Paste.

I'm a newbie so I may be posting this in the wrong place, but since paste seems to be closer to a hone than a strop, here we are.
I realize you need a strop before you even put the razor near your face, and I know that after a short while the razor will eventually need to be honed again. Where the hell does strop paste fit into the process? Is it just another small step between honing and stropping? Is it a mandatory item to have? Thanks in advance for the help. No matter how much of this I feel like I'm doing..... :deadhorse: ,it seems everyone has been more than happy to pitch in with advice and knowledge.

Using strop paste is the same idea as using a hone, it's removing metal off of the edge to sharpen it. Usually pastes are used to put the final edge on a razor, or to do a minor touch-up. Chromium oxide is a very popular such paste, as it's particles are only 0.5 microns, so pretty fine. It can be used at the end of a honing progression in lieu of a finishing stone, or after one if you prefer the finish off of the paste. It is also great for a quick touch-up, as doing a few laps on a chromium oxide pasted strop will bring back a slightly dulled edge. There are other pastes you can use such as diamond pastes and they come in a variety of grits ranging from 6 microns (I think) down to 0.25 microns. There are other types, but not really being a user of pastes I cannot speak much to that.

The main difference between using a pasted strop and a hone for touch-ups is the type of stroke, as the pasted strop requires a stropping motion (i.e. spine leading) and the hone a edge leading stroke.

I hope that helps some of your questions. :)

It definitely answered the reason and time it's used portion. You said you're not a paste guy though, so you just go from hone to strop? Is paste another thing that's just a matter of personal preference?

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Originally Posted by SlickWillyTFCF

It definitely answered the reason and time it's used portion. You said you're not a paste guy though, so you just go from hone to strop? Is paste another thing that's just a matter of personal preference?

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I would say it's a personal preferrence. It's also much easier and cheaper than buying an expensive finishing hone. I'm not a paste guy since I much prefer the romance of finishing on a natural stone, and since getting my nakayama I know I'm never going back to pastes. :) But that's simply my preferrence and it would be much cheaper to just get a small packet of chromium oxide and paste a strop to get that high grit finish.

What grit is considered a finishing grit? So far it seems that most people use a 4000/8000 pyramid and finish with a barbers' hone. I know saying 'most people' may not be correct since there's probably 10,000 ways to hone and get a shave ready razor. Is there an average grit for barbers' hones? Oh, you mentioned Nakayama, are japanese hones of a higher quality than other hones?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SlickWillyTFCF

What grit is considered a finishing grit? So far it seems that most people use a 4000/8000 pyramid and finish with a barbers' hone. I know saying 'most people' may not be correct since there's probably 10,000 ways to hone and get a shave ready razor. Is there an average grit for barbers' hones? Oh, you mentioned Nakayama, are japanese hones of a higher quality than other hones?

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I think anything about 8000 or higher is generally considered a finishing grit. As far as barber hones go, they vary from coarse to fine depending on make and type, so it really depends what kind you have for those. You should check out this thread if you're interested in some different types of barber hones: http://straightrazorpalace.com/basic...teristics.html

I can't give my Nakayama a grit rating, since it's a natural, all I can say is that it is well above 8000. Japanese hones vary too, so it once again depends what kind you are talking about. I don't know much about them at all, so I can't really talk about that. Nakayama hones are generally of high quality, I got mine from OLD_SCHOOL (who does know about Japanese hones and tests them) here as did other members here.