Help with dmt paste for strops.

[usfpaul82]

Just made my first strops and bought the 3 pack of dmt diamond paste. My strops are 2" wide x 10" long. How much past do I put on each one. Do I just put a few dabs up the strop? Do I rub it in before I take a blade to it? With what?

 

[rayban]

Maybe this thread will be helpful to ya....
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=770338

 

[stitchawl]

Just made my first strops and bought the 3 pack of dmt diamond paste. My strops are 2" wide x 10" long. How much past do I put on each one. Do I just put a few dabs up the strop? Do I rub it in before I take a blade to it? With what?

With all due compliments to Zyhano and his excellent thread about making your own strop, here is his photo of applying the diamond paste.

Stitchawl

 

[Jason B.]

Not to be the critic but that looks like way too much. It will also depend on how dry the leather is, the dryer the leather the more the compound will not want to spread.

To solve the problem of using too much or not enough I find it best to apply one drop at a time rubbing it in and applying more as needed. I also prep the leather by wiping it with a rag sprayed lightly with WD40. makes spreading the compound easier.

 

[peppercorn]

How much DMT paste do you use if your strop is hardwood and, therefor, not really porous. It seems to dry out fairly quickly, does it need to be moist in order to hone well?

 

[Jason B.]

The DMT paste does not dry, its a oil base. It may look dry but will always build up on the edge when in use.

You gotta go with the flow on wood strops, best you can really do is sand the surface to a fine grit so it spreads evenly.

 

[peppercorn]

What's the purpose of putting the Hardwood DMT Paste treated strops in plastic bags?

Also, how often do I need to reapply paste to the Hardwoods?

 

[Jason B.]

Keeping your strop in a bag keeps dust and dirt off the surface, with such fine compounds leaving near perfect surface finishes things like dust can ruin your day.

You can use the surface for some time, when it becomes very black or takes a gray metal shine to the surface it would be time to clean/sand.

 

[peppercorn]

Got it, yes, I have experienced dust with the 1micron spray on my leather strops. I store them on their sides now.
As far as the Hardwood goes, I have used cherry sanded to 600, it seems to work really well with the paste.

Thanks

 

[nozh2002]

Diamond paste does not do any better then good Chromium Oxide - Green Rouge. Green Rouge is way more cheaper - one brick will last for decades and yo do not have to worry about "using too much" of it. JapanWoodwoker has good one - Koyo.

I have for sharpening three DMT and one strop with Green rouge (but on proper leather). I try diamond powder (spray or paste) before and see no reason to use it - it does work, but not effective.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[Jason B.]

Giving opinions are one thing but don't dismiss what you have Zero experience with.

Diamond compounds are far better and more effective at giving you a sharp perfectly finished edge. They work faster, better, and with any steel.

Its why my knifes are so sharp

 

[nozh2002]

Giving opinions are one thing but don't dismiss what you have Zero experience with.

Diamond compounds are far better and more effective at giving you a sharp perfectly finished edge. They work faster, better, and with any steel.

Its why my knifes are so sharp

I have experience with this way before you came to bladeforums. I think if you search you may find some posts here in 2005 or earlier.

This is my old pics and I play with it for a while, until realize that it is too expensive and good to keep me busy for hours, but Green Rouge do the same faster and way more cheaper.

I still have those sprays somewhere, but I am not using it - no need.

I am not sure, I am not following you here, but I heart you spend hours sharpening, and I do same for 5-10 minutes. As well as sharpness - you learn some tricks how to whittle hair, but I can do same as well - this is not sharpen, but of course you should have some credit for good hands and coordination.

So of course this is fascinating, I guess, to have all this diamonds etc... but this is not needed to get knife as sharp as you get.

Thanks, Vassili.

P.S. I think you should quit this mentor altitude (at least when you talk to me), it is just childish.
P.P.S. You was 41st reported hair whittling 4 Aug 2008 on Sharpness record page I set up May 2008. I guess you are not really unique (as well as me too) and quite a lot of people can do same using way different technics from sharpmaker to waterstones. It is all here:

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/SharpeningRecords.html

 

[Jason B.]

If I should stop this " mentor altitude" then you should stop thinking your god. Before BF I thought splitting hair was something just done on Saturday morning cartoons, now I know its actually a decent test of extreme sharpness. I'm also a noob with a camera so it took a while to find that macro setting.

We are talking about DMT diamond paste here not the ebay stuff you have. I use DMT compound daily and know exactly how it works, I also have some of the highest quality chromium oxide you can get and by comparison there is no comparison. Ever wonder why you couldn't get S110V to whittle hair?

Sharpening with a higher grit is all about removing the previous scratch pattern and setting in place the new one with the finer abrasive. If you go from 9 microns to 0.5 microns and only spend two minutes with your strop your not doing squat. The only thing your doing is straightening out a burr from your last stone that you shouldn't even of had in the first place before going to the strop.

About the time I spend that every hater seems to keep bring up, ITS FOR PERFECTION! if I just want sharp it takes me no longer than you. There is a HUGE difference between getting a knife sharp and making one perfect.

So like I said, don't dismiss a product you have zero experience with.

 

[nozh2002]

If I should stop this " mentor altitude" then you should stop thinking your god. Before BF I thought splitting hair was something just done on Saturday morning cartoons, now I know its actually a decent test of extreme sharpness.

And who show this to you? Who did this first?

I'm also a noob with a camera so it took a while to find that macro setting.

We are talking about DMT diamond paste here not the ebay stuff you have.

Ebay stuff? Excuse me - this is not ebay stuff. You should stop this "I know everything" altitude. This is what professional jeweler using I have from 3 microns up to 0.15 (100000 Mesh). You playing with this diamond paste - this is fine, but it is not practical.

I use DMT compound daily and know exactly how it works, I also have some of the highest quality chromium oxide you can get and by comparison there is no comparison. Ever wonder why you couldn't get S110V to whittle hair?

I do not use Green Rouge daily - it is not needed, just 5-10 minutes. I also know how diamond paste works (several years ago actually) and found it waste of time and money. Once you play with it little more and you will learn this as well.

Sharpening with a higher grit is all about removing the previous scratch pattern and setting in place the new one with the finer abrasive. If you go from 9 microns to 0.5 microns and only spend two minutes with your strop your not doing squat. The only thing your doing is straightening out a burr from your last stone that you shouldn't even of had in the first place before going to the strop.

Oh you just know everything about what I am doing don't you. I know how to recognize wire edge and how to see and get rid of burr - see some of my video lessons again.

About the time I spend that every hater seems to keep bring up, ITS FOR PERFECTION! if I just want sharp it takes me no longer than you. There is a HUGE difference between getting a knife sharp and making one perfect.

So like I said, don't dismiss a product you have zero experience with.

I do not hate you, you are funny. But may be you try good Green Rouge on proper leather and see that this will be much faster then spending hour doing same with poor solution - diamond paste on wrong leather - Hand American Made?

I starts thinking based on your comment that you most likely hone it by just leather, if it takes so much time. Because this is about what is needed to hone edge on empty unloaded leather (which Hand American Made is actually best for).

Now stroping it for hours seems like what is needed for unloaded leather honing.

All this cry about PERFECTION is also childish - there is no such thing as a PERFECTION, this is target unreachable, by definition. If you think you are doing this PERFECT - it is rather alarming.

Anyway you PERFECT edge does not do anything better then mine. You learn some tricks whittling, but not doing it sharper. If you do - show me something I can not do.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[Jason B.]

Talk about a ego, your so full of yourself its just not even funny anymore.

You should really read closer, I GO for perfection I never said anything about my edges being the greatest as you do.

No one is claiming to be better than you, your making that argument all on your own. Now lets not derail this thread anymore because you think there can be no other way than yours.

 

[prime77]

I haven't been around this subforum that long but have learned so much from many of you guys. I first learned how to make a decent stop here as well about many different types of compounds. But it wasn't until I started using the DMT diamond pastes over the green compounds that I got truly amazing results like these.

For someone starting out with strops I would highly recommend them.

 

[nozh2002]

Talk about a ego, your so full of yourself its just not even funny anymore.

You should really read closer, I GO for perfection I never said anything about my edges being the greatest as you do.

No one is claiming to be better than you, your making that argument all on your own. Now lets not derail this thread anymore because you think there can be no other way than yours.

I think you should follow your own "teaching" and read my post.

I did not sad it does not work. I sad it take more time and much more momey and in you case I am not even sure it is diamond paste works, but rather hours and hours of plane leather polishing.

Also you sad your edge are sharper because you can do multiple shaves on hair - turns out it is just whittling trick not any better sharpness. This was all over here.

What about you being wrong so many times, remember "Ebay stuff,... Zero experience... You have to learn more..." and all other nonsenses? This is all your words and you sad that, nobody's else ego forced you to made those statements. Why are you saying things you have no idea about and rather came up with something you prefer?

May be you should stop playing great teacher or whatever you seeing yourself as well as seeing hater around and participate discussion?

Now once you admit you are not doing better then I - lets try to learn why it take 5-10 minutes for me and hours for you? Do not you thinks you doing it less effective then I? May be not enough diamond paste, because it is too expensive? May be Green Rough and right leather is the key to do this more productive?

I tried diamond powders, Hand American Made leather and Woodcraft Freen polishing compound - all does not work well. Did you try leather I mentioned and proper Green Rouge? May be it will work better for you as well?

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[Jason B.]

#1 I can sharpen a knife in minutes too.

#2 I have/had used chromium oxide for years

#3 I found diamond compound to be far more effective especially with high wear resistant steels the chromium oxide hardly effects.

#4 if what I do is a trick then please explain how

#5 you are not the best

#6 I don't use plain leather to strop

 

[stitchawl]

I tried diamond powders, Hand American Made leather and Woodcraft Freen polishing compound - all does not work well.

You need a couple of more words at the end of your sentence.
You need to end it with 'for me.' As in 'all does not work well for me.'

Vassili, we have all tried good (and bad) quality green compound. We have all tried good (and bad) quality diamond pastes. We have all tried different leathers and different bases for the compounds.

You found that green chromium oxide compound on chrome tanned leather works best for you. That's good.
Knifeknut1013 found that diamond paste or spray on vegetable tanned leather works best for him. And that's good.
I've found that both chromium oxide and diamond paste on anything firm works fine for me. The only difference I notice is that the diamond paste works faster than the chromium oxide. I do not find any difference between using the compounds on leather, wood, or hard paper. And that too is good!

I find that for a final strop, bare high quality vegetable tanned horsehide works best. For ME. This is what barbers have been using since the shaving razor was invented. In fact, the name given to the very best of the best high quality vegetable tanned horsehide made for strops was 'Russian Leather.' Please don't assume that these things are something we were tricked into doing. We arrived at our choices by trying many different things. You may prefer chrome tanned upholstery leather. That's fine. Use it. No one will tell you not to. I find HandAmerican leather to be just fine for strops, just as good as leather bought directly from Tandy. (As a leather hobbyist I have closets full of leather from all over the world.) Please don't tell me it's no good. I've been using it for the past 15 years with great success.

Please do what you want to do.
Please allow us to do what we want to do, without telling us that it's 'wrong' or 'bad.' You have your ways. We have ours.

Stitchawl

 

[wongKI]

(Long post deleted)

Well said, Stitch. I'll have to remember this for posterity.