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How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
You can say THAT again! Oh, wait... you did...

LOL Yeah welcome to the atomic edge club. Believe it or not, as you master the technique your edges will get still better. Important tips: always use it in hand and not laying on a fixed surface. Use the lightest pressure you can manage. Do not overpaste... after application, rub it in good and wipe it off with an old tshirt. Hold it vertically, end up, so you are not letting the entire weight of the razor bear down on it. Don't forget to add a few pull strokes in there. Clean razor and hands between grits so you do not contaminate the finer grit with a coarser one. A few particles is all it takes to spoil its effectiveness. Don't cut yourself.
 
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.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
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.

Now, you KNOW.
 
Welcome to the Dragon Edge. Your edge will get even better with each shave if you give your blade about 50 laps on 0.1u hanging balsa after each shave. Baring physical damage, the blade should then never need honing again.
Yup. Just got a small glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel.
 
The technique thing is legit. When I started with this, it was meh.

Just like all the systems, actually. But you get good at it.

The advantage of getting good technique with point one micron diamond is it's nice and sharp. And if you've been straight razor shaving for a while, that means your shaving technique is good, which means you want sharp.
 
Going from jnat to 0.25 diamond then to 0.1 cbn balsa gives me an even more forgiving edge than the usual jnat finish I can do. And the sharpness well, I usually used 2 hands for my upper lip ATG, now I use 1 hand and stretch with the other for the fools pass and it's easy and comfortable.
I still have the haze left from the jnat ofcourse, so I do not know if it's like a method edge, but it's hard to know if the edge lacks anything at this point.
Tried the DE a few days ago with a nacet blade in, and it started to tug and bite atg. Imo, these kind of edges are in a VERY different league.
 
I agree with Tomo about the importance of the shave technique itself. With a sharp straight it's even more important. You really need an acute angle, taut skin and a light touch.

I think part of the reason my honing systems seem to be doing better, is just as much the fact that my shaving technique is improving.

Diamond paste gives a sharp edge, so I use less pressure now.
 
Finally, got my diamond pastes...tomorrow I will go shopping for balsa. Still, need to work on my lapping film technique but this will get me motivated.
 
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Going from jnat to 0.25 diamond then to 0.1 cbn balsa gives me an even more forgiving edge than the usual jnat finish I can do. And the sharpness well, I usually used 2 hands for my upper lip ATG, now I use 1 hand and stretch with the other for the fools pass and it's easy and comfortable.
I still have the haze left from the jnat ofcourse, so I do not know if it's like a method edge, but it's hard to know if the edge lacks anything at this point.
Tried the DE a few days ago with a nacet blade in, and it started to tug and bite atg. Imo, these kind of edges are in a VERY different league.

I think it was covered here at one time. I feel like you lose most of if not all personality of finisher (jnat,ark) when using pasted balsa.
 
I think it was covered here at one time. I feel like you lose most of if not all personality of finisher (jnat,ark) when using pasted balsa.
It changes it, sure. But I still have the haze left from the jnat and it feels almost the same but more like a push in the direction of forgiveness and sharpness, it feels enhanced. After all not alot of metal is removed after the jnat.
Taking in to a plastered chromox balsa, then yeah I would agree.
 
It changes it, sure. But I still have the haze left from the jnat and it feels almost the same but more like a push in the direction of forgiveness and sharpness, it feels enhanced. After all not alot of metal is removed after the jnat.
Taking in to a plastered chromox balsa, then yeah I would agree.
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.
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
I'm finally going to try out the diamond on balsa. To save me a bunch of reading, if I'm coming off a coti or jnat would the .5u be all I need?
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I'm finally going to try out the diamond on balsa. To save me a bunch of reading, if I'm coming off a coti or jnat would the .5u be all I need?
Best to do the .25 and .1 finish. That is my experience. Also, I expect (just opinion) that going from a coticule to.5 balsa is a really big jump. Normally, 12k before .5um.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I'm finally going to try out the diamond on balsa. To save me a bunch of reading, if I'm coming off a coti or jnat would the .5u be all I need?
You are used to natural edges. A .5u diamond balsa edge might feel harsh to you. A .25u edge will definitely feel harsh to you. Funny thing is, when you bump it up to .1u, it gets really smooth, just super sharp and you will want to shave with a tighter shave angle to avoid cuts or excessive exfoliation, but the shave will probably seem very comfortable. A well done Jnat edge is usually equal to a 1u film edge in sharpness so you can go right to the three stage balsa progression. A coticule edge maybe not. You would want to hit 1u film, or set up a 1u balsa, but since you already have Jnats, just put a Jnat finish on it and you should be good to go. TBH I have never tried to use the balsa on a coticule edge but it doesn't seem likely to work optimally. I can tell you for a fact that it does work pretty well on a GOOD Jnat edge, though. It will not be a Jnat edge when you are done. It will be a diamond balsa edge basically identical to a Method edge.
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
Thanks I'll give it a try several different ways and see how it goes. I really don't see why it wouldn't work with a good coti edge but we will see.
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
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.
 
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.
If it's water soluble cbn, like Ken's, I recommend spraying it in a cup then let it dry then add mineral oil. Much easier to get a thin even spread on the balsa.(I used ballistol)
Share your thoughts aswell please^^
 
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