Sick of Diamond Pastes & Sprays

cziv

cziv

Joined
Nov 24, 2005
Messages
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I want to go back to the Bark River compounds for my 2 leather strops. Do you recommend back & green or green & white (only have two leather strops)? Where's the best source or do the websites all charge the same price for these bars of stropping compunds?

Thanks! :)
 
I am sorry I cannot recommend any (I have used green in the past with success, but have been using diamonds for about a year now with better/faster results).

May I ask why or what you do not like about diamond pastes?
 
Worrying about cross contamination, messy application, to aggressive from what I've been reading on the web from sharpening articles. Plus, just wanted to try them out.
 
No harm in trying something new, but cross contamination will always be a concern, and if you read enough you will eventually learn everything is both the best and worst simultaneously;)

Depending on the steel the green compound worked quite well for me.

If you ever have any questions I'd be happy to share what I have learned.
 
I have experienced truly superb results with both diamond and CBN compounds, ranging from 1 full micron down to .1 micron on both leather and balsa.. What do you dislike about them, and/or what difficulties are they causing you?:confused::confused:

You have really picqued my curiosity, since my personal results with the diamonds and CBN have far surpassed anything that I was able to accomplish with the "rouge type" compounds.
 
no need to go the "rouge type" bar of waxy compound, if you want to try something else. this would be the worst choice imo.

take a look at hand american products you can get Cr0 at 0,5mic in liquid or semi paste or pure powder form. any type will be much more concentrated than a bar and without any wax that get in the way. they used to produce some coarser compounds but for this you'll have to contact either mark at chefknivestogo or keith at Hand American. their 2 micron SiC sound nice but it's out of stock.
 
I use Veritas

Veritas® Honing Compound


This honing compound, which took over two years to develop, is the most effective on the market.
It is a blend of both chromium and aluminum oxide to give the best combination of cutting speed and fine finish. The bonding is formulated for ease of charging. It will adhere equally well to felt, leather or wood.

Cuts quickly but leaves a mirror finish with a light wax film. The average size of scratch pattern it leaves behind is 0.5 microns or .00002 inches. Ideal for carving tools and firmer gouges, it can be used for final honing of almost any tool. Used with a felt wheel or leather belt for power honing or with a leather strop for hand honing.

Available in 6 oz bars.
 
JRE Industries sells a set of compounds (black, green, and white?) for around $15. You get three tubes that should last a lifetime. :)

B
 
Interesting discussion. I just recently started diamond paste for my leather strop. My problem is, when do I apply some more paste? With the compound, I can kind of see when I need to apply more, not so with the diamond paste.
Thanks
 
awestib said:
Interesting discussion. I just recently started diamond paste for my leather strop. My problem is, when do I apply some more paste? With the compound, I can kind of see when I need to apply more, not so with the diamond paste.
Thanks
Click to expand...

I had a similar experience in the beginning. It is a matter of experience, I believe. When the strop begins to slow down in it's polishing effect, it's time for a re-charge.

Let me also comment that in my experience, over charging is a far greater problem for most users than under charging.
 
that's true for the wax crayon type of compounds, over charging with either powder or liquid/spray form abrasive is not an issue other than wasting pricey compound.
 
I mainly use the latest stainless steel which have lots of carbides. When I used red and green and white compounds they just didn't do anything on the types of steel I like. In fact I would usually make my knife more dull when using those compounds. I switched to diamond spray and my edges immediately got sharper than I had ever experienced, even quite a bit sharper than the somewhat popular paper wheels would produce. Personally, there is no way I would go back to the other compounds. I might try some of the SiC or AlO compounds that are getting close to the hardness of diamonds but I'm not even sure of their availability.

As for when to reapply the diamonds, they don't really go anywhere. I have found it is when the leather gets loaded with gray steel which covers the diamonds is when to apply again. The finer compounds don't take off as much material and need replacing less. If you notice the strop not working as well then maybe experiment re-applying but I think sometimes it may just be in your head as it is a slower process, though the diamonds are much faster than anything else I have tried.
 
Funny or peculiar? But, I seemed to get better edges with less hassle using the green compound. :confused:
 
cziv said:
Funny or peculiar? But, I seemed to get better edges with less hassle using the green compound. :confused:
Click to expand...

Well, there you go! Use what works for you.

Perhaps the slower action of the compound is more suited to your technique? Sort of like some guys insist on power tools for sharpening, while others get good results with slower hand honing...both good, just different...and best to use what works for ya.
 
I haven't used many compounds at all. I didn't care much at all for the old dry SiC powders I got from HA, nor the black Barkriver compound. For my hand strop I now use the mud from a cheap SiC hone. I've settled and been fairly happy with the Barkriver green wax bar on a leather 1x42 belt grinder. I'm pretty sure the BRK compounds are nothing made by or just for them. If I remember correctly the only reason they started selling compound is because alot of people wanted to use the same stuff as they did. Heck at first MS just sent out a small piece of the black and green to who ever wanted it. I'm wondering if most of the wax green compounds are just about the same? I'm guessing they are pretty close.
 
Thanks SC_Dave. Please take that link down or the moderator will ding you. You can't link to products that are for sale.
 
cziv said:
Funny or peculiar? But, I seemed to get better edges with less hassle using the green compound. :confused:
Click to expand...

I find my stropping results are much more dependent upon the leather characteristics than the specific compound at a given grit range. The Flexcut Gold, green CrO, and Sears white compound do a remarkably similar job (for me) when used on leather from the same lot. Using leather with very small differences in density and feel can really change how the compounds react. Waxes, oils, soaps likewise will change my results. Allowing metal swarf to remain on top of the compound makes a difference too. There's more to stropping than sharpening, and there's a lot that goes into good sharpening...

Just speculating, but is your CrO strop material much different from the stuff you're using for your diamonds?
 
My CrO strop was that pre-loaded one from KnivesPlus. Very thin and fine finish. I threw it out about 2 yrs ago and have been using paddle strops from mr2blue which are thick and firm with a smooth finished surface kinda like the outside of a belt rather than the inside.

I've sanded them many times and they get like new with the exception of maybe a bit of softness - but hey it's better than all that old spray, compound & metal that accumulates. I have a bunch of balsa strops for using Dia-paste. They work well if you take your time & have a keen eye.

Last night I sanded my leather strop and used it on my Xm-18 edc folder after touching it up with DMT dia-folds. No complaints with the .5 micron 21 carat HA spray. :)
 
Well, I'd be happy to take all of those worthless and overly-aggressive diamond sprays offa your hands, Cziv... I promise I'll dispose of them safely and in an environmentally respectful manor. :D

I've had fairly good luck with the BRKT compounds, actually, not for really fine polishing but for general use and touching up an edge a bit. If I had to pick two, it'd probably be their black/green set. It works very well on my double-sided "Economy" strop. Best price I've seen is at Jagged Horizon Knives, they have the black/green two-bar set for $17.
 
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