Thread: The Slartibartfast Pasted Balsa Strop

Originally Posted by Chris L

You're going to love what that does to your edges. Be sure to wipe the spine of your razors well for about a month or two after stropping on the oil pasted chrome ox. It take awhile for it to dry and sink in to the balsa. If you have a very nice strop like a Tony Miller that you don't want to taint, I wouldn't go from pasted balsa to really nice looking strop since even after wiping the spine (and if done veeery carefully the bevels) you'll still have a residual amount of the green stuff that will come off the blade.

Report back on this post about how your edges are!

I'd do only 10 passes on that strop, then 30+ on leather and test shave. Resist the temptation to do too many passes on the chrome ox, especially when it's fresh.

Just some extra tips.

Chris L

Thanks! That is your CrO powder on that strop

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

Thanks! That is your CrO powder on that strop

The zip loc baggies did look familiar.

Chris L

Looks good. I think I may want to try that someday...I have a few of those little green baggies lying around too!

Yeah.. so I just used this. I think this is about 4" wide You could probably try to find a smaller width of balsa

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

Yeah.. so I just used this. I think this is about 4" wide You could probably try to find a smaller width of balsa

That's really wide! I would turn it around every once in a while so both halves (length-wise) get even wear.

Originally Posted by StraightRazorDave

That's really wide! I would turn it around every once in a while so both halves (length-wise) get even wear.

The plus side is that it is hard not to get the entire blade. Touched up the razor this morning with it and got a great shave.

Hmmm what grit of sand paper would folks suggest for flattening the balsa? or I suppose more importantly how would you suggest ensuring no residual grit remains post lapping? (Don't want my 16,000grit refined edge ramming into an 80 grit boulder)

Also my honing station is a flat marble desk that I intended to just place the balsa upon w/o mounting it to a tile does anyone with more experience see this presenting a major problem?