Sorry dude but I was really bad with carpentry. Don’t know nuthin’ bout steps.
How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop
- Thread starter Slash McCoy
- Start date
Do you think we could get a laser pointer to cut a little faster than a desk lamp?
I’ve always found incandescent edges to have a better post shave feel than laser edges.
I preffer to be all natural and use the power of the sun and grandma's magnifying glass.
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Acrylic blocks and diamond paste came in today. Glued my balsa to the blocks, lapped on 400 grit paper on a marble tile and applied the diamond paste. This weekend will try “the method” for the first time on a couple of sight unseen vintage razors. Planning to set the bevel using burr method with 800 grit sand paper moving to 1200 grit sand paper before hitting the lapping film 5, 3, and 1 micron then my balsa strops 0.5, 0.25, and 0.1 micron and finishing on leather. Hope all goes well!!
In all likelihood, it will. Good luck and post your results.
Now that’s the stuff! Take it nice and easy, all patience, and no pressure, and you can get a frighteningly sharp edge with those!
- Thread starter
- #308
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
I am sure you will be successful. Biggish jump from 1200 grit to 5u so use plenty of laps at the 5u stage. Watch for the stiction. There won't be much, but when you get it, a few more laps and then move up to the 3u. Also watch for the water. Blade should smoothly undercut the honing water. Speaking of which, I use water on the sandpaper for bevel setting and it cuts a lot faster when wet.
You got the equipment. You got The Method. Just do it and take your time with it, be confident but thorough, and you will be treetopping like crazy at the end.
You got the equipment. You got The Method. Just do it and take your time with it, be confident but thorough, and you will be treetopping like crazy at the end.
@Slash McCoy ideally what would transition to after 1200 grit sandpaper?
My progression is 1k, 9u, 5u, 3u & 1u then pasted balsa.
- Thread starter
- #311
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
I think 9u film would be perfect. Maybe 12u but 9u would be nice, more in the middle. 12u is kinda close to 1200 grit. Of course, can't go wrong with both. Shorter jumps would (generally) be better.
The nice thing about the 12u right after the 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper is that the film substrate is made with a closer thickness tolerance so even if they were the same grit, the 12u film would give you a more precise bevel I am thinking. Splitting hairs, I know, but you split enough hairs and there you go, you got the whole wig.
Some folks, notably Seraphim, have observed a bothersome tendency to autoslurry in the 5u film. YMMV. Me, I no longer use it. I go 400 grit or so if needed, then 800 grit, then 2k grit sandpaper. Then 9u, 3u, 1u film. Then .5u, .25u. and .1u diamond on balsa. Just me, but I find that to be a nice progression. Nice jumps, 3x at a time through the film, then 2x on the balsa.
To anyone reading this a year from now, I will have probably changed this or that or the other so read the whole thread.
Does the 5u undo the 9u benefit? I don’t understand “autoslury”.
The diamond surface tends to come off and create a blue “slurry” on the 5u. The slurry is undesireable and can, many say, degrade the edge. Some, seraphim most notably, will just skip that step and go from the bevel setter (1200 DMT in his case) to the 3u.
While far from the level experience that Seraphim and Slash have, I have gone from 1200 DMT to 3u film with lots of laps on the 3u, and also 1200DMT to 4K DMT to 3u film and both produced wonderful edges. Part of the beauty of using film and balsa strops is that its pretty forgiving.
While far from the level experience that Seraphim and Slash have, I have gone from 1200 DMT to 3u film with lots of laps on the 3u, and also 1200DMT to 4K DMT to 3u film and both produced wonderful edges. Part of the beauty of using film and balsa strops is that its pretty forgiving.
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- #314
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Andy is correct. You CAN fudge the system to make up for a slightly different or missing step in the progression, usually by extra laps at either end, the coarse end extra laps being super light ones with a buffer such as dish soap in the honing water, and maybe the initial laps of the finer stage being just a teensy weensy bit more pressure than the otherwise light pressure of the stage. Or just more laps with the finer grit, period. Optimizing every single aspect of honing to the nth degree is not required to get a good edge, only preferable.
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- #315
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
5u could possibly degrade the 9u edge slightly, but more likely simply not improve it much, if slurry is present. This is avoidable by simply rinsing the film every dozen laps or so, or honing under running water. Personally I have not noticed slurrying on 5u but that could reflect more on my powers of observation than the film. So like everything honing, YMMV. Nevertheless it just so happens that I don't even have any 5u film and I don't order it.
Thanks. One step less.
What’s the difference between 1200 DMT and 1200 wet/dry sandpaper? If they are similar can I just jump to 3u film like Andy77?
My lapping film from Thorlabs is Al Oxide at 3u and 1u while the 5u is Si Carbide. I wonder if that is what accounts for the slurry effect. Slash, perhaps your 5u was truly Al Oxide.
My lapping film from Thorlabs is Al Oxide at 3u and 1u while the 5u is Si Carbide. I wonder if that is what accounts for the slurry effect. Slash, perhaps your 5u was truly Al Oxide.
It an really help to angle your blade differently one step to the next. This lets you use a magnifying glass or jewelers loupe (you don’t need a lot of power, x2 magnification is plenty until you get to the sub micron level) and see when all of the honing marks in the previous direction are polished out at the current grit.
For example, if you hone at 9 microns with the toe trailing, then at 5 micron with the blade at 90 degrees to the home, you will see scratches on the bevel in both straight and angles patterns under magnification. You home until the new finer pattern has erased all of the scratches from the previous one.
This method is only advantageous if you set the bevel and honed off the burr properly first, but that is generally true of finer honing anyhow.
For example, if you hone at 9 microns with the toe trailing, then at 5 micron with the blade at 90 degrees to the home, you will see scratches on the bevel in both straight and angles patterns under magnification. You home until the new finer pattern has erased all of the scratches from the previous one.
This method is only advantageous if you set the bevel and honed off the burr properly first, but that is generally true of finer honing anyhow.
Since I recently put the Tomo Blue on the strop that previously was used for .1u diamond paste, i’ve put together a full balsa progression. Thought I’d take a pic. The 3 diamond up front, the Tomo Blue in back, obviously.
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- #320
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Quite right. This technique, changing the leading angle between grits, is especially useful while learning to hone, or when transitioning to a different type of stone or film or a different style of honing. When you can easily tell the previous stage scratches from the current stage, then it is obvious when the current stage has completely removed the previous ones. And that is what progressive honing is all about, once the bevel is set and verified.
