Alright to replace stones with pastes?

[TstebinsB]

I don't think this has been asked... my apologies if it has.

I have a Norton 4k/8K waterstone that I'm in the process of selling. I'd like to get a 4-sided paddle strop with 5.0, 3.0, 1.0, and 0.5 pastes instead. I want to centralize my stropping as to simply the process. Is this a good idea? I'd still have my leather/canvas hanging strop for my pre-shave, daily stropping. Thanks.

 

[Tony Miller]

Paste are fine for refreshing an edge, especially for a beginner not up to speed on honing. Eventually though a blde will benefit from a trip over a real hone or stone. One could always use one of the honemeister once a year for this.
often people say the leather surface of a paddle will round the edge. I suppose that depends on what type of leather the paddle is made from. A hard surface, smooth leather should not pose a problem. Suede leather do have a lot more loose nap which could round it.
I don't think one tool will completely replace the other, rather that they compliment each other for the most part.
Tony

 

[TstebinsB]

I guess I'll just keep the Norton and get a 2-sided paddle strop with 1.0 and 0.5 micron pastes. Thanks Tony.

 

[heavydutysg135]

I guess I'll just keep the Norton and get a 2-sided paddle strop with 1.0 and 0.5 micron pastes. Thanks Tony.

I think that this is a very good idea. If you get serious about honing razors someday you would likely be purchasing the Norton again anyway. I think of the pastes as a great compliment to the Norton, not a replacement. If I could only choose one honing media; however, it would definately be the Norton. Are you having trouble getting your razors sharp off the Norton?

 

[TstebinsB]

I have a Wapienica razor that I'm practicing honing and stropping on. My stropping has really improved but I'm still having problems on the hone. I have a Norton flattening stone coming in the mail so I should probably wait for that. Still, I was getting frustrated so I thought I'd simply things with a paddle strop.

 

[heavydutysg135]

Patience is a virtue. In my experience a 10-10 pryamid on a properly lapped Norton with good technique (light and even pressure) followed by 10 passes on the 1 micron and 10 passes on the .5 micron pastes will get the Wipienica razors shave ready. The Wipienicas take excellent edges fairly easily.

 

[halwilson]

Paste are fine for refreshing an edge, especially for a beginner not up to speed on honing. Eventually though a blde will benefit from a trip over a real hone or stone. One could always use one of the honemeister once a year for this.
often people say the leather surface of a paddle will round the edge. I suppose that depends on what type of leather the paddle is made from. A hard surface, smooth leather should not pose a problem. Suede leather do have a lot more loose nap which could round it.I don't think one tool will completely replace the other, rather that they compliment each other for the most part.
Tony

Tony,

I guess another factor would be how much pressure is applied to the leather surface. I would imagine that a light touch on either a hanging or paddle strop would not be so different as a heavier touch on both?

I prefer to use an extra fine barber hone such as a Homemaster (w/ lather) to finish my edges, and so seldom use pastes, except for a "white" pasted canvas strop before shaving. However, for convenience, I do have a fine diamond paste on one side of the T.M. cutsom paddle strop that I use when traveling.


Cheers, Hal

 

[Tony Miller]

Hal,
Pressure too is a big factor but one really should not be using that much anyway. I know my paddle leather is pretty stiff stuff and stopped using suede 2 years ago just for this reason.

I see padle strops with relief cuts so they do flex a bit when stropping. Not really sure why they would do this though as on the samples I have tried it takes a large amount of pressure to make them deflect at all.

On paddle the leather is there not so much because it is leather, the tradional stropping material, but rather than it makes a nice carrier for the pastes. If one could get the pastes to remain longer on the plain wooden surface, as with balsa it would be a better option and behave much more like a hone, being absolutely rigid.

Tony

 

[mparker762]

If one could get the pastes to remain longer on the plain wooden surface, as with balsa it would be a better option and behave much more like a hone, being absolutely rigid.

Hard wooden surfaces (i.e. not balsa) do work great but they are slow because they don't hold much paste. Just make sure to use something that won't warp.

 

[Tony Miller]

Hard wooden surfaces (i.e. not balsa) do work great but they are slow because they don't hold much paste. Just make sure to use something that won't warp.

That is why I like your vellum idea. Thin enough to never have a softness issue but something to possibly hold the pastes better. I favor thick bench hones, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2" thick that will remain flat. The MDF I was using works well but is nasty stuff to cut. I may try your vellum on one of those.

Tony

 

[mparker762]

That should work. The MDF would still need to be lapped flat before putting the vellum on it, but the expanding glue helps take care of any minor imperfections.

When I made my first vellum-on-tile paddle I took one of my practice razors and did ~1000 (lost count a few times laps on boron carbide, then magic markered the blade and put it on my translucent arkansas and the magic marker came off the entire bevel cleanly.