Help with dmt paste for strops.

[guns_and_labs]

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.

Hadn't thought about keeping the strop in a bag, but it makes some sense. right now it just hangs from a nail on the workbench. But then again, what grit is dust?

What I find really interesting is the comment about "very black". I've been using the diamond paste on hardwood mounted leather for a few months, using it for weekly touch up of my kitchen knives (Japanese VG-10, convex, if it matters). It's been wonderfully effective, but now it very black. So, does that mean it's time to clean the leather? If so, how? Or time to replace the leather?

 

[zyhano]

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

Very well said stitchawl!
Might I add that your last remark could be used for more posters in this thread?
I can sympathize with both guys here..
Tnx

 

[zyhano]

Not to be the critic but that looks like way too much.

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.

It was a bit too much, I wouldn't say way too much, since the paste is going nowhere and will stay mostly on the strop. Some might stick to the edge, but that is easily reapplied.
It's been a couple of days since I made the strop and it just took a little while longer to dry than normal if I would have been a little more careful with applying the paste.

A thicker coating will work somewhat longer because of more diamond particles on the leather. Makes you reapply less.

The tip of rubbing it in per drop is good. Applying it like that is the only accurate way.

 

[cziv]

DMT paste & HA 21 carat spray rocks the best edges I ever dreamed of seeing.

 

[nozh2002]

Very well said stitchawl!
Might I add that your last remark could be used for more posters in this thread?
I can sympathize with both guys here..
Tnx

Yes, somehow it is always targeted at me, but I did not tell anyone "You need to learn leather more" or "You have Zero experiense" or all this other things. What I sad - I tried this and it works or it does not work.

Then when some "teachers" get upset with this - they start drama, start telling that I have Zero experience, need to learn and all other nonsenses.

Once it get clear who is who - they start crying that I should not teach others and let them do what they do. Like it was me not them playing great teachers who bring light of sharpening knowledge to this community!

It is like kindergarden or something!

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[cziv]

Vassili,

I'm sure you are very good at your techniques and knifenut is good too. Sounds like you guys just had a little "spat."

We appreciate both of your opinions since we are all, always learning. I have been a teacher for 37 years and I still learn from my students. They'll show me a method that I never learned, practiced or taught. After checking things out I find, that they are on to a very good method as well.

I'm saying that no matter who is best doesn't matter as much as continuing to learn together and keeping the channels of communications open, so we can keep the exchange of new ideas and methods flowing back and forth. We're all on the same road, just at different spots along the way.

 

[Broos]

I put on a little less than the picture showed, and then drop on some mineral oil (actually the handamerican gel) to mix it around good. Mine will cut aggressively for a looonngg time. Diamonds cut 20X faster than CRO2, and that is all I'll say about that (if you can't say anything nice, then...). One aspect more should try are the larger diamonds - I use my 10 micron loaded strop more than any other. It will take a 1200 DMT (usually for me it's taking a 1000 or 2000 grit waterstone) edge to a high polish very quickly. Having a polished bevel (regardless of the edge) can make some cutting noticeably easier in my experience.

 

[Blademade]

Reading you guys going back and forth and say this if someone is not having luck with dmt paste on a strop is probably because the amount of pressure they are applying with the blade or have not properly progressed through the grit process.meaning jumping grits to quick to finish sharpening quicker thinking there is no need for it. Then again there's a lot of reasons why someone may not have luck with the Diamond paste. These are just a couple of my educated guesses from experience

 

[Mo2]

Reading you guys going back and forth and say this if someone is not having luck with dmt paste on a strop is probably because the amount of pressure they are applying with the blade or have not properly progressed through the grit process.meaning jumping grits to quick to finish sharpening quicker thinking there is no need for it. Then again there's a lot of reasons why someone may not have luck with the Diamond paste. These are just a couple of my educated guesses from experience

It's best to not bring back threads from 2010 back. Wakes zombies.