Thats it!

[rbscebu]

Has anyone tried stropping a razor on pasted balsa that was honed with the spine taped? Stropping without tape? Does it have the same effect?

Yes, but it does not work. There is not enough "give" in the balsa to allow the edge to come in contact with the pasted balsa.

Trying to use pasted balsa with a taped spine also doesn't work. The tape (any type) is abraded by the paste on the balsa and contaminates the paste, this ruining the effect of the paste on the bevel/edge.

If your SR was honed with tape, forget about the use of pasted balsa strops. The only further progression you can do is pasted cloth/leather strops (which convex the bevel) and clean cloth/leather strops.

All of the above is why I am personally against putting tape on an SR spine.

 

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Yes, but it does not work. There is not enough "give" in the balsa to allow the edge to come in contact with the pasted balsa.

Trying to use pasted balsa with a taped spine also doesn't work. The tape (any type) is abraded by the paste on the balsa and contaminates the paste, this ruining the effect of the paste on the bevel/edge.

If your SR was honed with tape, forget about the use of pasted balsa strops. The only further progression you can do is pasted cloth/leather strops (which convex the bevel) and clean cloth/leather strops.

All of the above is why I am personally against putting tape on an SR spine.

Thanks for the response, the razor in question is a custom with a spine inlay so I’d rather not move toward not taping. I love the edge as is so I’ll stick with how it was originally honed. I’m a shaver more than a honer so I’m just looking for the easiest fool proof way to maintain the edge


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[rbscebu]

Thanks for the response, the razor in question is a custom with a spine inlay so I’d rather not move toward not taping. I love the edge as is so I’ll stick with how it was originally honed. I’m a shaver more than a honer so I’m just looking for the easiest fool proof way to maintain the edge


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The easiest for you with this SR would be just clean leather stropping without tape. When needed, give the blade a few laps on a pasted linen/cotton strop without tape. When the pasted strop stops working, you will need to go back to the whetstones (with tape).

Using a pasted linen/cotton strip will wear the spine about as much as pasted balsa but will "give" enough to allow the paste to work on the edge.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Has anyone tried stropping a razor on pasted balsa that was honed with the spine taped? Stropping without tape? Does it have the same effect?


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Not gonna work too well. You need to hone it properly first. The balsa cannot fix your tape-honed bevel. It doesn't remove enough steel to notice, even after thousands of laps. If you intend to use the balsa, I suggest that you do not hone with tape. If the spine is so thin that tape is needed for a suitable bevel angle, then hone it that way, and understand that the balsa won't do anything for that particular razor. You can always sell it, trade it, or PIF it.

Don't simply add tape to the spine for balsa stropping. You don't want to load the balsa with gum and vinyl.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Thanks for the response, the razor in question is a custom with a spine inlay so I’d rather not move toward not taping. I love the edge as is so I’ll stick with how it was originally honed. I’m a shaver more than a honer so I’m just looking for the easiest fool proof way to maintain the edge


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Then your best bet is to tape the spine and hit your finisher when your shave seems to be falling off, and forget about the balsa for that razor.

 

[camoloc]

Has anyone tried stropping a razor on pasted balsa that was honed with the spine taped? Stropping without tape? Does it have the same effect?


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there a lots that will probability argue that you cant do that and will not have a good effect.

I forgot to tape my W&B once and noticed no ill effects with the usual ninja sharpness.

I think with the little height diff. combined with the softness of balsa.......makes this a pretty forgiving process.

camo

 

[Biltong & Boerewors]

Those of us that have some experience stropping on balsa should know that the .1 micron finish has two stages.

1) When you strop with "normal" pressure you achieve the .1u finish, and for many that will give an edge far superior to anything they have achieved before. With a razor honed with tape, I am positive you can achieve this with a little additional pressure to utilise the give of the balsa.

2) The final "less than the weight of the blade" finish that takes you to the "hyper, laser, slap-your-mama, whoooeee!" (forgot some of the other expressions used by Slash) edge, will likely not be possible.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Adding pressure flexes the edge upward. So, it is still not going to give you much joy.

Of course the scientific solution is to try this with two razors, one honed with tape and one without, and maybe comparing both of those to a third identical razor that is not taken to the balsa at all. Actually maybe two more, one honed with tape and one honed without, neither taken to the balsa. Why listen to anybody else when you can discover it for yourself? If performing a proper blind experiment is too much trouble, then either listen to those who claim to know, or don't. Or flip a coin.

 

[camoloc]

Adding pressure flexes the edge upward. So, it is still not going to give you much joy.

Of course the scientific solution is to try this with two razors, one honed with tape and one without, and maybe comparing both of those to a third identical razor that is not taken to the balsa at all. Actually maybe two more, one honed with tape and one honed without, neither taken to the balsa. Why listen to anybody else when you can discover it for yourself? If performing a proper blind experiment is too much trouble, then either listen to those who claim to know, or don't. Or flip a coin.

I say experiment and report results expeditiously for the benefit of all!!!!

camo

 

[Biltong & Boerewors]

Not science at all, but the first File I bought came with a great edge, the one and only second-hand razor I ever got that was truly shave-ready. Because I could not see any spine wear I asked the seller if he honed it with tape, and he confirmed it was honed with a taped spine.

Well I have been stropping on the .1u like with all my other razors after each shave. 30 Plus shaves and so far I have not felt any degradation of the edge, maybe even getting slightly better.

Saying that, previous experiments have shown that stropping with leather only can maintain an edge for well over a hundred shaves, so I will not regard what I have done as conclusive evidence.

 

[global_dev]

Would a concave balsa help out in this case?

 

[Slash McCoy]

Would a concave balsa help out in this case?

Maybe. If the radius is accurate and consistent enough, so that the angle is as consistent as it would be on a flat lapped balsa. In theory at least. Speaking for myself, I wouldn't bother. I would do the simple thing, reset the bevel and hone without tape, and hit the flat balsa progression. But that's me. YMMV. If the razor is just too purty to do that, it is too purty for me to use as a shaving tool and I would probably sell it to someone who appreciates such things. My razors aren't jewelry. They are tools.Not everyone thinks like me and that's okay.

 

[Steve56]

My brain is going to explode, lol.

I hate to quote Jarrod Connerty, but ‘Rub razor on stone, rub razor on strop, shave’

It really is that simple.

 

[Frank Shaves]

This evening I returned to the 0.5 for the second time (this time from the 0.25), and I definitely prefer the 0.5 over the 0.25. This weekend I am going to try finishing on my hard black Ark and Vermont green slate after using the 0.5 each time - just to see what that is all about. And then when I the courage, I will have to try the 0.1. In general, crazy sharp has never been my thing.

 

[Srdjan]

My brain is going to explode, lol.

I hate to quote Jarrod Connerty, but ‘Rub razor on stone, rub razor on strop, shave’

It really is that simple.

Steve, I am laughing out loud [emoji23]

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[Slash McCoy]

My brain is going to explode, lol.

I hate to quote Jarrod Connerty, but ‘Rub razor on stone, rub razor on strop, shave’

It really is that simple.

It is, and it isn't. If it was really that simple, everyone would be doing it and succeeding from the start, with perfect edges and bloodless irritation free BBS shaves. While I agree with the sentiment and agree that anyone can do this, and that there are many paths to a decent, basic shave, the details do matter if you truly want a better shave than you get from a cartridge. Random rubbing on a rock and a strop won't get you there.

Exploding brain is totally optional but I personally recommend against it.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Regarding the whole bit about thinking too much about stuff, I am reminded of how the jazz musicians Bill Evans and Gary Burton have explained it. They talk about the difference between the conscious and the subconscious, and the need to consciously study stuff like chords, scales, patterns, etc., but when it comes time to actually play you just have to go for it, and trust your subconscious and what it feels like. So I think you both (@Steve56 and @Slash McCoy) have valid points. I know that might sound diplomatic, but I think it's true!

 

[Frank Shaves]

I celebrated my first month of using a traditional straight with a darn good shave. It's amazing how the incremental improvements are adding up. With the diamond paste I am able to use a lighter touch, and I can now shave around my ears without cutting myself and over my jaw/chin line. Pretty amazing stuff!

 

[rbscebu]

I celebrated my first month of using a traditional straight with a darn good shave. It's amazing how the incremental improvements are adding up. With the diamond paste I am able to use a lighter touch, and I can now shave around my ears without cutting myself and over my jaw/chin line. Pretty amazing stuff!

And it gets better still!

 

[Frank Shaves]

Probably too many variables, but I performed my first full Arkansas progression on a factory-sealed GD P81/1996: soft > hard > hard black. I used a nice, thin food-grade mineral oil straight. The result was sharp enough to shave hair with, but not sharp enough for me, so I went to the 0.5 micron diamond paste. Then without thinking about it, I stropped the razor on my new Tony Miller "value" veg tanned horsehide strop, and the resulting shave was sharp and comfortable - my best shave with a GD.

The Tony Miller strop is a completely different experience than the cheap little strop I have used for the last month - a real game changer. Took me a few sessions to make the transition, but I now feel very comfortable and confident on the new strop. Turns out I am on vacation this week, so I did a bunch of other experimenting and the new strop really makes a sharp edge smoother. My next experiment will be to finish on a natural stone and go directly to the new strop, skipping the diamond paste.

[Sorry for the yellowish photos.]