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So...I'm a little confused as to what these pastes are for and what each kind is for.
I'm reading things like red and black and green pastes, diamond pastes, chromium pastes, etc.
What are they all for? Do they sharpen your blade not just strop it? Are they like a cheap solution to sharpening stones or do they just get you by until you can afford a stone?
Just wondering what they're all about. Thanks!
You rub them on a strop ( of varying types) and it helps keep your edge sharp and/or polishes it. Some would say that it's a finish grit after using a hone. Colors = grit and it goes by microns. 1.5, 1.0 , .05, etc.
A valid question. Most of the chromium oxide is green and is about .5 microns. The ferrous oxide is .25 microns. Cerium oxide is finer yet but I have no idea what the micron rating on it is. There are several other pastes from Theirs Issard and Dovo that are similar but I am not off the top of my head familiar with. They serve the same purpose and as 10Pups has already said they are applied to a strop for maintaining and edge or some use it as part of their finishing routine.
As you hone a razor bevel on a stone or any abrasive scratches/stria are formed on the bevel, the courser the abrasive the deeper the stria. Stria produces a jagged saw tooth edge, when viewed at magnification.
Everything, after bevel setting, (getting the bevels to meet in a sharp edge), is to polish the bevel, reduce the stria depth and straightening the edge for comfort and a bit more sharpness.
The straighter you can get an edge, the smoother, more comfortable the shave. Chromium Oxide, the most common beginning paste, is about 30k grit size and will smooth stria from most stones which top out at 10-12K.
Paste, can also sharpen/revive an edge. Grit size, Grit shape and substrate dictate how the paste will perform.
Paste have a love, hate relationship for many, I believe, because of the variety of paste available, most of which are designed for other use, not straight razor edge polishing and containing a variety of abrasives.
If you are going to paste, use a paste for Straight Razor use, sold by a quality straight razor supplier. Begin with Chrome Oxide, from Straight Razor Design, Kremer Pigment or Hand America. Most anything else is suspect. Do not cheap out on Chrome Oxide, good Chrome Ox is not that expensive. A very small amount is usually a life time supply.
Do not buy paste advertised by color, red, green, white, ect. Those are blends of abrasive and generally produce mixed results.
Much is written on pasting in, Strop and Stropping forums.
Their use is covered in this video http://http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=