Thread: Finishing Hone ~ .5 Paste

What finishing hone would I need to duplicate the edge I get from .5 paste ? Also, are any of the barber hones about the same as .5 paste ?

Thanks.

I think its hard to compare paste to a hone. Hones do achieve a smoother edge than you think it just takes more practice. paste are easier to use. My coticule gives me smooth edge .5 oxide does not improve the ssmoothness. it does if my coticule has'nt got me there. most people just follow up with .5 paste afteer finishing hone.

Originally Posted by JohnG10

What finishing hone would I need to duplicate the edge I get from .5 paste ? Also, are any of the barber hones about the same as .5 paste ?

Thanks.

+1 on the comments from Gary

With paste it is also important to state what the paste is made of
and what the paste has been applied to.

A 0.5micron diamond paste is not the same as a 0.5 micron CrOx paste.
Or another 0.5 micron abrasive.

Then is the is paste on a hard surface like glass, brass, steel, balsa, apple, oak...
or on a hanging strop leather, canvas, felt...

The Wiki has a a number of pages on this and a 0.5 micron paste
is finer than just about any hone. A Shapton Pro & Glass
30,000 Grit is apparently a 0.49 micron product... See
the third URL to a pdf file below.

Using micro abrasive film - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Lynn Abrams On Honing - Straight Razor Place Wiki

http://straightrazorpalace.com/attac...n-07-23-09.pdf

Tom, Lot's of great info in those links I didn't find when reading through the wiki. Thanks !

The Shapton GS 30k purports to be 0.49 microns, but the
results (and use) is different from 0.5 CrO, which I assume
is also different than 0.5 diamond. I'd wager that you'll get
different results from 0.5 diamond pastes vs. spray as well

Pastes are much more affordable than the 30k stone...

- Scott

I've decided I don't like pasted strops as well as I like hones. (I dislike cleaning off the old paste, and how some areas have thicker paste than others).

Are the barber hones a better finisher than a 12K ? Which brand & model should I look for if I want something that refreshes and smooths an edge almost as well as .5 CrOx ?

Originally Posted by JohnG10

I've decided I don't like pasted strops as well as I like hones. (I dislike cleaning off the old paste, and how some areas have thicker paste than others).

Are the barber hones a better finisher than a 12K ? Which brand & model should I look for if I want something that refreshes and smooths an edge almost as well as .5 CrOx ?

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...teristics.html

Originally Posted by JohnG10

I've decided I don't like pasted strops as well as I like hones. (I dislike cleaning off the old paste, and how some areas have thicker paste than others).

Are the barber hones a better finisher than a 12K ? Which brand & model should I look for if I want something that refreshes and smooths an edge almost as well as .5 CrOx ?

How many razors have you honed on pasted strops that has caused you to dislike them?

If you are cleaning off old paste you are putting way too much on.

Lynn

Please correct me if I am wrong-

Its my understanding a diamond paste of .5 is harder/harsher and can be/should be followed up with CrOx even if the diamond is .25 follow it with .5 CrOx cause it that much smoother-

If paste will keep me away from hones longer then I am down with them-

Under magnification there are no lines left on the blade so it appears
to work where I could not get with a 8K hone which is the max I have.

Originally Posted by Lynn

How many razors have you honed on pasted strops that has caused you to dislike them?

If you are cleaning off old paste you are putting way too much on.

Lynn

Just 1. And only about 6-8 sessions. However, it was enough for me to see I liked hones better for razors. (For my micro-carving tools I prefer pasted paddle strops for polishing, but those tools have .8-1.2 mm thick stock and are probably around .25-.33mm thick 2mm's from the edge, so applying some pressure works well.)

Thanks for the technique tip. I'll try less compound. I usually use the minimum amount to fill in the texture on the strop. Maybe I also need a different paddle &/or compound. I'm using the same strop & compound I use for polishing my micro-carving tools. The strop is 1.5mm thick leather (no give), rough side out but sanded to around 150 grit texture, on a hard oak paddle and Flexcut gold compound (which is a .5 coumpound in a chalk crayon type of binder). Would a smooth side out stop, and compound in that comes as an oil make a lot of difference for polishing SR's ?