Ultra fine stones vs stropping vs lapping film

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crn3371

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I’m using a Hapstone R2 along with the dual side Venev diamond stones. The finest Venev stone is 1200 grit (FEPA-F), which translates to around 3 micron. I’d like to go for a more polished edge and not sure which direction to go. When do you switch from a stone to a strop or lapping film? After the 1200 Venev can I progress to finer Shapton stones, or Chosera, or should I switch over to strops/lapping films? Finally, after the 1200 Venev (3 micron) what would be the progression of stones and/or strops in order to achieve a more polished edge. Thanks.
 
You can try a basswood or balsa strop with 1 micron diamond paste to get a more mirror polished edge.
 
Try out the Venev diamond paste sampler pack from Gritomatic, and a few of their leather strops for your R2. Just make sure to apply the paste and then heat it up with a hairdryer to let it settle and soak into the leather of the strop (it's wax based and you need to let the wax melt and partially evaporate for best results).

After the Venev 1200, you can probably go to about the 6-9 micron diamond paste, working your way up as fine as you want to go for your mirror edge after that. Even though the 1200 grit rating would be about 3 micron, you'll actually get an improved edge with a slightly bigger particle paste because it's not as harsh on the steel as a stone is. Just remember to dedicate a strop to each paste.

I get great hair splitting edges with the Venev pastes after the Venev stones.

Gritomatic sells the Venev Diamond Stropping Compound Sampler pack for around 13 bucks.(And that's for 8 grits!) Every "sample" small container will last you a very long time. You only use a little bit to coat a 6 inch strop. The paste sample pack goes from 60 micron all the way to 0.5 micron.
 
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jiggyfly16 said:
You can try a basswood or balsa strop with 1 micron diamond paste to get a more mirror polished edge.
Click to expand...

Are these basswood and balsa wood strops for sale somewhere? Are they only made to be used with guided systems? (I guess you could freehand with them even if they are intended for use with a guided system . . . . )
 
Mister Coffee said:
Are these basswood and balsa wood strops for sale somewhere? Are they only made to be used with guided systems? (I guess you could freehand with them even if they are intended for use with a guided system . . . . )
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You can just buy some blocks of balsa or basswood and apply some paste on them and use as is. If you have to use a guided system, I supose you could buy some Edge pro aluminum blanks and stick a basswood or balsa strip on it.
 
crn3371 said:
Gritomatic has a wide selection of wood and leather strops, for both guided systems and free hand.
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Their Cowhide strops are really, really nice. Very firm leather and clearly excellent quality control.

The leather texture is spot-on for the perfect balance of Smooth, yet "grippy" grain leather. Yes, weird explanation but I think you get the "gist" of it.

All the ones I've bought have been near flawless leather.
 
Picked up all my bass wood at hobby lobby, also I picked up some gunny juice in 6 micron and have 1 micron from another manufacturer

I really really like the gunny juice and plan to pick up 9,3 and 1 micron for bass wood strops
 
Bass wood is great. Balsa gets unflat pretty quickly under the weight of a knife.

I like to mount basswood on 3/4" or 1" acrylic, with rubber cement, both to inhibit warping, and for a little extra finger clearance.
 
I picked up some 8x2x1 basswood blocks to avoid the warping issue and I can mount them to my stone holder.
 
sickpuppy1 said:
The bass wood and balsa wood can be found at hobby lobby and the like.
Click to expand...

Are they cut like strops, like paint stirring sticks, like planks, like blocks? Just wondering because when I do a broad google search, I do not get anything that looks like a 1-in. x 6-in. strop like I see in YouTube videos.
 
Yeah they do have strips of wood 1” wide 1/8” thick for various projects and you cut them to 6” and bevel the end if you want. Paint sticks aren’t smooth enough. Or level I should say.
 
Mister Coffee said:
Are they cut like strops, like paint stirring sticks, like planks, like blocks? Just wondering because when I do a broad google search, I do not get anything that looks like a 1-in. x 6-in. strop like I see in YouTube videos.
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You can search "basswood carving blocks 6x1x1" on google if that is your preferred size.
 
With regards to leather strops, or strops in general, how do you know how much product to put on them and how often?
 
crn3371 said:
With regards to leather strops, or strops in general, how do you know how much product to put on them and how often?
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Really not much at all. It's hard to describe "how much" exactly, but basically you just want a very thin layer to cover the strop surface. As an example, a 6x1 inch strop would probably only need about 2 match stick head sizes' blob amount, spread evenly all over the strop surface. If using Venev or other wax based pastes, after application then also warm it up nicely with a hairdryer to make sure it melts and settles into the strop.
 
777 Edge said:
Try out the Venev diamond paste sampler pack from Gritomatic, and a few of their leather strops for your R2. Just make sure to apply the paste and then heat it up with a hairdryer to let it settle and soak into the leather of the strop (it's wax based and you need to let the wax melt and partially evaporate for best results).

After the Venev 1200, you can probably go to about the 6-9 micron diamond paste, working your way up as fine as you want to go for your mirror edge after that. Even though the 1200 grit rating would be about 3 micron, you'll actually get an improved edge with a slightly bigger particle paste because it's not as harsh on the steel as a stone is. Just remember to dedicate a strop to each paste.

I get great hair splitting edges with the Venev pastes after the Venev stones.

Gritomatic sells the Venev Diamond Stropping Compound Sampler pack for around 13 bucks.(And that's for 8 grits!) Every "sample" small container will last you a very long time. You only use a little bit to coat a 6 inch strop. The paste sample pack goes from 60 micron all the way to 0.5 micron
Click to expand...
777 Edge said:
Try out the Venev diamond paste sampler pack from Gritomatic, and a few of their leather strops for your R2. Just make sure to apply the paste and then heat it up with a hairdryer to let it settle and soak into the leather of the strop (it's wax based and you need to let the wax melt and partially evaporate for best results).

After the Venev 1200, you can probably go to about the 6-9 micron diamond paste, working your way up as fine as you want to go for your mirror edge after that. Even though the 1200 grit rating would be about 3 micron, you'll actually get an improved edge with a slightly bigger particle paste because it's not as harsh on the steel as a stone is. Just remember to dedicate a strop to each paste.

I get great hair splitting edges with the Venev pastes after the Venev stones.

Gritomatic sells the Venev Diamond Stropping Compound Sampler pack for around 13 bucks.(And that's for 8 grits!) Every "sample" small container will last you a very long time. You only use a little bit to coat a 6 inch strop. The paste sample pack goes from 60 micron all the way to 0.5 micron.
Click to expand...
I’d like to make my own strop and use the Venev Paste. Should I use the flesh side or the grain side ?
 
Félix W.T said:
I’d like to make my own strop and use the Venev Paste. Should I use the flesh side or the grain side ?
Click to expand...
That's very much going to depend on the leather you use. You need a fairly hard leather (not supple or soft). If you have a nice full grain leather with a surface that has a slight bit of coarseness or grippiness to it (almost feels like very fine sandpaper) then the preferred side would be the outside of the hide.

If your leather is slick and polished and it's all you have, then it would be better to use the inside of the leather but the strop won't give you as good of a result. I would not use just any piece of discarded leather though, because using the right leather for a good strop makes a huge difference. Using the wrong leather can make the strop almost useless.

If you've never felt the texture of the right type of leather used for a good strop, then first buy yourself one from a reputable seller like Gritomatic. Once you have a good one, you can use it as a sample for your reference when looking for leather to purchase to make your own strops.
 
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777 Edge said:
That's very much going to depend on the leather you use. You need a fairly hard leather (not supple or soft). If you have a nice full grain leather with a surface that has a slight bit of coarseness or grippiness to it (almost feels like very fine sandpaper) then the preferred side would be the outside of the hide.

If your leather is slick and polished and it's all you have, then it would be better to use the inside of the leather but the strop won't give you as good of a result. I would not use just any piece of discarded leather though, because using the right leather for a good strop makes a huge difference. Using the wrong leather can make the strop almost useless.

If you've never felt the right type of leather that is used for a good strop, then first buy yourself one from a reputable seller like Gritomatic. Once you have a good one, you can use it as a sample for your reference when looking for leather to purchase to make your own strops.
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Thanks for your answer ! That’s a good idea, I’ll do that.
 
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