Thread: CBN strops.... a thought

Actually it is the other way around, a paddle strop is more forgiving because there is less deflection, fewer variables…

When you strop properly, the area of the strop from the spine to the edge under the razor, should be flat.

If you add pressure on a razor, pushing the spine and the edge down, the strop will roll over the spine and the edge. The spine is not an issue, rolling over the edge will roll, break or chip the edge.

This is the most common problem of novice stroppers and the hardest to learn.

I suspect the problem you are having with the paddle is due to too much pressure, even a paddle will deflect some.

With a hanging strop, you do run the risk of rolling the edge, if too much pressure is used.

In addition, any pasted strop is an abrasive strop… no matter how fine the paste, pressure or lifting the spine will more quickly roll an edge on a pasted strop.

It only takes one stroke… to ruin an edge.

The big difference between a Natural stone and Synthetic stone is the consistency of the grit size. Some naturals can produce result, that equal or excel that of synthetic stones.

Natural stones are sedimentary beds, that take hundreds, thousands, millions of years to produce, with absolutely no controls of what they are composed of. They can and often do vary greatly from side to side, let alone from one to the other.

Synthetics are consistent, my Norton 1K will produce the same stria and repeatable results that your Norton 1K will, which is why we recommend novices learn on synthetics, then experiment with naturals.

There is much more to the making of a stone, than consistent, uniform grit size and even stria which is why some Naturals and even some old no-longer in production synthetic stone can command crazy prices… because they work… in capable hands.