First time using diamond spray

Well on saturday my SRD modular paddle strop came in and I was really looking forward to using the diamond spray. I have a 5/8 dovo black star in red pakka scales that needed to be touched up. Out of the razors i purchased from SRD this one wasn't quite as sharp as the others I have received but it still did the job so I never sent it back to be honed again. Anyways, this afternoon I did 10 light passes on the wool felt treated with the diamond spray followed by about 60 passes on the leather and went on to shave. It almost feels like the diamond spray may have chipped the toe of the razor. Is this even possible? As a result I got a few knicks during the shave today. Where should I go from here, Im not really sure how to tackle this?

That's just odd... and a let down. Not sure it matters, but what micron spray were you using?

pwm,

So you feel that the razor is a little duller at the toe than it was before?; or sharper yet you feel something scratchy? Either way, it's impossible for me to tell what happened just from reading the post. My guess would be that the spine of the razor lifted slightly during stropping.

If you have a loupe, you can look at the toe to see the edge a little better. Maybe it's reflecting light from the very edge at the toe end but not towards the heel?

Van Gogh (earcutter),

My paddle came with a bottle of (unlableled) 0.5 micron spray.

Michael

I was using 15 Carat .5 Diamond Spray that came with with the modular paddle. The bottle was SRD if brand makes any difference. Im starting to think what if i moved the razor while stropping and pressure ended up being applied to the toe causing it to chip. I dont have loupe so I cant really see what happened but I do know something is off.

Something sharper and scratchy. Perfect way to put it.

My first thought was that some feel the diamond sprays make the edges harsh. That being said, if it's only the toe, must be something else. Do you have a camera that can take a close up? That may help you and us see what's going on.

I do but wont be able to get to that till tomorrow afternoon. I have a big exam tomorrow and well I already spent enough time procrastinating today. Photography is a hobby of mine and if I start taking pictures there goes my exam lol.

I fiddled with Diamond spray,I think you can take out an edge very easy with that stuff.

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

I fiddled with Diamond spray,I think you can take out an edge very easy with that stuff.

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Take out? As in damage it? Hmm. Haven't had a chance to try it. I'll have to keep that in mind if I do.

If the edge is actually chipped, it is doubtful that it came from applying the .5 diamond on felt. Many people get small nicks on their razors from hitting them on faucets, sinks and whatnot including the scales and never notice it happening. Straight razors have very delicate edges and it doesn't take much. I have done this myself never did figure out what I did.

I usually recommend spraying on the .5 diamond 6-8 inches away from the felt going up and down the felt strop twice. Then let the felt dry over night, ready for use the next day. This application is usually good for 12-24 uses.

I used to recommend 10 weight of the blade stropping strokes on the felt for refreshes and after honing, but have been more and more going to around 5 strokes. If needed after testing, maybe a couple more. Following the stropping on .5 diamond, I usually do 20 strokes on my poly webbing followed by 50-60 on leather. It is really important when doing the stropping, like honing to make sure the entire blade edge and spine are on the felt evenly as you drag the razor back and forth for your stropping strokes. Uneven or too much pressure will definitely effect the results.

Have fun.

What I meant was, you can ruin an edge with improper technique,true with any pastes/sprays,not physically chip it.
I find CBN on a leather paddle to be more forgiving and easier (For me) to use and get the results I want.

Sorry about not getting the picture up Gents. The exam didn't go so well and well my only option left was alcohol (laphroaig). Tomorrow though I will post the picture up for sure. Thank you all for the help thus far.

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Originally Posted by pwm5024

Well on saturday my SRD modular paddle strop came in and I was really looking forward to using the diamond spray. I have a 5/8 dovo black star in red pakka scales that needed to be touched up. Out of the razors i purchased from SRD this one wasn't quite as sharp as the others I have received but it still did the job so I never sent it back to be honed again. Anyways, this afternoon I did 10 light passes on the wool felt treated with the diamond spray followed by about 60 passes on the leather and went on to shave. It almost feels like the diamond spray may have chipped the toe of the razor. Is this even possible? As a result I got a few knicks during the shave today. Where should I go from here, Im not really sure how to tackle this?

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Well the 0.5 micron spray did not chip the edge it is just too fine.
My guess is that you caught something while stropping or handling
the razor.

It is also possible that the toe is now sharp enough to get you.

I would give it a bright light inspection. In daylight see if light
reflects off the edge or if there is an interruption of the bevel.
I use a small jeweler loupe and in bright light it tells me a lot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pwm5024

As a result I got a few knicks during the shave today. Where should I go from here, Im not really sure how to tackle this?

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If the edge is chipped it is surely contact damage. If you are getting weepers you need to at least halve the laps on the diamond sprayed felt. It is very easy to make or break an edge with this medium. Going back to your finishing stone for 5 or 6 laps may resolve the issue but I'm keen to see any magnified pics you can take.

My apologies for not getting any pictures up, turns out this week is keeping busy. I had to shave this morning and I decided to give the razor 5 laps on a babers hone and strop it on the leather for abou 100 laps. Seems to have done the trick as that sharp spot is gone. I noticed originally after using the paste that the edge would catch light near the toe as niftyshaving mentioned. After this morning it no longer does that and the razor is still sharp and gave me BBS shave today. Thank you all for the help, its greatly appreciated!

Cool,

Hope the next exam goes better too!!! :tu

Have fun

As an aside, I did just that this week, put a slightly shiny flat spot on one of my razors, a nice Dovo.
It took doing circles of about 60 total on my Norton 4K, then I just polished as usual for me.
The shave was very good and close and no more shiny spot on the razor's edge!