Thread: Am I still the only one who puts slurry on the strop?

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?

Originally Posted by RayClem

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. ....

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).

Originally Posted by dinnermint

That's a neat idea. How did you go from hone to strop with the slurry?

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.

After this I go to a fabric strop, and then pure leather.

Originally Posted by trondsi

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).

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.

Originally Posted by trondsi

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.
.

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.

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.