Thread: Is pasted stropping necessary?

So I think I will be buying this:
Razor Strops, Hones, and Accessories

And then applying 0.5 diamond paste and 0.25 diamond paste on the two sides.
Or is it better to go with 1.0 and 0.5?

Let it be known the I am looking for the sharpest edge possible, its like the holy grail for me to get the edge as sharp as I possible can as a human.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

You should be good to go after your 12000 stone. Some ballpark
numbers:

3 Micron Diamond (8,000 grit)
1 Micron Diamond (14,000 grit)

Does that mean that 3.0 diamond = 8.000 grit stone? Or that after using 8.000 grit stone I should use 3.0 diamond paste?
Or how am I suppose to read it?

Can anyone tell me what grit the different diamond pastes is equal to?

1.0, 0.5, 0.25?

Maybe this glasstone can do the trick?
Razor Strops, Hones, and Accessories

Does anyone have experience with these glasstones?

And one more question, please bare with me:

Is diamond paste oily? When applying diamondpaste or other paste, should you mix the paste with oily paste used for non pasted strops (the yellow paste from dovo)?

The diamond spray (diamond particle suspended in liquid media) when used with felt or cotton provides a cushion for the abrasive taking some of the harshness out of the feel of the result. This is actually what I use every day when honing.

Diamond paste (diamond suspended in pasting type media) is just that. It is a paste that you spread on. I find it works best on leather and to use the smallest amount possible. You really don't want to even be able to see it on the surface. I find that by using less, there is less harshness in the result as well. I am not a fan of Balsa at all, but this is just personal preference. I do like a wider surface like the 3 inch for either the pastes or sprays as it makes it easier for consistent application across the blade.

Have fun,

Lynn

Lynn: Thx. Did I understand you correctly, you apply diamond spray to your hones?

I started straight razor honing with a vintage barbers hone and an untreated leather strop. Now, I use Naniwa Superstones. The other day, just for grins, I honed on the barbers hone and went straight to the strop and then shaved. No problem.

That being said, I like using a painted strop between my Naniwa hones and the unpasted leather strop. A few passes on 0.3 micron CrOx or 0.25 micron diamond seems to sharpen the blade more quickly than the untreated leather (of course!), while leaving the edge with a truer bevel. Then, the untreated leather finishes the sharpening, but smooths as well.

On the other hand, sometimes I get the feeling that a sharp edge is a sharp edge, and that we needlessly "science" this to death!

The felt hanger is a piece of hard wool felt in a hanging strop configuration. If you get the modular you'll get felt and leather that can be used with the modular paddle among other surfaces available. Give Don a call at SRD and he can fill you in on the finer points as he is expert in their use.

Aha. So the spray should be applied on "felt" which is another material then leather. And the felt comes with the paddle.
Ty.

Lynn: I am very much considering buying the paddle (link above) from you. Did I understand it correctly, that the diamond spray does not go well on leather, but that it should be applied to "felt" (i guess felt is some kind of textile), and that the felt are the white parts included in the sale?