My balsa strop with the paste has rolled a bit on the edges making a bit of a "c" shape. I was wondering what I could use to put paste on besides balsa. Cardboard? Denim? What would yall recommend?
Printable View
My balsa strop with the paste has rolled a bit on the edges making a bit of a "c" shape. I was wondering what I could use to put paste on besides balsa. Cardboard? Denim? What would yall recommend?
You could do denim, or leather. But I think you could also fix your c shaped strop. I don't know how. But I'm sure a little searching here in the forum would get you there.
Hey Tex! Sprinkle with Comet or Ajax. Scrub it with a soft-bristled scrub brush, rinse it good and let it dry.
Block sand it flat with some rough sandpaper and repaste it. Works good!
Go buy another piece of Balsa, it is pretty darn cheap :)
Indeed, it is cheap! Scraping it off your base and adhereing a new piece is a pain too!Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
I found that scrubbing and sanding is not only cheaper, but easier. YMMV:D
You got a point there Tom, I have never actually used a Balsa strop so I was thinking just replacing the surface :shrug: I just found 3" x 1/16" by 36" for $1 and that was my first search
get a pce at least an 1/8 thick,than use some good contact cement,the edges curling up will not be a problem again.I think you had a faulty bond.
My balsa strop is 1/4" thick, no problems with curling I can report :)
For a mere 20x the price of a balsa strop, you could look into the Wood Is Good WD401 Large Hone Strop. It's a hard rubber slab (2.75 x 8.5 inches) glued to a wooden base which serves as a handle. I've got one coated with quarter-micron diamond spray, and I'm quite pleased with the performance. The surface is porous enough to hold the compound in place, and it's got just a little bit of elasticity. There's a smaller (cheaper) model, but I haven't tried one.
Indeed, with a piece of balsa 1/4 thick, You might not even need a base! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Ryan82
Art stores often have balsa in 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch thick. As someone stated above, use a quality adhesive and apply the balsa to a three inch ceramic tile.
Correct me if I am wrong here, but I thought you wanted the thinner Balsa and to have it suspended so it would have a tiny bit of flex ????
Just an aside; you can bevel the edges of the balsa wood just the same way as you would bevel a freshly lapped stone.
Jerry
____
YES I use that type of balsa strop for CroOx. It works nicely. Most guys use a piece of Balsa glued to a base for diamond pastes, etc. I found that the thicker a piece gets, the harder the surface. Thinner ones are softer and work best, IMO. I have one on a hard base with 9.0 diamond paste which greatly lowers the scratches after the DMT and before going to the hones. Works quite well!Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Well I've got chromium oxide an iron oxide pastes that I do use as well on the balsa strop. I'm just a bit confused about a good base that I could use for my pastes. I know I could buy another piece of balsa but even the thicker stuff worries me now that my first one has warped.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...trop-hone.html
These are still my go to pasted strops, I made them 3+ years and have never had an issue since, I have one with CrOx one with CeOx and one with a beautiful tanned leather that Mark/speedster got from White Boots in Spokane that I have still not pasted..
They cost me less then $12 each to make not including the one that Mark got the leather for free :) they are long and flat yet still give just that tiny bit of flex that I like.. Just a thought for you, call a local shoe repair shop and ask them what they would sell you a 3x24 piece of Boot tanned leather for.. :hmmm:
I think the problem is in the construction,Have built many paddles and have never had the issues the O.P refers to.
As Glen said,Use Dap contact cement on a well sanded surface (the brush on kind).
Yes, I never had any issues with it "curling". Here are the ones I spoke of, a suspended piece with the green and one glued down with 3M trim adhesive with 9.0 diamond. I have washed, sanded and repasted the diamond one 3 times over the years as it becomes black!
Attachment 120173Attachment 120174
Yep that top one was EXACTLY what I was thinking of Tom, that is what I would build if I were to make a Balsa strop :tu
It works well with the green. It is easy to "tune". Stiffer as both ends are tightened, loosen one end or both for more limber action. I just leave both ends loose and strop lightly. Somehow, I think if used with diamond or more aggressive stuff, tighter would be better, though. ;)
Resurface with a sharp hand plane or jointer. Sandpaper will leave inbeded sandpaper grit in the balsa. Balsa already has grit in it to begin with.
A better cheap alternative is 2mm craft foam glued to MDF or any flat wood or surface. And it can be wet for use with CBN.
Balsa is cheap and a ¼ board can be used by itself, used it early on but not anymore more trouble that it is worth.
2mm Craft Foam a buck, a 12X9 in sheet will get you 3 strops, at Wally Mart or any craft store even comes with peel of glued backing.
Any glue will do I use either sicky back or thinned wood glue painted on with a inexpensive boar brush, they can be washed and re used. Penneys by the box from HF.
Yes, always best not to use cheap sandpaper on anything upon which no grit is desirable. I use the 3M microfinishing in 100 to sand mine. I like the surface flat, but not too smooth. A little fluff on the surface is desirable to retain paste. As to sanding, I would think good wet or dry would be fine as well.
Well the thing is, it's one of the cheap poor mans strop balsa strops. I'm not sure of the thickness but given the current warping I figure it's probably just beat to get something new.
I like the ideas of wooden paddle strops with some sort of material surface to paste. I've stropped on cardboard before, not a razor though, and had ok results I would just feel more comfortable with some sort of fabric instead of wood or something. The reason I had asked about denim is because I have several pairs of my sons old jeans that don't fit him anymore and they seem fairly comparable to things like canvas.
I would have to buy a board or something that could be cut down to glue the denim onto but I'm sure I could find something at the local craft store that would work.
It might be that the base is warped? You can go to the Hobby Lobby and get a piece of Balsa and get a piece of basswood right next to it the same size to glue it to for less than the poor man strop cost or... hey! Just glue it to a 2x4!! Either way, you should block -sand it with the grain before pasting. Buy a nice piece, uniform, no Knots! :D
If your gonna talk about pasted denim paddle strops, may as well start a new thread, Tex! That way, EVERYONE can get in on it! Except me........no experience there! :p
They say you can strop on water. Hone on it too!!
:gl:
You can use denim, the edges will fray but other than looking funky, it will work. Sewing edges makes a welt and negates flatness. Make a hanging strop instead of a paddle. A couple of D Rings from a hardware store and some iron on fabric tape will make a nice hanger.
Better yet, a piece of polyester SailCloth will make an excellent strop and 1 yard, about ten dollars will make a bunch of strops. The edges will fray but only a little, due to the tight interlocking weave. Any fabric store will have all that you need.
Sail cloth strop 20X3 inches, Chrome Ox on one side, Cerium Oxide on the other. Iron on Fabric tape attaching D rings.
Attachment 120225
