Thread: Noob question on pastes and sprays

Originally Posted by EthanAThomas

I am about a month into learning how to shave with a straight razor. I am noticing some tugging and pulling with my razor now that standard strapping is not taking care of (prior to each shave I do ten passes on poly webbing and fifty pass on leather). I suspect poor shaving and stropping technique has dulled my blade. I want to try refreshing my razor and had some questions. Is there a difference between what chromium oxide and diamond spray will do? Or are they just different means to the same end? I also see that there are different grades of diamond spray. Do people use multiple grades of the diamond spray to get finer edges? Finally, would you recommend a noob like me try diamond spray or chromium oxide first? Thanks, Ethan

I don't think there's anything wrong with your technique if you got a month's worth of good shaves.

I like diamond spray .50 micron when I need to refresh the blade. I would spray it on a canvas other than the one I use every day.

I am in the Cincinnati, OH area. I am considering buying a modular paddle strop in addition to my hanging strop to try different pastes and make stropping easier.

Originally Posted by EthanAThomas

I am considering buying a modular paddle strop in addition to my hanging strop to try different pastes and make stropping easier.

do it. I did and it was a game changer in my learning curve!

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

do it. I did and it was a game changer in my learning curve!

+1 to the SRD Modular paddle.
Not only for touching up, but as an every day and travel strop.
Gssixgun has a great thread on maintaining a razor using a schedule of paste touch ups that I used as a guide.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I decided to buy a modular paddle and some diamond and chromium oxide sprays.
Regards,
Ethan

Originally Posted by Euclid440

The damage to your edge can possibly be corrected by proper stropping, but paste will do so much quicker. .5 Diamond is great for reviving an edge and Chrome Oxide for smoothing and weekly maintenance, will keep you shaving for a long, long time, years.

This should be emphasized...years, without honing. We may choose to do otherwise if we want (I'll admit to honing perfectly good razors just out of curiosity for what a stone does), but even a good vintage linen and leather should allow an experienced shaver to go 6 months with any razor (I have done that, before razor purchasing excesses) and probably a year for a good razor. An experienced shaver with chrome ox could probably go indefinitely...until some future decade where they bumped the razor accidentally and dinged the edge.

Originally Posted by MJC

+1 to the SRD Modular paddle.
Not only for touching up, but as an every day and travel strop.
Gssixgun has a great thread on maintaining a razor using a schedule of paste touch ups that I used as a guide.

Link to the thread please?

Originally Posted by RedGladiator

Link to the thread please?

The search box is your friend...

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...xperiment.html