Balsa strop and DMT dia-paste

K

knife chop

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Feb 11, 2014
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I just ordered a balsa strop and 1,3 and 6 micron dia-paste. I have an M390 contego and S90V spyderco southfork. my question is what micron size should I use for general stropping? both came hair popping sharp from the factory and after cutting cardboards it lost it's hair popping sharpness. I know that a polished edge wont have a "bite" or aggressiveness, so which grit should I use? thanks!
 
Give them all a try. Go from the coarsest to the finest and test them all out to find out what you like. We all have differing opinions on what works best so it's hard to give a recommendation. Though I think what stone you use and how far you refine it on that will have a larger impact on whether it's toothy or a refined edge.
 
If you want to create and maintain a high mirror polish on these, use all three pastes in sequence (6 > 3 > 1); then use the 1µ to maintain the mirror. How much mirror you get will also depend on how fine the edge finish is, before you start stropping with any of these pastes. If the edge is finished on DMT's F/EF/EEF hones, before stropping, it'll be much easier.

If you're not concerned about mirror-polishing, then do as previously suggested and try all three; use whichever one (or combination) that suits your preference.


David
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
If you want to create and maintain a high mirror polish on these, use all three pastes in sequence (6 > 3 > 1); then use the 1µ to maintain the mirror. How much mirror you get will also depend on how fine the edge finish is, before you start stropping with any of these pastes. If the edge is finished on DMT's F/EF/EEF hones, before stropping, it'll be much easier.

If you're not concerned about mirror-polishing, then do as previously suggested and try all three; use whichever one (or combination) that suits your preference.


David
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Thanks for the advice. One more question, how would I clean the balsa moving from 6,3 and 1?
 
knife chop said:
Thanks for the advice. One more question, how would I clean the balsa moving from 6,3 and 1?
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Bob6794 said:
My advice just use 3 pieces of balsa, balsa is pretty cheap fortunately.
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^^That's the best solution. Not worth compromising any one of these compounds, in trying to use them only on one strop. No way to clean them out completely, aside from sanding down to bare wood each and every time. Once the larger particles are embedded in the strop, they'll tend to dictate the results. In other words, the largest of the three will limit how fine you can go.

These compounds work GREAT when used sequentially, for polishing an edge. 3 strops side-by-side would make it easy. :)

Depending from whom you ordered your balsa strop, you might be concerned about the expense of ordering two more? Not to worry; a craft/hobby store, such as Hobby Lobby or other similar outlets, usually will carry strips of balsa that are nicely-sized for these uses. Not expensive either. Don't need to purchase a pre-made, dedicated strop, if that's what you're concerned about. Hobby Lobby also carries basswood in similarly-cut sizes; I've found it works well also (in fact, I'm thinking I'll pick up some more).


David
 
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Update: i used the balsa and the dia-pastes and i can't seem to make it shaving sharp again. it's sharp to the point where it slices thin phonebook paper but sometimes it snags towards the belly. i'm sure my angles are correct. am i doing something wrong?
 
knife chop said:
Update: i used the balsa and the dia-pastes and i can't seem to make it shaving sharp again. it's sharp to the point where it slices thin phonebook paper but sometimes it snags towards the belly. i'm sure my angles are correct. am i doing something wrong?
Click to expand...

That's likely a burr, at the location where it's snagging. Either that, or a dent or flat spot, or incomplete apex. I'd bet on the burr. To check for a dent/flat spot, lightly draw the edge of the blade across the edge of your thumbnail (thumb pointing UP), and see if you can feel where the edge 'snags' as it slides across your thumbnail. You might also be able to feel a burr this way, depending on how big it may be.

Depending on how big the problem on the edge is, it may be necessary to go back to a coarser stage on a stone. Prior to trying that, you might also go back to the 6µ paste on a very hard backing, like hardwood, which will make the paste work a little more aggressively in cleaning up the edge imperfection. Don't progress through the finer grits until it's cleanly slicing the phonebook paper; it should do this easily with a clean edge off the 6µ paste.


David
 
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