Thread: Number of strokes on diamond spray?

So I got the modular paddle - a thing of great beauty, quality and functionallity.

I have 3 wool felts, with 1.0 micron, 0.5 micron and 0.25 micron diamond spray on them,

How many strokes do you recommend for each felt?

I dont have the 1m or the 0.25m sprays, but I when finish honing all I do is 10 strokes on the 0.5m diamond spray on denim, and 5 strokes on CrOx.

From what I've read and experienced with my razors, these pastes seem to work better with fewer strokes rather than more, so only do a few strokes on each. Then strop and test shave. If that doesnt do it, then do a few more strokes and retest.

Originally Posted by Stubear

I dont have the 1m or the 0.25m sprays, but when finish honing all I do is 10 strokes on the 0.5m diamond spray on denim, and 5 strokes on CrOx.

From what I've read and experienced with my razors, these pastes seem to work better with fewer strokes rather than more, so only do a few strokes on each. Then strop and test shave. If that doesnt do it, then do a few more strokes and retest.

If I do too many strokes on the diamond, do I need to go back to the hone again?

These sprays are abrasive, so it is possible to dull an edge with too many strokes. If you do too many strokes and overhone (for want of a better word! ) then you'll need to go back to the hones and resharpen the blade.

You'll be able to tell because when you test shave, the razor will pull or be uncomfortable to use, or simply wont remove the bristles well.

These sprays are literally just the final polish at the end of the honing to give that really smooth edge that will mean a great shave. As Lynn says, less strokes is better..!

Pastor,

It is possible to ruin an edge with 0.5 micron diamond. I have done it

I over applied the spray on a felt paddle and it swelled up in the middle.

I gave my Genco Fluid Steel 20 laps (no X strokes) on this, and the 'hump' in the strop removed enough steel in the middle of the blade to ruin the edge. Had to get the Genco re-honed !

When they work, these sprays work well, though I still do some laps on a CrOx paddle afterwards, as the edge is a little harsh for me straight off the diamond.

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

I use SRD's .50 Diamond Spray on wool felt and on an old NOS Linen Strop. I rotate them. I do 10 strokes, one time per razor. I use a Barber's hone too. This keeps me from honing for some time...Repeated use of any paste or spray can eventually dull the edge, and you'll need to hit the rocks....

In my experience when using felt with diamond, the blade becomes sharp very quickly, after a small number of passes. And, it moves past that sweet spot quickly also, becoming duller. The trick is to catch it at that sweet spot and move to the strop.

I use the HHT extensively now to tell me when to move from felt with diamond to the strop. It took a lot of experimentation to calibrate the behavior of my hair during the HHT with a finally sweet shaving blade. But, after some time, I knew that when my hair vibrated/cut in a particular way, it was time to move to the leather strop.

I feel that adding the HHT for me, calibrated by the shave test initially, saves me much time. And, improves the final product... the shaving edge.

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

In my experience when using felt with diamond, the blade becomes sharp very quickly, after a small number of passes. And, it moves past that sweet spot quickly also, becoming duller. The trick is to catch it at that sweet spot and move to the strop.

I use the HHT extensively now to tell me when to move from felt with diamond to the strop. It took a lot of experimentation to calibrate the behavior of my hair during the HHT with a finally sweet shaving blade. But, after some time, I knew that when my hair vibrated/cut in a particular way, it was time to move to the leather strop.

I feel that adding the HHT for me, calibrated by the shave test initially, saves me much time. And, improves the final product... the shaving edge.

So number of strokes?

Originally Posted by The_Pastor

So number of strokes?

Giving a number of passes is appropriate, because it gives someone new a ballpark idea. And, I will tell you my average number of passes on felt with diamond, even though my number might not be the right number for anyone else.

My average is about 8-10 passes. BUT....

* My felt pad is about 7 inches long.
* I use 0.25 micron diamond spray.
* I respray the felt pad lightly after every few razors and set it aside to dry.
* My passes are very light, X patterns mostly.

There are a lot of variables above! Change any of them and the number of passes will change also. So, my "apples" require about 8-10 passes, while your "oranges" setup might require 5, or 15 passes.

That is why I hesitate when saying how many passes. In my opinion, whether the HHT is used or the TPT or just an inner sixth sense, something else is needed other than a certain number of passes.

Start at 5 and never go over 20, you should hit a sweet spot in there someplace, that is just my general rule of thumb with pastes/spray


Also you might want to read this thread

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