That is a nice piece of history. It should probably last a lifetime with proper care.
Maintaining it on balsa is probably a good idea. I would not worry about tape vs no tape. It should not make a difference.
How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop
- Thread starter Slash McCoy
- Start date
Maintaining it on balsa is probably a good idea. I would not worry about tape vs no tape. It should not make a difference.
Another satisfied stropper...
I've been straight shaving for about 3 weeks now and thus far have been refreshing my edge on lapping film. With that I have been able to get the edge on my 5/8 Kropp up to something comparable to a mid-range DE blade like an Astra, or a three day old Gem PTFE.
Over the weekend I put these together. This is a before pasting shot - I would have done an "after" but they look exactly the same. After 60 laps on each in hand and 100 laps on the 0.1 held vertically the edge is wickedly sharp! - after this morning's shave I'd say it is comparable to a Nacet or 7 O'clock Yellow.
This is actually the golden ticket for me. After trying for a year or two I found I couldn't use DE blades as they had too much flex and irritated my skin, so prior to getting a straight I'd been using a Gem MMOC for a couple of years, which was a lot less irritating, but not as sharp and close a shave as a good DE blade. Now with a straight it's less irritating still, and using the balsa strops it's up there with what I could achieve with a good DE. Two passes WTG/XTG and the shaves are closer in three directions than I could get from the Gem.
I look forward to seeing how the edge develops as I keep going - I don't have time in the week to run the whole progression every day but will keep up the 0.1u and do another complete set on the weekend.
I've been straight shaving for about 3 weeks now and thus far have been refreshing my edge on lapping film. With that I have been able to get the edge on my 5/8 Kropp up to something comparable to a mid-range DE blade like an Astra, or a three day old Gem PTFE.
Over the weekend I put these together. This is a before pasting shot - I would have done an "after" but they look exactly the same. After 60 laps on each in hand and 100 laps on the 0.1 held vertically the edge is wickedly sharp! - after this morning's shave I'd say it is comparable to a Nacet or 7 O'clock Yellow.
This is actually the golden ticket for me. After trying for a year or two I found I couldn't use DE blades as they had too much flex and irritated my skin, so prior to getting a straight I'd been using a Gem MMOC for a couple of years, which was a lot less irritating, but not as sharp and close a shave as a good DE blade. Now with a straight it's less irritating still, and using the balsa strops it's up there with what I could achieve with a good DE. Two passes WTG/XTG and the shaves are closer in three directions than I could get from the Gem.
I look forward to seeing how the edge develops as I keep going - I don't have time in the week to run the whole progression every day but will keep up the 0.1u and do another complete set on the weekend.
You won't need to go below 0.1u to keep your razor as it was before your last shave. I've got razors that haven't been honed in five years. Balsa is fantastic and you never have to experience a deteriorating edge. I do 50 laps on 0.1u and then leather between each shave.
- Thread starter
- #1,524
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Well done. Now, you are one of us! Gooble Gobble!
Many methodeers find that repeating the three stage progression once or twice over, ensures that you are "there". As long as your pressure is nice and light, and you mix in some pull strokes, and finish each stage with short x strokes, you really can't overdo it. Then when you stop seeing improvement, and your edge cuts better than most DE blades, you can maintain on just the .1µ probably forever.
It will take a couple more sessions for the balsa to darken with swarf. And that doesn't really hurt anything until the surface takes on a glazed appearance. You can simply re-lap to restore it. Be careful not to cross contaminate.
Our benchmark is matching the Feather Hi-Stainless DE blade for sharpness. The Feather blade is a tough act to follow, but it can be done.
My shaves are just a single WTG pass. No complaints.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
@rhgg2, one thing to remember is that developing your SR shaving technique using diamond pasted balsa stropped edges will spoil you for edges off natural whetstone. Natural whetstone edges can be a little more comfortable to shave with but they can only very rarely match the keenness of a pasted balsa edge.
I have this "problem". My SR shaving technique was developed over many hundred of daily SR shaves using pasted balsa. Later I tried edges finished on natural whetstones. The natural whetstone edges were nice to shave with but I was always craving for a keener edge like I can get off pasted balsa.
I have this "problem". My SR shaving technique was developed over many hundred of daily SR shaves using pasted balsa. Later I tried edges finished on natural whetstones. The natural whetstone edges were nice to shave with but I was always craving for a keener edge like I can get off pasted balsa.
It is thanks to this thread...Slash's video guidance, and Richard's @rbscebu mentoring, most of my razor's edge is in tip-top condition and it doesn't look like requiring any further work other than the occasional visit back to the full progression.
A minority of my razors are on the natural stone edges and if I can't improve them further then it will go through the full diamond balsa progression for a guaranteed good result!
It is really nice to have this option...thanks again!
A minority of my razors are on the natural stone edges and if I can't improve them further then it will go through the full diamond balsa progression for a guaranteed good result!
It is really nice to have this option...thanks again!
I can well believe this. My whiskers and skin are both fairly tough such that for me "comfort" is more or less the same as sharpness + blade rigidity + low angle of attack. Sharper = less pressure and lower angle = less irritation = more comfort. Fortunately I have now have the tools to maintain an extremely comfortable sharpness indefinitely!
How many maintenance laps on 0.1u do other people do daily? I'm doing 30 in hand, 10 pull strokes, 30 vertical and 25 short X strokes. It doesn't seem to be quite enough to maintain optimal sharpness. Maybe should up my 30 sets to 50?
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
I normally do about 60 hanging 0.1μm pasted balsa laps after each shave:
15 standard laps
6 short X laps
15 standard laps
8 short X laps
End-for-end the balsa
15 standard laps
10 short X strokes
15 standard laps
12 to 15 short X strokes
As my hanging balsa stropping technique improved (got lighter) over a year or two, I found that my edges were not being kept up to my expected standard. I then changed my first 15 standard laps on hanging balsa to 15 standard laps on hand-held 0.1μm pasted balsa - weight of blade only. The rest were done on hanging. Problem solved.
All up, my post shave pasted balsa stropping takes about two minutes after each shave.
15 standard laps
6 short X laps
15 standard laps
8 short X laps
End-for-end the balsa
15 standard laps
10 short X strokes
15 standard laps
12 to 15 short X strokes
As my hanging balsa stropping technique improved (got lighter) over a year or two, I found that my edges were not being kept up to my expected standard. I then changed my first 15 standard laps on hanging balsa to 15 standard laps on hand-held 0.1μm pasted balsa - weight of blade only. The rest were done on hanging. Problem solved.
All up, my post shave pasted balsa stropping takes about two minutes after each shave.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
I have four balsa strops for my diamond pasted routine. That includes two 0.1μm pasted strops. I use this second 0.1μm pasted balsa strop for daily maintenance. The other three are kept properly stored away for when I need to do a full progression.
The daily maintenance balsa strop is kept out on my bench and I store it pasted side down supported at each end.
Composite balsa strop of balsa with ceramic tile and polyurethane structural foam (alternatively you could use balsa wood) as substrate. This substrate construction is much lighter than solid acrylic of the same volume. Being lighter, less pressure is applied to the edge when being used as a hanging strop. It is also much cheaper than acrylic but does entail some effort to initially put together.
Can't be too careful about contamination.
The daily maintenance balsa strop is kept out on my bench and I store it pasted side down supported at each end.
Before each use of this balsa strop I gently blow on the pasted surface to remove any air-born dust particles that may have attached themselves to the pasted surface.Can't be too careful about contamination.
Last edited:
One thing that may be helpful to others. For the short X strokes I found it hard to master the parts where the heel starts off the strop and then slides back on - in particular getting the blade flat when starting half off the strop. The solution was very simple: rather than visualise the toe leading the blade back on to the strop, visualise the heel driving the blade back on to the strop. For some reason this was instantly much better behaved.
- Thread starter
- #1,532
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
That's backwards. Start with the heel on the balsa and draw the blade off as you stroke. I think you will find that to be much easier.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
That's okay when pulling the blade across the balsa but for my short X strokes I pull one way and push the other way.
I adopted this technique from a you tube video that I think you made a year or two ago. I cut some balsa before I got the hang of it but I can do it in my sleep now.
Slash McCoy, I made an account here just to thank you. After some unpleasant experiences, I had almost given up on straight razor shaving. I decided to follow your advice before giving up, and few moments ago I had the best shave of my life.
I started my straight razor journey a few years ago, promising myself that if I enjoyed using an $11 Facon kamisori for a few years, that I would upgrade to a forged kamisori. Bought my first forged kamisori in November, a western grind Hitachi blue steel from Shavesmith. It's beautiful (despite a small defect above the grind) but the shave was not pleasant. Slight tugging, didn't cut close to the skin, and left my skin red for a half hour after shaving. Regardless, I was hooked on the idea and soon after I bought an Iwasaki and Takami kamisoris to add to my collection. I was hopeful that these would give me a better shave than the Shavesmith, but the experience was equally unpleasant.
I tried stropping the heck out of them on leather and fabric. Only a marginal improvement. I considered sending them all to be re-honed, but given that each of them were supposedly "shave-ready" when I ordered them, I was skeptical that a professional re-honing was going to make any difference.
After searching up and down youtube, reddit, and B&B I found this thread and decided to give it a shot. I only have two balsa strops so I figured I would 0.25 and 0.1 micron diamond paste and hope for the best. HOLY MOLY! Such a satisfying feeling to have these beautiful pieces of steel be truly razor sharp. This is the holy grail shave I have been seeking.
Your method is scientific, and it is wonderful. Thank you for bringing me back from the precipice of straight razor defeat.
I started my straight razor journey a few years ago, promising myself that if I enjoyed using an $11 Facon kamisori for a few years, that I would upgrade to a forged kamisori. Bought my first forged kamisori in November, a western grind Hitachi blue steel from Shavesmith. It's beautiful (despite a small defect above the grind) but the shave was not pleasant. Slight tugging, didn't cut close to the skin, and left my skin red for a half hour after shaving. Regardless, I was hooked on the idea and soon after I bought an Iwasaki and Takami kamisoris to add to my collection. I was hopeful that these would give me a better shave than the Shavesmith, but the experience was equally unpleasant.
I tried stropping the heck out of them on leather and fabric. Only a marginal improvement. I considered sending them all to be re-honed, but given that each of them were supposedly "shave-ready" when I ordered them, I was skeptical that a professional re-honing was going to make any difference.
After searching up and down youtube, reddit, and B&B I found this thread and decided to give it a shot. I only have two balsa strops so I figured I would 0.25 and 0.1 micron diamond paste and hope for the best. HOLY MOLY! Such a satisfying feeling to have these beautiful pieces of steel be truly razor sharp. This is the holy grail shave I have been seeking.
Your method is scientific, and it is wonderful. Thank you for bringing me back from the precipice of straight razor defeat.
@Slash McCoy , @JayPea says thank you!
I should say thank you as well. I am a dedicated user of diamond pasted balsa.
2x3 Bud Nosen planks in my case, 16" or 18" long
I should say thank you as well. I am a dedicated user of diamond pasted balsa.
2x3 Bud Nosen planks in my case, 16" or 18" long
Just for the record, I do 60 laps handheld on 16" 0.1μ before each shave. I reverse the strop after half the laps to keep wear as even as possible. All my laps are 'normal', nothing fancy or sideways.
