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Just checking if anybody else does this. :)
This is not my regular strop but my "touch-up" strop (in place of paste). I use slurry from an extremely fine natural Chinese water stone. It gives very good results for me, and the edge is a little less harsh than what I got previously with diamond paste (but I may have used that incorrectly. Didn't like it anyway)
I use CrOx but hey, if this works for you and you are satisified, who cares what everybody does? It's YOUR face
Well now, haven't heard of this. I now have a new technique to try.
When people create slurry on a hone like the Guangxi, they do so because the slurry helps the hone cut faster. If you want to get the finest edge possible from a hone, you start with slurry and then keep diluting the slurry until you are honing with clear water. Thus, by putting slurry on your touch-up strop, you are not even achieving the same fineness you could get from the hone by itself using water. However, it would work rather quickly.
Many people find edges honed on diamond pastes or sprays to be harsh. The alternative of Chromium Oxide has already been mentioned. The other good alternative is Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) which is available in both pastes and sprays.
I use strops with 0.5 micron and 0.25 micron paste. It creates a keen edge, without the harshness often associated with diamond sprays. I have not seen a 0.1 micron CBN paste, but 0.1 micron sprays are available. I have not yet tried the spray.
Wow,.......why not??
That's a neat idea. How did you go from hone to strop with the slurry?
That may seem logical, but I have found that it simply doesn't work that way in practice. Maybe it's because the grains of slurry are partly embedded in the fibers of the strop, or maybe because the razor goes the other way over the strop versus the stone. Not sure. The feel you get is very different (well that's how it works for me anyway).Quote:
Originally Posted by RayClem
I normally put a tiny amount of oil on my strop (rub it on my hands than rub hands on the strop). Then I work up a slurry with my hone and slurry stone (keep in mind, this is a very fine stone). I apply tiny amounts of slurry to the strop using the slurry stone, and then work it in with my fingers, to even it out. Let dry, test a bit with your thumb to see that it feels even, and strop a few times.Quote:
Originally Posted by dinnermint
After this I go to a fabric strop, and then pure leather.
I had not thought about the cushioning aspect of the leather. Perhaps the embedded particles sharpen just like the particles embedded in the stone itself would do.Quote:
Originally Posted by trondsi
Normally, slate hones need to be used with some type of lubricant. Perhaps by mixing the slurry with oil, the oil coats the abrasive particles and provides the lubrication needed.Quote:
Originally Posted by trondsi
Interesting idea. I do not know if it would be better than more conventional pastes and sprays, but I love trying various abrasive pastes and substrates, so I sounds like I will have another strop to experiment with in my future. I might stop off at the hobby store today and pick up a piece of leather. I normally use my pasted strops flat, so I will glue the leather to a backing.
BTW, I forgot to mention that the slurry is made with water, but yes does mix a bit with the oil on the strop. The reason why I thought of putting oil on the strop was that the watery slurry could otherwise make the strop dry and crack (like leather boots that never get any polish). It is very possible that the oil has other effects as well.
Let me know how it goes, if you try it out. Also, don't forget to mention what kind of stone you took the slurry from. :)
Years ago, I went through the pasted obsession and pasted most any fine gritty substance from slurry, pigments, cleansing powders and metal polishes, on a variety of substrates.
They all work, to a degree and depending on what you are trying to achieve, polish vs edge straightness/comfort.
The problem with using slurry is, you do not know what the grit is or size. As opposed to using known grit, of known size. These days I use Chromium Oxide, Cerium Oxide, Diamonds, Metal polish, (3m or Maas) and CBN. CBN the most, almost daily.
If you want to experiment paste cardboard, inside of a cereal of shirt box, it is inexpensive and most like leather but easy to acquire and inexpensive if it does not work.
Also with any paste, results will vary dramatically, with the substrate. Leather is very different from Balsa for example.
But, and most important, if it is working for you… Rock On.
I just thought of something:
One reason why I like to use slurry from a fine stone as a paste is that it feels like it is less harsh. I suspect that the particles themselves are rounded. This makes sense, because in contrast the diamond particles (in sprays and paste) are so hard that they will keep their sharp angles, while the natural stone is obviously made from softer particles. Furthermore, the way I obtain these particles (using the slurry stone) is also likely to roll the particles into a rounded shape.
So I have to ask you guys: what is the finest grit natural stone out there? I think my stone is considered approximately 12 000 or so.
What are you basing that estimate on?
I believe the guy who sold it told me, but I looked it up again. No idea how accurate this is but is a fine grit for sure.
I used my slurry strop to revive my DD Wonderedge razor, and holy smokes does this technique work wonders. The blade is now super sharp, but again, I get the feeling that this is far less harsh on my skin than some pastes and sprays out there. Can't wait to see some others try this out. :)
Be careful, I heard slurry on the strop will cause carbon steel to rust ............ :p ............ :rofl2:
:rant:Grrr.... :( not funny :rant:Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
;)