CrOx, FeOx Balsa Strop experiment

[gregory56]

I've done the CrOx experiment to refresh my blade. It worked!

I stumbled upon the balsa strop at Whipped Dog that has CrOx on one side and FeOx on the other. This saved me from having to CrOx on my Tony Miller linen strop. I also like the balsa in this case much better than A fabric strop--better control of the blade contact and pressure with the abrasive surface.

The blade cuts better though my face is a little sore an hour or so after each shave (I'm on day three after stropping on the balsa). I've lighten up on the blade pressure on my face.

To move the blade across the balsa, I put the balsa on the edge of a counter. Having the scales clear of a surface made it easier to keep the blade flat on the balsa. See picture.

 

[Kyle89]

Nice. Did you buy it from WD or did you make it yourself?

 

[rbscebu]

@gregory56 "my face is a little sore an hour or so after each shave"

This should not be happening with a good shave-ready edge. The most I have SR shaved (so far) is 8 passes; 2 x WTG, 4 x XTG and 2 x ATG. All without any skin irritation. Lightening up on your pressure should help but also reduce your shaving blade angle.

Reduce your angle until you do not feel the blade cutting your whiskers. Then you have it about right. Don't worry about cutting your whiskers. If the edge is still removing the lather, you will find that it is cutting the whiskers - and closer than it was before.

 

[gregory56]

Nice. Did you buy it from WD or did you make it yourself?

Bought from WD. Plus a razor roll to store my razors. Both made a nice little upgrade to my SR operations

 

[Empire straights]

I've done the CrOx experiment to refresh my blade. It worked!

I stumbled upon the balsa strop at Whipped Dog that has CrOx on one side and FeOx on the other. This saved me from having to CrOx on my Tony Miller linen strop. I also like the balsa in this case much better than A fabric strop--better control of the blade contact and pressure with the abrasive surface.

The blade cuts better though my face is a little sore an hour or so after each shave (I'm on day three after stropping on the balsa). I've lighten up on the blade pressure on my face.

To move the blade across the balsa, I put the balsa on the edge of a counter. Having the scales clear of a surface made it easier to keep the blade flat on the balsa. See picture.

Are you still stropping on plain leather? If not try 50 on flesh and 50 on smooth side of plain leather and it might take some of that bite out of it. You shouldn't be sore. The whole reason I only use natural stones is because though synth stones and some abrasive pastes will get an edge beyond what is feasible of sharp it'll never even step in the same arena of comfort that finishing on naturals give(from my limited experience). I have noticed that lots of plain stropping, it a few laps on a fine natural will tame it down pretty quick.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

“The blade cuts better though my face is a little sore an hour or so after each shave”

Comfort issues are usually edge related, (microchips or rolled edge). Look at you edge with magnification.

Paste, even Chrome Oxide are aggressive, will thin an edge. And not all steel can handle a steady diet. New paste stroppers generally use too much pressure and paste exaggerates that pressure.

Once an edge is thinned, it microchips easily. The good news is jointing the edge and 15-20 laps on a high grit stone will bring the edge rite back.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Keep in mind that when we strop, most of the pressure is on the trailing edge, (see micrographs below). That pressure and polish/microscopic steel removal is compounded with abrasive paste.

When stropping you do not need to polish the whole bevel from the back of the bevel to the edge. You only need to straighten and polish the edge. So excessive laps on paste will dramatically polish and thin edge steel.

5-10 laps on paste are probably sufficient to refine an edge, anymore and you are thinning the edge.

About 50-100 laps on Chrome Oxide will remove most if not all 8k stria on a bevel. A lot will depend on your stropping technique, pressure, the edge/bevel finish prior to stropping and the steel of the razor.

Here are a couple of edge micrographs, by Tim Zowada, one of his Timahagane razors, (64HRC). edge off a Shinden Asagi and stropped 40 laps with clean flax linen.. Last photo is a hair for prospective.

Take a look at your edge, straight down on the edge with magnification, any shiny reflections are chips, rolled edge or where bevels are not meeting. A single microchip will cause skin irritation, maybe not enough to draw blood, but scratch the skin.