Thread: diamond spray on balsa strop?

Right now I have a barber's hone (which I use to some mixed success, I'm still working on my technique) and a balsa strop with green 0.5 micron CrOx powder (which I use to a bit more success). I'd like to make up another balsa strop, but this time with diamond spray.

Any recommendations? I've been looking at 1.0 micron and 0.25 micron diamond spray from SRD. I'm not sure how each of these would fit in with my current setup. Should I go barber's hone, 1.0 micron diamond, 0.5 micron CrOx? Or am I better off going barber's hone, 0.5 micron CrOx, 0.25 micron diamond?

All opinions are appreciated.

Originally Posted by mdwright

Right now I have a barber's hone (which I use to some mixed success, I'm still working on my technique) and a balsa strop with green 0.5 micron CrOx powder (which I use to a bit more success). I'd like to make up another balsa strop, but this time with diamond spray.

Any recommendations? I've been looking at 1.0 micron and 0.25 micron diamond spray from SRD. I'm not sure how each of these would fit in with my current setup. Should I go barber's hone, 1.0 micron diamond, 0.5 micron CrOx? Or am I better off going barber's hone, 0.5 micron CrOx, 0.25 micron diamond?

All opinions are appreciated.

i doubt the idea to use diamond spray on balsa is a right solution.
I think diamond spray a little pricey to put on Balsa.
i know srd had some strop to use diamond sprays(felt) i think but don't hang me on that i could be wrong.
Balsa will eat up more diamond spray then you like to.
hope this helps

Diamond compounds on any surface w/ no give to it (like balsa) can be harsh. You're better off getting hard felt for the sprays.

I use .5 micron diamond spray on a balsa strop with no problems, but I use a very light touch, and no more than 10 passes.

I've played around with these and keep one of each mounted in a Craftsman vise workbench thingy covered to keep dust off. I use them rarely. Why? Balsa doesn't stay flat and I'm a fanatic about flatness. I don't like the feel of a blade honed on diamond anything on my face. Could be I'm just sensitive. I don't like the CrOx as the stuff is pretty toxic and I find it messy. Nonetheless, about 2 or 3x a year I'll get a blade that just won't finish right on anything and usually one pass on the diamond and one on the chrome ox will fix it. Don't know why and it is a rare occurrence. The diamond on the balsa is .5 micron.

The consensus seems to be that diamond spray on balsa is not the best option.

I have 2 balsa strops, unused. Should I go with another paste other than the 0.5 CrOx that I already have?

Or should I go with a paddle strop with diamond spray?

Please recommend.

I'm not crazy about Balsa myself. If you have a Tandy leather by you, You can really get some nice pieces of leather, 3 inches wide by 4 feet, Cheap...Heck, they even have a scrap bin in most stores, and may hook you up...My point is, I think you'd get much better results if you used your sprays and crox on some leather or even the wool felt.

The Diamond spray excels on SRD's Hard Wool Felt. I use the .50 diamond spary. Two light coats, One coat, let dry overnight, second coat, dry overnight...and then your good to go...Ten lapps, and you have a great, velvet squegee edge on your already shave ready blade....

Too bad someone hasn't made up Garnet sprays instead of Diamond. A garnet is shaped like a ball with faceted sides to it, not too unlike a soccer ball, but imagine that it has slight flat spots that are all over it, kind of mutifaceted, and look a bit like they do at this link: GARNET natural crystals Diamond crystals, on the other hand, are like two pyramids, like in Egypt, put bottom to bottom together and are quite different than a garnet in shape. Diamond would be the more agressive cutter in a media, and garnet, a gentler cut.

Years of being a rock hound in western Nebraska....

Now that I posted, it gave me an idea. I took a small Belgian yellow coticule I have and rubbed it on the felt of the new strop I got, the "Big Daddy" 3" I got from Star Shaving Supplied. I just rubbed it on the felt part. I don't know how much transferred over but later on I'll give it a try and see if there is any measurable difference.

Originally Posted by Gibbs

Too bad someone hasn't made up Garnet sprays instead of Diamond. A garnet is shaped like a ball with faceted sides to it, not too unlike a soccer ball, but imagine that it has slight flat spots that are all over it, kind of mutifaceted, and look a bit like they do at this link: GARNET natural crystals Diamond crystals, on the other hand, are like two pyramids, like in Egypt, put bottom to bottom together and are quite different than a garnet in shape. Diamond would be the more agressive cutter in a media, and garnet, a gentler cut.

Years of being a rock hound in western Nebraska....

Now that I posted, it gave me an idea. I took a small Belgian yellow coticule I have and rubbed it on the felt of the new strop I got, the "Big Daddy" 3" I got from Star Shaving Supplied. I just rubbed it on the felt part. I don't know how much transferred over but later on I'll give it a try and see if there is any measurable difference.

The thing is that the abrasives used by shavers are really industrial lapping and polishing compounds. The abrasives that seem to use garnet tend to be a bit course for finishing razors at for example here has 5 micron.

I remember hearing about some place coming up with Chromium Oxide spray as an alternative to the diamond............

Originally Posted by Gibbs

Too bad someone hasn't made up Garnet sprays instead of Diamond. A garnet is shaped like a ball with faceted sides to it, not too unlike a soccer ball, but imagine that it has slight flat spots that are all over it, kind of mutifaceted, and look a bit like they do at this link: GARNET natural crystals Diamond crystals, on the other hand, are like two pyramids, like in Egypt, put bottom to bottom together and are quite different than a garnet in shape. Diamond would be the more agressive cutter in a media, and garnet, a gentler cut.

Years of being a rock hound in western Nebraska....

Now that I posted, it gave me an idea. I took a small Belgian yellow coticule I have and rubbed it on the felt of the new strop I got, the "Big Daddy" 3" I got from Star Shaving Supplied. I just rubbed it on the felt part. I don't know how much transferred over but later on I'll give it a try and see if there is any measurable difference.