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How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
On my best jnat hone jobs where comfort and sharpness is balanced, especially on stones that provide a more comfortable edge, The dpb (diamond pasted balsa) seems to make edge sharper, and comfort level harsher. The dpb on less than laser sharp jnat edges absolutely raises the sharpness level. I slightly disagree on “forgiveness”.. forgiveness and comfort are part of same descriptive for me. But at this high level of honing we are discussing subtle nuances and personality quirks.
If you aren’t getting a superbly comfortable edge off .1, you aren’t doing something properly. My .1 edges are noticeably more comfortable then a good jnat finish. It took time and months of doing a balsa progression to achieve that level of comfort but I promise it is doable. Like any other method, you have to learn the nuances of the medium.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
Shaved with it this morning and wow. I was wondering if my blade was sharp enough before. It was not. After the 0.1u balsa session with super light pressure and pull strokes, the blade was truly sharp. It tree tops everything in sight, at virtually any height, with only very faint audio feedback. You actually have to tree top over a white surface because it takes off more than you can hear or feel.

Before I had issues with the blade tugging and not wanting to start. There was a notable change this morning. The blade was very smooth and glided easily with little resistance, even in the tough spots. I made an effort to do more stretching which I am starting to think is vital to get a close shave with a straight. The result was a very close shave on the face. I still need to work on my neck stretching technique but this is a promising revelation.
I very much enjoy reading Method success stories like yours. I was as excited as you when I first began honing this way. You won’t believe what kind of edges you will be getting in a year. I believe the Method is a truly superior honing process. I’ve been doing it for two years and still experience improvements - will it ever end? Hope not.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I ended up buying some 0.1 CBN from @Dzaw and plan on trying that first on balsa after a coti, jnat, and ark. I may try the paste progression later depending on how this works out.
Remember that .1u is about 200k grit and the actual cutting effect is about 1/4 that because the abrasive is set deep into the balsa. Hope you got some .5u and some .25u on balsa, too. If you were to follow even .5u after a coticule it would be a huge jump. After Jnat or ark maybe not so big a jump at all.

You could probably follow coti with 1u diamond on balsa, then do the normal three stages. I bet that would work okay. Not quite as good as a pure method edge, but maybe close enough to not notice a difference.

I think the grit size is what trips up a lot of folks trying the balsa for the first time when they don't read and heed the thread. I think I came off a jnat with a Bismarck and was not impressed with the reduction in sharpness so I thought I would just hit the .1u balsa. I was over 500 laps on the .1u before I decided the edge was up to my normal standards. I have also followed mine and others' jnat edges with the full balsa progression and used the same laps as coming off the film, and got a perfectly fine edge as a result. Skipping grit steps with the balsa and starting from a not so sharp edge will give underwhelming results.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I just wanted to add that lately I have settled into using only the .1u board for my normal maintenance. 50 or 60 laps and I generally don't need to ever drop back a grit. Keeps things simple and it just works.
My experience as well. I’ve got razors I’ve used over a year with just .1 maintenance and if anything, they have improved. There is magic in The Method. If it were more expensive, everyone would use it.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
My experience as well. I’ve got razors I’ve used over a year with just .1 maintenance and if anything, they have improved. There is magic in The Method. If it were more expensive, everyone would use it.
Indeed. It doesn't cost enough so it couldn't possibly be any good.
 
I finally got my balsa setup. At the risk of incurring the wrath of Slash McCoy, local conditions made it difficult to procure the items in the exact sizes that he specified. I ended up with the equivalent of three balsa 2" x4"s. Since they were so thick, I decided to forgo the backing material. The result after 3 dozen laps on each was some nice pinging of arm hairs on my first attempt. I am sure that with my edges will improve even more with further practice.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I finally got my balsa setup. At the risk of incurring the wrath of Slash McCoy, local conditions made it difficult to procure the items in the exact sizes that he specified. I ended up with the equivalent of three balsa 2" x4"s. Since they were so thick, I decided to forgo the backing material. The result after 3 dozen laps on each was some nice pinging of arm hairs on my first attempt. I am sure that with my edges will improve even more with further practice.

That will work fine, initially. In time the balsa will swell and warp from moisture or from dryness, messing up your nice flat lapped surface. For now I suggest exercising good climate control, and be prepared to lap the balsa again should it become necessary. Eventually you will manage to get some acrylic.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
My experience as well. I’ve got razors I’ve used over a year with just .1 maintenance and if anything, they have improved. ....
This is what I have also noticed, the edge keeps on improving over time just using 0.1u pasted balsa maintenance. Surely this improvement must come to an end eventually.
 
I am still waiting for the pastes to arrive, stupid customs :(

I gave up on the Chinese one and ordered some from techdiamondtools in California. Hopefully this time they will come through.
 
So here's my progress using this method:
First go: honed what felt like the hell out of my Satinedge on the 4k to grind out the chip. Took it through progression 8k - 12k before hitting the balsas.
I ran the EA Berg blade over the 12k until it was undercutting the water, then took it through the balsas too.

First shave on each one was not so hot. I tried the Satinedge first and had an okay go of it. I figured it had been almost a month since I last used a straight, so my technique was a little rusty, but results were just so-so. Two days later, tried the Berg and had my worst shave of the year so far. I get sad put everything away and sulk for a month.

Time goes by and I come back to it, and pick up the Satinedge figuring what the hell, why not see if it's as bad as I remember. Low and behold, fine shave! I've shaved on it daily for about a week now and am getting great results.

After a couple great shaves on the Satinedge, I compare it and the Berg at tree-topping arm hairs. Satinedge does pretty well (a little tug, and hairs aren't just falling left and right, but respectable enough), the Berg barely catches any. I must have fluxed something up somewhere (probably didn't give it enough laps on the 12k, and the balsas were too fine to make up for it.)

So back I went tonight to my 12k and the balsas. I made damn sure the blade was tree-topping off the 12k before running it across the half micron balsa this time. Then I tested it's tree-topping ability between each progression with notable improvement each time. After the tenth micron, hairs were just flying off. Needless to say, I'm excited about tomorrow morning's shave.

I don't know if there's a moral to my story, but use common sense when honing and test your progress to make sure the results are what you expect. Thanks for opening another rabbit hole for me--it's been a great trip.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
The success may be related to practice. I’ve used pasted balsa for about two years and my edges are much improved. Also, I have found lapping film to be far better than stones. The subtitles are different in the feedback but with use you learn to feel them. There is never any dishing and you never have to worry about your home being perfectly flat. I believe the main reason film doesn’t have a much larger following is that it isn’t expensive enough. I find it much superior to stones. Just my experience.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
.... I believe the main reason film doesn’t have a much larger following is that it isn’t expensive enough. ....
There's a profitable business opening -

Lapping film USD 87.95 per sheet. Free worldwide shipping via priority airmail.

Just PM me.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Pasted Balsa Strop Maintenance

Your pasted balsa strop does need maintenance as the proper polishing effect deteriorates over use and does not last forever. To maintain the balsa strop, it needs to be re-lapped flat and new paste applied. Here is what I have been doing:

To re-lap the balsa strop, I first use 120 grit wet&dry sandpaper (dry) on my flat marble plate and finish off with 320 grit W&D (dry). I then use a vacuum cleaner with brush attachment to remove any loose dust from the surface of the balsa before applying new diamond paste. Others use compressed air to remove the dust.

Now the question arises, when should this re-lapping and pasting be done? This is probably best determined by the approximate number of laps that you do on each of your pasted balsa strops. The number of laps is not too hard to determine if you have a reasonable constant routine with your balsa strops. Otherwise keep a journal with an estimate each week or so.

I did my first re-lapping/pasting at about 2,000 passes. There was no evidence of any deformity in the balsa surface. At this number, I found there was no discernable improvement on the balsa strops' performance.

I then did a second re-lap/pasting after about a further 4,000 laps. This showed an almost indistinguishable convexity in the balsa surface. There was then a barely discernable improvement in the balsa strops' performance.

With this information, I have decided to now re-lap/past my balsa strops as follows:

0.50um after about each 3,000 laps
0.25um after about each 4,000 laps
0.10um after about each 5,000 laps

This at least gives you somewhere to start. You can then try other intervals at say 1,000 or 2,000 lap differences. Of course, what works best for you may be different. Factors include:
  • Your stropping technique.
  • Blade hardness.
  • Grade/quality of your balsa.
  • What you considered the correct amount of paste you previously applied.
  • When you consider that your balsa strop's performance needs improving.
Once the balsa thickness gets down to below about 3mm, consider replacing the balsa with new. How easy this will be will depend in the substrate surface you chose and the glue that you used to attach the balsa. My substrate surface is glazed ceramic tile and I used rubber (Rugby in the Philippines) glue so, when needed, it shouldn't be too difficult. You new balsa should not be more than about 12mm thick so as to minimize warping due to humidity. My preference is 8mm to 10mm thick.

BTW, at my current usage rate, it looks like a 5g tube of diamond paste is going to last me 20 to 30 years.
 
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How are you guys spreading you diamond paste?

I spread my chromium oxide and iron oxide with a small brush that’s mean dipped in olive oil.
Any advice would be appreciated.
 
How are you guys spreading you diamond paste?

I spread my chromium oxide and iron oxide with a small brush that’s mean dipped in olive oil.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Olive oil is a vegetable oil that has a high concentration of oleic acid, a monosaturated fatty acid. Over time, the oil that penetrates down into the pores of the balsa will go rancid. Thus, you are better off using something like mineral oil that does not go rancid.

If you want to use a vegetable oil, coconut oil would be a better alternative than olive oil as it is about 90 % saturated fatty acids that do not oxidize (go rancid) as easily as olive oil.
 
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