Thread: Balsa Prep

Uninformed question.
The Balsa I find seems quite smooth as purchased. What, if any further sanding or prep is needed for use as a strop before applying abrasives?

I suppose you could sand it with whatever degrees of fine sandpaper you have available. You could also take a newspaper and use that to buff the heck out of it. As you said, it comes pretty smooth so necessary prep is likely minimal. Personally, I hate what balsa does to edges.

Would you like something better?

Pitch the balsa and use the inside layer of a cereal box. Attach that to a flat board and even that is a better surface than balsa, in my opinion.

Want something even better?
Spring for some hard felt!

As someone who has never used balsa, I would want to make sure that it is lapped flat before anything else.

Gentlemen, Thank You both!

Utopian, the cerial box - are to meaning the uncoated cardboard of the box itself? I've seen cardboard used.

I have to go against my own thinking to even mess w/ sprays or pastes, but don't wish to remain ignorant about them.

So Balsa would seem to have a distinct affect that you don't like. Harshness? Brittle or frail edges?

Felt: 'would certainly give the most cushion to the edge. Maybe even make larger abrasives work (like slurry from a Coti?)

Maybe best to simply ask what your fav setups are for using pastes/sprays. Felt, okay - which pastes or sprays have you liked best? Maybe w/ a word on what they provide that your like.

Again, I appreciate your help.

I have used balsa & chromium oxide together. It seems to do the needful. May the needful be done for you in many ways.

I use chromium oxide on balsa, and also iron oxide on balsa. I also use diamond on felt. I don't think you have to choose one or the other, but I believe they are somewhat complementary surfaces.

Originally Posted by pinklather

Utopian, the cerial box - are to meaning the uncoated cardboard of the box itself? I've seen cardboard used.

So Balsa would seem to have a distinct affect that you don't like. Harshness? Brittle or frail edges?

Yes, the uncoated cardboard surface that faces the cereal is a nice smooth free (if you eat that crap) surface that works just fine.

Personally, in my opinion only, the balsa is not a good surface for pastes. It seemed to produce a more harsh edge. I experimented with it for quite a while and did not like the microscopic damage it did to edges in comparison to pasted linen, leather, or felt. Others seem to like it though.

I have written this a few times and heard it quite a few more times, and seen it even more over the last few years...

New Guy to pastes: I want to try a pasted strop but I don't want to spend too much

"Expert": Well you can put the paste on balsa and that works but I think pastes are harsh..

New Guy: Oh yeah great idea..

Takes the balsa and applies (over applies more like it) Diamond / CrOx /Whatever and proceeds to try this set up usually over using it too....

2 months later

Another New guy to pastes : I want to try a pasted strop

Former new guy to pastes: Oh man I tried pastes but the Diamond is way to harsh but you can try it on balsa and it won't cost ya too much...


And so it goes

Felt = Least harsh
Linen/webbing
Leather
Balsa =Most harsh

If you think honing has variables, here is an eye opener, so does paste

The common wisdom seems to be pretty harsh toward pastes and balsa. I can't agree. You can misuse diamond on felt, or chromium on linen, or plain leather, or almost anything.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I have written this a few times and heard it quite a few more times, and seen it even more over the last few years...

Yes! I hope its no surprise that I remember your kind help here in another post - to the point I copied and saved it for reference. Its appreciated more than I can say.

What I'm hearing most is that the pliable strop (felt>leather) is the consensus of the experienced guys. My hones don't seem to be giving me issues w/ harshness, so I'm guessing that messing w/ some diamond spray would be possible without getting too carnivorous. More guys seem to complain of harshness w/ .25micron spray vs the .5 micron. I'm sure either could be overdone. Would there be a rule of thumb about how many strokes, assuming .5m diamond on an SRD Felt strop? I'm thinking last strokes after stones.