0.1 CBN - Why Wasn't I Told Sooner!

[mjclark]

The only thing in all this that’s been bothering me is the harshness of the 0.25u diamond and the dangers of overdoing it with that.
So how about stropping on CrOx then FeOx and then the 0.1u CBN?
Well, the result was very very nice - really really smooth and, of course, shockingly sharp.
So for now I’ll take the diamond out of the equation and put in CrOx and FeOx instead:

 

[Slash McCoy]

I also find .25u diamond somewhat harsh, but .1u diamond smooths things out nicely.

 

[kelbro]

I also find .25u diamond somewhat harsh, but .1u diamond smooths things out nicely.

Same observations here.

 

[migralda]

I would like to try CBN spray but the cheapest I can find it in the UK is £96 ..
Does anyone know a cheaper source, if I buy from the States it works out around the same with taxes and import duties etc.

 

[mjclark]

I would like to try CBN spray but the cheapest I can find it in the UK is £96 ..
Does anyone know a cheaper source, if I buy from the States it works out around the same with taxes and import duties etc.

I’m using the CBN Emulsion which is considerably cheaper - it’s specifically designed for application to leather strops.
It doesn’t work so good on balsa though, and for that the spray would be much better.

 

[migralda]

I’m using the CBN Emulsion which is considerably cheaper - it’s specifically designed for application to leather strops.
It doesn’t work so good on balsa though, and for that the spray would be much better.

Thanks for that advice, I've just found and ordered some Ken Schwarze .1u cbn emulsion on ebay for £24 !! (UK supplier)
Much more affordable for a try out, I have a couple of old strops too.

 

[kelbro]

Worked fine on balsa for me.

 

[migralda]

My .1u cbn emulsion arrived on Saturday, I tried it added to slurry on my hard jnat as a finisher, aka Dr Matt's video but was not too impressed.
I then applied it to an old piece of leather strop glued to glass ..and wow!! this is amazing, I stropped and shaved with a 'Wilkinson Figaro' and it was the smoothest shave I have ever experienced.
I was wondering how often is it necessary to reload the strop?
I stropped 4 or 5 blades and could see and feel no difference, could anyone with experience of this stuff give me an idea, I realise it's very much YMMV.

 

[kelbro]

I loaded a leather strop and a balsa strop with it. Several razors, no need to refresh yet.

 

[David]

I just got some 0.1 CBN to try out. Has anything changed since 2017? Any tips from guys that are still using the stuff? I think I will try it on balsa first.

 

[kelbro]

I still have it on a balsa strop. I use it occasionally. Still works well. I just tend to use the .1 diamond balsa the most.

 

[David]

I just tend to use the .1 diamond balsa the most.

You get better results from the diamond?

 

[rbscebu]

After use, each of my SRs gets 50 laps on a 0.1u hanging balsa strop wether they like it or not. Keeps the edges perfect for me and I never have to hone them again.

 

[Steve56]

Lol, if I do 50 laps on a jnat after every shave I never have to hone them either!

 

[kelbro]

You get better results from the diamond?

I'm not sure that I would call it better results on my face. It just seems like the razors go longer between honing refreshes on the diamond. Haven't done a true test yet since I was trying to see how far I could go on diamond without a hone refresh. The results went so long on diamond that I kind of 'forgot' about the CBN sitting up there.

My own gut feeling, if you already have .1 diamond, no need to spend more money on CBN. If you don't, then either CBN or diamond will get you to a super smooth shave and there's no need for both.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I've not used the stuff myself, but the only vendor I buy from who has truly sharp, truly shave ready razors finishes on cbn. One razor I got from him is the only razor I can say I've used which is
too sharp.

I've forgotten what medium he applies the cbn to.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

If you are using on balsa or a cloth strop, try misting with Distilled water, 2-3 spritz. I use a fine 2oz spray bottle, tap water contains minerals larger than .010um

Also, you do not need much on the strop. Use lite pressure it cuts quick and can thin an edge to the point of micro chipping. I would start with 10 laps, you only need to polish the edge, not the whole bevel.

50 laps is way over kill, the edge will not last.

Works best on hard steel razors. .010um is too much for my skin, .25 is good for me, it will vary on your beard and skin type.

I like CBN over Diamonds.

 

[MO1]

I've not used the stuff myself, but the only vendor I buy from who has truly sharp, truly shave ready razors finishes on cbn. One razor I got from him is the only razor I can say I've used which is
too sharp.

I've forgotten what medium he applies the cbn to.

Happy shaves,

Jim

The info I got from you Jim is that he uses it on leather glued to a piece of glass.
I applied my cbn to balsa after letting it dry and mixing it with ballistol to get an easier spread.
I don't find the edges too sharp though, it feels like I get a bump in sharpness and forgiveness, I did not expect the latter, but yes the edge is even more forgiving that my usual jnat finish.
Maybe the soft balsa contributes to that vs a super hard finishing jnat, forgiveness that is.
Just plows through everything with ease and it does not show a sign of wanting to cut skin.

 

[Slash McCoy]

If you are using on balsa or a cloth strop, try misting with Distilled water, 2-3 spritz. I use a fine 2oz spray bottle, tap water contains minerals larger than .010um

Also, you do not need much on the strop. Use lite pressure it cuts quick and can thin an edge to the point of micro chipping. I would start with 10 laps, you only need to polish the edge, not the whole bevel.

50 laps is way over kill, the edge will not last.

Works best on hard steel razors. .010um is too much for my skin, .25 is good for me, it will vary on your beard and skin type.

I like CBN over Diamonds.

Huh? I use .1u diamond on balsa, 50 laps after every shave. I never have to re-hone. American, Swedish, German, or Chinese steel, works the same. A Gold Dollar is not particularly hard, 58 to 60RC and the diamond on balsa, if properly set up and properly used, works great. I have Bismarcks in rotation and it works great on them. There are a couple of guys using the same method but with CBN instead of diamond who get the same results.

See the pasted balsa thread in the Newbie Honing Compendium sticky. There are a lot of ways to do it wrong and not get optimum results.

I have never used, and never even seen, .010u diamond or CBN. Finest I have seen was .025u, and finest I use is .1u.

 

[steveclarkus]

I used CBN for a couple of months and couldn’t see any difference than .1 pasted balsa. I felt I was able to control the application of the diamond paste much better than the CBN spray so have stayed with the paste.