rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
I now have five M7DS's, all of which have been finished on diamond pasted balsa strops and that I have put together myself. In order of cost:
Gold Dollar W59, Chinese steel engraved in Chinese (of course).
How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop
- Thread starter Slash McCoy
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Gold Dollar W59, Chinese steel engraved in Chinese (of course).
very nice indeed
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- #1,164
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
BINGO. Hit the film and then the balsa and you have a perfect progression. You don't need another stone and you don't need another balsa stage. From the 10k go to the 1u film and then the .5u diamond on balsa, then .25u then .1u. Be sure you have a good flat plate of sufficient size, for the film. Not everything that looks flat, is flat enough. Your film is plain back, right? Not the sticky back stuff?
I can shave with my own edge (just) but it's a bit scrapey - and I say that as someone who is content with a mild edge and a single WTG pass.
If I'm closer to a good edge than I think, working some diamond strops might get me all the way there. But if it doesn't seem to help, I'll know I need to review my honing technique.
Either way I'll learn something.
If I'm closer to a good edge than I think, working some diamond strops might get me all the way there. But if it doesn't seem to help, I'll know I need to review my honing technique.
Either way I'll learn something.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Just remember that diamond pasted balsa stropping does not make a good edge. It only makes a good edge better.
Personally I think that you your should first work on your normal honing skills to get a good edge on your SR. Once that is done, and only then, move onto diamond pasted balsa stropping.
I agree. The underlying stuff has to be right, from the bevel setting, through mid grits to say a nani12 or 1u film. It should shave well at this stage. If it doesn't shave well at this stage, then something is wrong and pasted balsa won't fix that.
I like pasted balsa, but it doesn't fix things. Pastes are maintenance tools that ensure that a good edge stays good.
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- #1,170
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
And that a good edge gets a lot gooder.
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- #1,172
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
I keep mine on their sides, covered with a tea towel. You can make individual cases for them, I suppose.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
As I am rather handy with a sewing machine, I made individual "socks" for each of my balsa strops. The "socks" are made from a waterproof nylon material. Very effective at keeping each balsa strop protected and uncontaminated.
What do you folk think about going from a Shapton 10k HR, which is about 1.5u to the .5u diamond balsa?
I was going from nani12k to balsa, but broke the nani. Looking for replacement and getting interested in shaptons
I was going from nani12k to balsa, but broke the nani. Looking for replacement and getting interested in shaptons
- Thread starter
- #1,175
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
A lot of things will "work". Depends on what compromises you are willing to take. Now it is true that is only a 3x jump, in numerical terms, but remember that the balsa is deeply embedded and does not cut like a .5u stone would cut. So in reality the jump may well be on the order of 5 to 1. If you decide to do it, I would expect that you would want at least twice the normal lappage on the .5u balsa. Feedback is very iffy on balsa and most of us just count 50 or 100 laps and figure it's good and it usually is. But if you insist on going Shap 10k to balsa, consider adding a 1u balsa to your balsa progression. That should work pretty good. Optimum? Not quite. I still think it is best to hold to a precise flat bevel and the tightest possible apex for as long as possible, at least to the 12k JIS stage or the 1u stage. The maybe just theoretical rounding of the apex by the balsa and diamond should not be ignored. I think it's there, I just can't prove it. I know what I have had the best shaves from, but that of course is subjective. But IMHO and YMMV, I think if you want to go to balsa from the 10k it is better to take the possible very small hit from starting the balsa progression at 1u, than jumping all the way to .5u. The difference may not even be noticeable, I don't know. It's splitting hairs. But that's often what we do, in pursuit of the best possible edge. Anyway that's my opinion but I do not present it here as ironclad written in stone fact. Do it like you feel it. But definitely if you make the big jump, give the razor a lot of extra love on the .5u or you will NOT get a full method edge at the .1u. When a grit stage is not allowed to completely do its job, the next stage can't be expected to pick up the slack, and the stage after that, certainly absolutely not.
But here is another option. After the 10k, how about 1u lapping film on 1" thick acrylic? You will have a very precise bevel, at a true 1u fineness, ideal, even BETTER than the 12k Naniwa, for transitioning to the balsa progression.
I HAVE backed up to 1u or even 2.5u diamond on balsa. on rare occasions. I have not done a direct comparison to more conventional Method honing. The edges were very good, and like I said this us very subjective and lots of room for possible placebo effect and expectations becoming private reality, but I don't THINK the edges were QUITE as good as a spot-on perfectly executed Method edge using the regular progression. I have even set the bevel on a razor and ran a balsa progression from I think 15u all the way to .1u with "good" results, most definitely shave ready results, but again, now quite "there". Perhaps this is because of the obtuse bevel angle of the GD66 which is my usual experimental vehicle since I always have lots of them laying around. For a razor that has a very acute bevel angle, this might actually be a superior honing method, I don't know. In my mind, precision and math and science rule, and should determine methodology as far into the process as possible before "art" and "just a feel for it" take over. Another problem with a pure balsa full progression is the lack of feedback. Without countermeasures properly taken against making a fin edge, chances are the edge will either have some fin on it, or not be fully developed. You really can't tell without microscopically examining the edge when you hit the sweet spot. So pull strokes and short strokes are extremely important. Anyway that's why I have the 2.5 and the 1u pasted balsas, from that experiment.
Bottom line: when you don't know for sure, it is always best to go the way already well traveled than to cut yourself a new path. Sometimes you find your way through the jungle, sometimes not, and sometimes the briars and thorns and insects and snakes and carnivores and parasites just weren't worth it. To overdramatize an analogy.
Yeah, I keep coming back to that Nani12 as a necessary part of the method.
Shap 1, 4, 8 for a solid reliable foundation, then you jump to the fun stuff.
I'm now using a mixed seven razor set. I maintain them on differing finishing methods, just to feel the difference.
You'll see two on the left, for Arcs, then three on The Method, then that Fili on a coticule, then on the right a Heljestrand on jnat.
They each get a super light, brief touch up on their finishing stone after each shave.
Shap 1, 4, 8 for a solid reliable foundation, then you jump to the fun stuff.
I'm now using a mixed seven razor set. I maintain them on differing finishing methods, just to feel the difference.
You'll see two on the left, for Arcs, then three on The Method, then that Fili on a coticule, then on the right a Heljestrand on jnat.
They each get a super light, brief touch up on their finishing stone after each shave.
I find that my balsa strop becomes a bit sticky after a while. The razor starts jumping when you try to do the very light touch strops between shaves.
The only solution so far is to lap it, apply new diamond paste only to have the same issue after about a month.
Is this a common thing, or am I doing something different?
The only solution so far is to lap it, apply new diamond paste only to have the same issue after about a month.
Is this a common thing, or am I doing something different?
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
@Biltong & Boerewors I use to have a similar problem. I solved it by using much less paste. Next time you lap and repaste, try applying about half as much paste as you normally do.
I agree. I was surprised by how little I need.
That sticky feeling means there is paste and diamond dust lying on top of the balsa. And that means the edge is being pushed into the substance. This won't work as well. Instead, the diamond dust should be buried halfway into the balsa, with the razor easily gliding over the slightly protruding tops.
That sticky feeling means there is paste and diamond dust lying on top of the balsa. And that means the edge is being pushed into the substance. This won't work as well. Instead, the diamond dust should be buried halfway into the balsa, with the razor easily gliding over the slightly protruding tops.
- Thread starter
- #1,180
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
I didn't have to say a word! Even after I'm gone, The Method will still live on.
