Balsa vs Felt

[Adam G.]

Okay - thought i'd open a can of worms.... For CrOx paste on a paddle strop {specifically} who prefers felt and who prefers balsa and why?
Adam

[thebigspendur]

Actually I prefer leather.

[JBHoren]

Actually I prefer leather.

LOL!!

Please note that I raise both hands for "felt".

[earcutter]

And... wait for it... I love using Balsa lol!! I have used leather, preferred balsa. And that preference is purely subjective.

[unit]

And I like none of the above. A few swipes on the finisher and then neckid leather for me.

Though I have used balsa in the past and it was nice, I like the 'crisp' feeling of an edge finished/touched up on a hone best.

Pure subjectivity

[TheLegalRazor]

I've been using felt on an SRD modular paddle strop with good results. However, I've read so many posts about balsa that I'm going to give it a try. I wish SRD made a balsa component for their modular strop.

[Lynn]

I think the sprays work best on the felt. I also feel that the pastes work best on either the linen or poly webbing of strops. I also have had good success with the pastes on the back side of leather strops. I have tried the balsa many times with both the pastes and sprays and just have never been a fan but that is purely my experience. Lot of personal preference on all this.

[JBHoren]

I think the sprays work best on the felt. I also feel that the pastes work best on either the linen or poly webbing of strops. I also have had good success with the pastes on the back side of leather strops. I have tried the balsa many times with both the pastes and sprays and just have never been a fan but that is purely my experience. Lot of personal preference on all this.

My problem (and I'd be surprised if it's not relevant to others, as well) is finding diamond sprays in lower-grit/higher-micron ratings. Yes, I know that SRD sells several -- 0.25-, 0.5, and 1.0-micron, if I'm not mistaken -- but I'll be darned if I can find 3-, 7-, 14-, 28-, 40-, 80-micron (or others) sprays (in any concentration, or quantity). I found that some pastes spread acceptably/usefully on felt, but way too many leave me with the feeling that I "sacrificed" too many 3"x11" pieces "for science". Any pointers?

[Maximilian]

Tried cro-ox on most materials and the balsa has been my workhorse for a long time. Works the best for me. For sprays I favor nano cloth. In the end you have to use whatever you feel gives you the best result and feedback making it a very personal choice.

[mrsell63]

Someday I will find a source for nano cloth that isn't out of stock!!!