wide English Bridal Leather Strop-Black
Diamond Slurry Bottle 0.50 Micron, 100 g/3.53 oz
3oz. Chromium Oxide Semi-Paste, Twist Cap
Diamond Spray 0.25 Micron
Diamond Spray 0.50 Micron
Diamond Slurry Bottle 0.25 Micron, 100g/3.53 oz
Professionally Sharpened Dovo Best Quality Black 5/8 by Lynn Abrams
I have been told that I can use the back side of my strops to freshen my blades with diamond spray and Chromium Oxide Semi-Paste. What are the differences between them and when should I use the specified micro or chrom oxide. I'm sure there is a post or tutorial on this. Thanks to all for your patience with use newbie's.

Some like the Chromium, some like the diamond, I have only use them after honing so I don't know...

How are you at straight razor shaving? I see you are new here, so perhaps you should work on your shaving and stropping for now and not worry about "honing" or "refreshing" until you have enough technique to really know when the razor is sharp enough for shaving.

You have 5 strops and 1 razor?

Originally Posted by justinA

You have 5 strops and 1 razor?

My question exactly! Lol

It's a bit of a toss up as to what you will prefer until you have tried them all. I would suggest .5 diamond on felt (if the felt is long enough, you could divide it in half since you only have 1 and do half in .25 diamond and half in .5 diamond) and then .25 diamond on felt (a separate felt or another section of the same felt). If you have a fabric strop or a "Scrub" leather side, you can use the Crox paste on them. That's just my 2 cents though.

Use would be .5 diamond, then .25 diamond, no paste fabric/linen strop, leather strop.

or

.5 crox or diamond, no paste fabric/linen strop, leather strop.

Try different things and you'll find what you like.

Originally Posted by pprisztas

Here is what I have.
Pocket Microscope
Black English Bridal Leather Stropping Board
2" English Bridle Beginner Strop- Black
2 1/2" Wide English Bridal Leather Strop-Black
Felt Stropping Board - Made in Canada
3" Wide English Bridal Leather Strop-Black
Diamond Slurry Bottle 0.50 Micron, 100 g/3.53 oz
3oz. Chromium Oxide Semi-Paste, Twist Cap
Diamond Spray 0.25 Micron
Diamond Spray 0.50 Micron
Diamond Slurry Bottle 0.25 Micron, 100g/3.53 oz
Professionally Sharpened Dovo Best Quality Black 5/8 by Lynn Abrams
I have been told that I can use the back side of my strops to freshen my blades with diamond spray and Chromium Oxide Semi-Paste. What are the differences between them and when should I use the specified micro or chrom oxide. I'm sure there is a post or tutorial on this. Thanks to all for your patience with use newbie's.

Chromium Oxide vs. diamond is one question.
in the 0.5 micron range there is not much difference.

Diamond bits are new to the hone/stropping world while CrOx has
been available for a very very very long time. CrOx is nearly
as abrasive as diamond, some say more abrasive,
some say polishes more. All I know is that a light bit
of CrOx on leather or canvas is a classic solution for
keeping a shaver shaving sharp and smooth.

The back of any strop that presents smooth leather is fine
for the CrOx semi paste. As for green you want this green
not this green.
When done right the pasted surface will seem to go grey and black
quickly from the removed steel. For a pasted strop this grey
black surface is self maintaining because the steel oxidizes and
contributes to the game in a good way.

Glenn did an experiment a while back with a pasted strop and
submicron bits. What he found is that after a month the edge
did not suffer...(he is good on a strop and hone). I have observed
that the week after sharpening on hones a pasted strop helps smooth
the edge and then it seems to stay the same for a long time.

At this point all of my strops have seen a spritz or two of 0.25 diamond
or Cerium Oxide.

Diamond spray on felt is new school and works well.
Start with 0.25micron bits... you can progress to 0.5 if
you like but the reverse is not easy.

Diamond slurry is interesting ... I have found that it makes
my Ceramic ultra fine hone smoother faster and an effective
finisher for some razors.

One key difference is CeOx is green and if you are untidy you will
find green stains on things. Diamond not so...

With all start with a little and add one spray a week until
you are happy.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Diamond spray on felt is new school and works well.
Start with 0.25micron bits... you can progress to 0.5 if
you like but the reverse is not easy.

I agree with most of this post with the exception of the above quote.

Please elaborate on why going from a finer particle (.25 micron) to a courser (.5 micron) is your suggested progression and why going from .5 to .25 is "not easy".

I agree jefffegg2 that is why I bought from straight razor design. they say that they have been honed stropped and shaved with to be sure they are shave ready. that way I know what an edge shoud feel like.

I went with five strops to see which i preferred and also I am sure to jack one up.

Originally Posted by sharp

I agree with most of this post with the exception of the above quote.

Please elaborate on why going from a finer particle (.25 micron) to a courser (.5 micron) is your suggested progression and why going from .5 to .25 is "not easy".

When honing is is easy.

However strops or balsa hones (etc.) hold grit strongly so
if you ever applied a coarse grit to a strop or balsa hone then
you will find that it is difficult to impossible to remove the
coarse and replace with a finer grit. This is a contamination
issue not a stropping or honing issue.

Old school folk might apply pumice to a strop. Pumice unlike
diamond will crush and pulverize over time. Even polishing the
strop with a glass bottle will reduce pumice over time while
this is much less for diamond.

Without flogging a dead horse (shell strop excepted) the difference
between 0.5 and 0.25 micron diamond is down in the polishing range
for steel and as such is less of an issue. Pasted strops do run a
full range from ultra fine sub micron polishing bits to very aggressive
ten+ micron bits even 45 micron 330 grit equivalents where contamination
is a real issue.