What's new

How do I use a pasted cloth strop?

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I have never stropped on a pasted hanging strop. I have a spare 60mm wide denim strop and some strop wax so thought I would give it a go to see how it performs. I have been told that the strop wax is a petroleum based wax infused with the rare-earth Cerium (Ce). Not cheap at about USD 1k per kg.

IMG_20221231_100633.jpg

The Strop Wax (about 5g)​

I have the instructions on how to apply the wax to the strop. Lightly rub some wax on the middle of the strop full width over about 50mm of its length. Then use the spine of a SR to distribute the compound over the full length of the strop.

Having never had experience with a pasted hanging strop, how to I strop with it, like how often, how many laps and what pressure to use and any other tips?

The SR I will be using on this pasted strop is of high carbon steel previously finished on diamond pasted balsa.
 
Without knowing anything about the abrasive or its agressiveness, generally less is more, here; start with a few short passes (6-8) and see how it goes. If you need more than 12-15 you should probably rehone. Do it when the edge feels like it needs a slight boost. Not every shave.
 
Cerium Oxide? CeO2...? Typical powder for polishing glass, etc - approx. 1-3 µm usually runs about 15 USD per lb.
Nanoparticle CeO2, 20-50 nm, is pretty pricey though, like $100 USD per 20g.

So wadda ya got there, exactly?
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Cerium Oxide? CeO2...? Typical powder for polishing glass, etc - approx. 1-3 µm usually runs about 15 USD per lb.
Nanoparticle CeO2, 20-50 nm, is pretty pricey though, like $100 USD per 20g.

So wadda ya got there, exactly?
No idea what it is except that I have been told it is cerium oxide for maintaining SRs on a cloth strop.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Without knowing anything about the abrasive or its agressiveness, generally less is more, here; start with a few short passes (6-8) and see how it goes. If you need more than 12-15 you should probably rehone. Do it when the edge feels like it needs a slight boost. Not every shave.
Sounds like a good approach. Thank you. My Lapps will be short and the denim strop only has about a 30mm stropping length.
 
I've never found the need for any pastes or abrasive films. I tend to keep it old school simple. Irish linen and a quality leather strop; and a couple of quality sharpening stones. Have fun experimenting and happy shaves.
 
No idea what it is except that I have been told it is cerium oxide for maintaining SRs on a cloth strop.
Ahh, well, a lot depends on the particle size and/or what grade it is...some Cerium Oxide has other stuff in it, like Zinc - I don't know why exactly. Also, what the concentration of it is in that wax is important also. Because it is a wax medium, I'll guess that the stuff isn't a nano particle variant.

CeO2 is weird stuff for steel. Tumble polishers (stones) will tell you Mohs hardness is about 6. Hardened steel is 7-8.
But it can work on steel, like it works on glass, which is typically around 7.

Depending on what you really have there - it might take more than a few passes to achieve any noticeable results. I made a paste o ut of Ce02 long ago and getting somewhere with it took a good bit of doing.
Not sure what your diamond paste is but it is entirely possible that the Cerium is not as fine.

I would test with a practice blade to see if like, say - a 12k bevel takes a higher polish from the Cerium, or not. Gauge from there.
 
I have red and black paste from herold of solingen (0,5 micron, 3 micron)
and a block of paste that came with a chinese razor (specs unknown).

I have a home made denim strop that I pasted on a piece of wood. Could I use that to test out these diamond pastes? If I did I am guessing it's to use for maintaining an already honed sharp edge? Would it be sharper/thinner than a finish on a black shadow slate (10k to 15k)?

How is it working out for you @rbscebu ?
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I have red and black paste from herold of solingen (0,5 micron, 3 micron)
and a block of paste that came with a chinese razor (specs unknown).

I have a home made denim strop that I pasted on a piece of wood. Could I use that to test out these diamond pastes? If I did I am guessing it's to use for maintaining an already honed sharp edge? Would it be sharper/thinner than a finish on a black shadow slate (10k to 15k)?

How is it working out for you @rbscebu ?
I still haven't tried any pastes on my SRs, other than diamond on balsa. Waiting for two new matching SRs to arrive to see how this cerium oxide stuff works.
 
Unless your particle size is 0.5 or even better 0.25 I don't see the benefit of using it, 0.5 is about 50,000 grit and 0.25 is around 100,000.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Unless your particle size is 0.5 or even better 0.25 I don't see the benefit of using it, 0.5 is about 50,000 grit and 0.25 is around 100,000.
I have no idea what the particle size is. What I have learnt from honing over the years is that quite often particle size does not matter. It has lot more to do with the particle shape, how they are supported and how they break up during use.

Anyway, it will be interesting for me to find out how this cerium paste works on a hanging cloth strop.
 
I don't know this paste, but I would test it after finishing in cnat, around 10 passes and test the result. Put a little paste on the strop.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
I’ll sell you a kilo of cerium oxide for half that !

 
how many times does one add crox to a strop ...say ina six month period...does it clog a linen or fire hose strop ....thanks for any help you 'all have pete

 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
@skateblade, I have no idea. CeOx paste probably needs reapplying about as often as you would for CrOx or FeOx pastes. As for clogging the cloth, again it is probably about the same is the other pastes.
 
Can't really give you absolutes here. It's all very dependent on what feels good to you. What I can offer is a starting point.

For applying it to the strop, just like with diamonds, less is more. Start with what maybe seems like not enough and see how it works. You can always add more later. I like to draw an X on the strop and then spread it with my fingers. I don't worry about 100% coverage, I mostly just want to thin it out a little on the surface.

Start with very light pressure and fewer laps. I'd say 6 laps, then see how it feels. Other than that, strop like you would on a clean cotton or linen strop.

I tend to use pasted strops whenever I think I feel the edge falling off a little, so how often will depend a lot on the razor. My GDs get it after 3 to 6 shaves. My Etran Suer goes about a dozen shaves. I suppose you could just say "strop every 6 shaves" or something and be fine.

I use my strops maybe once a week as I rotate through razors. I refresh once or twice a year.

Sorry there isn't a set of concrete instructions like "the method". I'm sure you could apply much of that though and be just fine.
 
If you want to test different paste with out committing a strop to it, paste a 3inch strip of cardboard, inside of a cereal box. Strop with the cardboard on the edge of a bench or table.

Paint or draw 3’’ X’s about ½ inch wide. You do not need a lot of paste on a pasted strop. Once pasted you will not need to add more paste. If you over paste it will load up on your razor and if not meticulously cleaned after each use, will contaminate/paste your linen or leather strops.

Micro grit pasted strops will contaminate with airborne dust larger than the abrasive, way before they will wear out, a year or two. Just cut off the old strop and make a new one.

One of the best substrates for a pasted strop is Pellon, a paper fabric stiffener use to reenforce shirt plackets, collars and other clothing. A yard, (36x45 inch piece) is about $5. Combined with a couple D rings and glued with iron on fusing tape, you can make a strop for a couple dollars.

You can buy good quality Cerium Oxide powder inexpensively,$10 for 2 ounces, way more than a couple lifetimes worth.
 
Top Bottom