Thread: Another Paste Question

"So the red would be going backwards. But after 12k a paste is really not necessary. I do like to use Crox as a final polish."

Even after using the razor for a while? I think I;m having trouble understanding bevel angles, wear, etc.

As part of your regimen to maintain the razor's edge you can use the 12k about once a week. After time, the 12k might not be enough so you need to go to a lower grit or micron, such as using the DOVO red paste.

Eventually, the bevel needs to be reset to obtain an edge which requires even lower grit. Bevel resetting, as I understand, cannot be done with paste. You must use a stone. However, you can keep an edge going for a long time using a 12k stone and DOVO red/green paste. Or once you get comfortable you move to a stone like the Norton 4/8.

As far as bevel angles, this is created naturally by placing the razor on the stone and honing. It is built into the design. Once a bevel is formed you will get an edge. You can even get a great edge off a 1k grit stone because that is where the bevel is set and thus the edge is created. The rest of the steps are for refining and maintaining the razor.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by danxaz

"So the red would be going backwards. But after 12k a paste is really not necessary. I do like to use Crox as a final polish."

Even after using the razor for a while? I think I;m having trouble understanding bevel angles, wear, etc.

Is interesting to note,most of the true honemeisters on this site have done a huge amt.of testing on pastes and sprays.
But do they use them on a regular basis?
I would bet not,can pastes and sprays re-fresh an edge? to a point perhaps.Are pastes and sprays a panacea to a true finishing Hone?
do they work long term? what is the allure newbs have for pastes and sprays? and why? Cost? assumed ease of use?
I have tried all the pastes and sprays. They do things to a point,I wanted easy,quik.I found my finishing hones to be far superior, Albiet far more difficult to master,just takes time.carry on.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Is interesting to note,most of the true honemeisters on this site have done a huge amt.of testing on pastes and sprays.
But do they use them on a regular basis?
I would bet not,can pastes and sprays re-fresh an edge? to a point perhaps.Are pastes and sprays a panacea to a true finishing Hone?
do they work long term? what is the allure newbs have for pastes and sprays? and why? Cost? assumed ease of use?
I have tried all the pastes and sprays.

I don't know about now, but for some time, Lynn was going to a diamond spray on hard wool felt to finish all of his razors. Perhaps he will comment on his findings and whether or not he's still doing so.

I sometimes finish with chrome ox on the SRD webbing. I like it a lot, and have received positive feedback on it from others. I really don't think it matters how a razor is finished, paste vs hone, but maybe I simply have not experimented enough.

Paste can definitely refresh an edge, if its not too far gone, though maybe not indefinitely. I would say a pasted strop is definitely easier to use and definitely less expensive than the average finishing hone.

To respond to the OP, there is more to the equation, be it with pastes or hones, than just the grit rating. How the grit wears, how much the grit is exposed above the binder/material, the shape of the grit, how fast the binder breaks down to expose more/fresh grit, how flexible the surface is (more for strops), etc etc all matter. In order to figure out what works where for you, you'll need to experiment. You can definitely draw off of the experience of others, and you can use grit ratings as a guide, but grit ratings are not the end all and be all of it.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I don't know about now, but for some time, Lynn was going to a diamond spray on hard wool felt to finish all of his razors. Perhaps he will comment on his findings and whether or not he's still doing so.

I sometimes finish with chrome ox on the SRD webbing. I like it a lot, and have received positive feedback on it from others. I really don't think it matters how a razor is finished, paste vs hone, but maybe I simply have not experimented enough.

Paste can definitely refresh an edge, if its not too far gone, though maybe not indefinitely. I would say a pasted strop is definitely easier to use and definitely less expensive than the average finishing hone.

To respond to the OP, there is more to the equation, be it with pastes or hones, than just the grit rating. How the grit wears, how much the grit is exposed above the binder/material, the shape of the grit, how fast the binder breaks down to expose more/fresh grit, how flexible the surface is (more for strops), etc etc all matter. In order to figure out what works where for you, you'll need to experiment. You can definitely draw off of the experience of others, and you can use grit ratings as a guide, but grit ratings are not the end all and be all of it.

I can't figure out what that other guy is even talking about Dylan and his bet is not out of any kind of familiar knowledge in my opinion. I think the guy is just contrary sometimes because this is the internet. Us old guys can just be contrary sometimes don't cha know..... I think the biggest problem with pastes and sprays, especially for new guys is that they use either too much media, too many strokes or too much pressure.

In any case, I still use both .5 micron diamond spray and chromium oxide spray and paste all on felt for the most part these days. Occasionally, I will use the chromium oxide crayon on the poly webbing or cotton canvas too. I still find that 4-5 strokes at the end of a honing regiment unless I am using a 20K or 30K stone adds that little extra smooth and sharp to an edge. I still also find that 4-7 strokes is a sweet spot for refreshing when a razor starts to pull and can be done about once a month for a long time before needing to go back to the finishing hone, YMMV. I still hone razors 4-6 hours a day almost 7 days a week, so I can only give you my opinion on what works for me, but I can tell you that if something does not provide results consistently, it does not last long over here unless I am just experimenting.

You can shave off an 8K comfortably. You can shave off a 12K or finishing stone more comfortably. On the finishing stones and even higher grit finishing stones, YMMV depending on your ability, the razor and your agenda.

Have fun.

Lynn,do you use pastes and sprays on all the blades you hone??

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Lynn,do you use pastes and sprays on all the blades you hone??

I don't as on most of them I finish with a 20K or 30K stone these days. Sometimes if one is just not how I like it, I might do one or two strokes on a sprayed chromium oxide felt strop I have hanging in the laboratory to get it there. If that doesn't work, back to the hones. I used to do 10 strokes religiously on either .5 micron diamond spray or chromium oxide after the finishing stone simply because I like the results and the consistency. It's not that you can't get a nice shave off just the stones, but this is just my preference for a better edge and shave based on my experience.

The only other thing I can say here is that I have found that what is working today, may not work as well tomorrow or something may come along that works better for you. I think that's why I still keep experimenting even though the process I use today is working so well. Not 100% but close. There is always one where the bevel wasn't right or something just didn't work on that razor and another go around is needed, but it's not often. The other thing is that many razors shave differently based on size, width, balance, wear and even the way they are pinned. So many variables. I think that's why it can be so hard for new guys considering some of the razors I am seeing them try to hone and shave with.

Have fun.

I've got a friend in south Jersey who has two grits of the Dovo paste and he really has had some great edges off of it. I have no experience with them but I'm hoping to try out one of his pasted strops the next time I see him.

If I were buying Dovo paste, I'd try to get the finest one, or the two finest. Do a few strokes on it and see what happens.

Michael