Thread: A certain way to strop?

So, I have a hanging strop that has 2 strips of wool (felt?), on 1 side I have .25 micron diamond spray and on the other I have chromium oxide .5 micron spray. My question is: when I use these to freshen a razor, or after a hone (in the learning process), is there 1 that I have to use before the other in order to achieve the best results or does it matter. I have tried it both way but I can't tell the difference, probably because I am still learning. I would appreciate reading what you guys have to say. Thanks a lot.

I do not use sprays, however logic says in a progression you are going from coarse to fine, therefore the 1/2 micron and then the 1/4 micron.

owen88,

Instead of which to use first in a progression, I'd say, which one to use instead of the other. When you refresh or after honing, try just one of them. Try 5 laps and test shave. If that didn't seem to do the job try 5 more, or on the next refresh, etc. try 8 to 10 and test. 15 laps is the most I've used and that was on a very lightly treated crox strop. Laps will vary with how heavily the strop was treated with the abrasive. Also the edge will vary depending on which treatment you used. I find the diamond leaves a more crisp edge and the crox, for me, a more comfortable edge. But once again, how much was applied can vary these results.

Try this for each application and see what you get. It's a journey and testing/trying the variables is where the fun is, at least for me.

and great shaves!!

Best Regards,

Howard

Already great advice but if learning to hone use the edges off the stone so you know where your honing is at and can truly evaluate your honing. Pastes and sprays used after honing will not let you know what the edge is like off the stones but rather off what you used last.

I've found the .5 CrO and the .25 diamond pretty much do the same thing. The diamond tends to leave a harsher edge though. These days I reserve the diamond for harder steels which I think do better. For most razors I would prefer the CrO.

I think CrO2 is harsher than diamond spray. I've done both on balsa and prefer .5 diamond and stop there. It's the perfect balance between keen and smooth. .25 diamond is too sharp and harsh for me.