Can I use .5 Micron DMT DiaSpray on Balsa wood or do I need a maple block?

[Rey HRH]

I'm considering a different tack instead of making my own Chromium Oxide paste which looks messy. I've seen some of the discussion on old threads here how chromium oxide particles are "rounder" than diamond crystals. But I figure .5 micron in crystal is the same dimension as .5 micron round more or less.

In the video at the supplier's site they only talked about spraying their .5 micron DMT DiaSpry on leather or, if you're a woodworker, on a maple block. I don't see much wrong with using balsa instead since I already have it and I don't think I want something as hard as maple relative to balsa as this may make the difference in the round vs crystalline more pronounced if the difference is actually there.

 

[Ryan J]

Since no one else has posted Ill share my experience though its limited. Ive experimented with cbn emulsion on different substrates. Its similar to the product your using. I made blanks of pine as balsa wasnt available in my area. Its harder then balsa but softer then maple. On pine the cbn scratched much deeper which makes sense. The particle wouldnt sink in as much. So to somewhat answer your question it will work much more aggressively on maple less so on balsa. Depends on the finish your looking for. I usually polish so I stick to hand american leather. Hope this helps

 

[Rey HRH]

Thanks for your help. I bought some basswood today too at the hobby shop. It feels harder than balsa. I may use a progression from basswood + spray, balsa + spray, leather + spray, and just plain leather.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks for your help. I bought some basswood today too at the hobby shop. It feels harder than balsa. I may use a progression from basswood + spray, balsa + spray, leather + spray, and just plain leather.

Basswood works pretty well, and I prefer it to balsa, which almost seems too soft for my tastes at times; basswood also has tighter grain, which seems to maintain it's smoothness better than balsa. It's a good idea to try out many options, as you've listed above; you might find you don't need leather as much, if at all, after using a firmer wood backing like basswood. There's always a risk of slightly rounding off the edge, in using anything conformable, like leather. The one time I still use leather, is with a leather belt used like a hanging (barber's) strop; that has worked very well for me with simpler carbon and stainless steels (1095, CV, 420HC) with green compound.


David

 

[Rey HRH]

Basswood works pretty well, and I prefer it to balsa, which almost seems too soft for my tastes at times; basswood also has tighter grain, which seems to maintain it's smoothness better than balsa. It's a good idea to try out many options, as you've listed above; you might find you don't need leather as much, if at all, after using a firmer wood backing like basswood. There's always a risk of slightly rounding off the edge, in using anything conformable, like leather. The one time I still use leather, is with a leather belt used like a hanging (barber's) strop; that has worked very well for me with simpler carbon and stainless steels (1095, CV, 420HC) with green compound.


David

"Too soft for my tastes at times" leads me to thinking about the pressure to be used in stropping. I've been getting the impression that at the stropping stage, you barely let the weight of the knife do the work as you pull it? Can you describe to me how much pressure is one suppose to use?

With regards to the leather, I'm think just polishing the part that's not near the cutting edge (I'm thinking I'll be doing micro-bevels). And, again, if I just use very light pressure, then the leather shouldn't come up to the cutting edge.

Thanks for your posts which gave me other things to think about like the pressure.

 

[Ryan J]

"Too soft for my tastes at times" leads me to thinking about the pressure to be used in stropping. I've been getting the impression that at the stropping stage, you barely let the weight of the knife do the work as you pull it? Can you describe to me how much pressure is one suppose to use?

With regards to the leather, I'm think just polishing the part that's not near the cutting edge (I'm thinking I'll be doing micro-bevels). And, again, if I just use very light pressure, then the leather shouldn't come up to the cutting edge.

Thanks for your posts which gave me other things to think about like the pressure.

Check out the sticky at the top of the maintenance forum titled stropping:angle vs pressure. Very informative. As are all the stickies in every area

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

"Too soft for my tastes at times" leads me to thinking about the pressure to be used in stropping. I've been getting the impression that at the stropping stage, you barely let the weight of the knife do the work as you pull it? Can you describe to me how much pressure is one suppose to use?

With regards to the leather, I'm think just polishing the part that's not near the cutting edge (I'm thinking I'll be doing micro-bevels). And, again, if I just use very light pressure, then the leather shouldn't come up to the cutting edge.

Thanks for your posts which gave me other things to think about like the pressure.

That's why I tend to prefer firmer strops. The firmer it is, the less worry there'll be about pressure used. Some more wear-resistant steels are more tolerant of somewhat heavier pressure, and I try to adapt the backing to a 'comfortable' (for me) level of pressure, so I have good control and good feedback to my fingertips, while protecting the apex from rounding at the same time. Balsa can be soft enough that it sometimes will compress or even dent, if pressure gets just a little too heavy. I noticed this with some balsa blocks I'd previously used, as it was a constant distraction in keeping their surfaces smooth; kept having to re-sand them flat, and apply new compound.

For polishing bevels above the cutting edge, you might also try a 'slurry' of compound on balsa or basswood; mix the powder with mineral oil to get a wet 'muddy' mix going. I noticed a while back, in using a balsa block to strop a convex edge, this method worked very well in polishing up the convex; wasn't actually expecting it, but it turned out nice. For actually refining the apex to as-crisp as possible, I'd still recommend finishing on something very firm.


David