Thread: Felt + Diamond spray = Ruined my edge!

Originally Posted by pdube1

Hi,
I got my english bridle last week and I also tried the felt with Diamond spray. Before my felt rest all night to get dry, I tried my english bridle and it worked great. My razor was scary sharp.
The day after, I tried the felt with Diamond spray (0.5 micron), I gave it about 15 laps and I think I ruined my edge. It didn't pass the shave test after that! :-( Even 60 laps on the bridle doesn't help getting a good edge back.

I think 15 is too many laps?!?!

Anybody here experienced this with felt and Diamond spray?

My razor will go on the hone tonight! ;-)

You probably have managed to undo a perfectly shave ready razor . 0.5µ Diamond paste is pretty aggressive. That's what we newbies do...make mistakes like this. This is how we learn, I guess. I've "almost" been then, done that.

I say "almost" because as a newbie myself, I got myself a "practice" blade (before anything else) because I knew that I would have a hard time resisting the urge to take a 'perfectly" sharp edge and try to make it sharper .

I try my honing, pasted strop etc practice using this "practice" blade...that way if I ruin it, I won't care and I can always go back and redo until I get it right.

Like you, I purchased a felt/webbed fabric (from SRD...Don was extremely helpful in letting me know what I needed). I put diamond spray on the felt and CrOx on the webbed fabric. I also have a daily strop (Bridle IV), which remains clean of "stuff".

I would recommend getting yourself and eBay razor and practice the hell out of it and learn on it...and keep your good daily razor, which is shave ready (honed and sharpened by an expert) for your everyday shaves. Whenever the urge to "do better than the master" gets you (although we should know better by now), just take out the "practice" blade and knock yourself out

Live & learn my friend,
-Robert

I'm with Glen on this one. If your stropping technique is acceptable I doubt you ruined a good edge with 15 laps on felt. Before going to a hone (especially if you aren't totally comfortable honing) I would try more laps on the leather. 60 laps may sound like a lot, but many of us do that much (or more) as part of the normal routine. Give it a few sessions like that and see if your edge improves.