Is dialux enuf for a straight razor

I've got some of the green coming on Monday or Tuesday, and I'll report back then if no one has gotten back to you.
 
Alright, Green (Vert) Dialux came in the mail and I've tried it out on a hollow grind. 10 strokes on either side on a pine strop, and it's shaving much cleaner than before and push-cutting paper with no problem. I know you already got your answer, but I can second how well it works.

It came in a solid condition with no flaking. It is not oily, and is very firm. I kept it in my front pocket to heat it up a bit; ~10 minutes later and it easily rubs into the soft wood. I have heard that there are some fakes out there, and I can confirm that the real stuff is a deep forest green with no brown or off color spots.

Good luck with your razor.
 
Jave said:
Alright, Green (Vert) Dialux came in the mail and I've tried it out on a hollow grind. 10 strokes on either side on a pine strop, and it's shaving much cleaner than before and push-cutting paper with no problem. I know you already got your answer, but I can second how well it works.

It came in a solid condition with no flaking. It is not oily, and is very firm. I kept it in my front pocket to heat it up a bit; ~10 minutes later and it easily rubs into the soft wood. I have heard that there are some fakes out there, and I can confirm that the real stuff is a deep forest green with no brown or off color spots.

Good luck with your razor.
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Cheers
 
Jave said:
Alright, Green (Vert) Dialux came in the mail and I've tried it out on a hollow grind. 10 strokes on either side on a pine strop, and it's shaving much cleaner than before and push-cutting paper with no problem. I know you already got your answer, but I can second how well it works.
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I haven't tried stropping with paste yet to finish my razors. I'm curious what you used to finish prior to using this paste?
 
jpm2 said:
I'm curious what you used to finish prior to using this paste
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I start on a King 300 stone; then I switch to either a Spyderco Medium or Shapton Ceramic 1000. Then I strop with Dialux. I'm kind of blown away by how sharp it gets and the mirror polish. I figured I would need to finish on a 5000 or something before stropping, but I guess not. Maybe I'm missing something.
 
Jave said:
I start on a King 300 stone; then I switch to either a Spyderco Medium or Shapton Ceramic 1000. Then I strop with Dialux. I'm kind of blown away by how sharp it gets and the mirror polish. I figured I would need to finish on a 5000 or something before stropping, but I guess not. Maybe I'm missing something.
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Ok I understand why the paste makes such a big difference for you now, coming off a 1000 grit stone.

After a 1000/1200, I use a soft arkansas, hard arkansas, a lapped spyderco ultra fine, then finish on a black arkansas, then bare leather strop. This progression is starting from scratch with an unknown razor needing the edge set, or one needing repair.

After shaving 10-30 times (depending on the razor), with bare leather stropping between shaves, they get touched up on the black arkansas only, then back to bare leather and repeat.

Just my opinion, you need at least 2 more stones after the 1000.
 
jpm2 said:
Just my opinion, you need at least 2 more stones after the 1000.
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That's good to know; I figured I was cheating. Guess I still need to invest in a 5000 or something. At some point, I'd like to spend some money on an entire Arkansas set.

Thank you.
 
Jave said:
That's good to know; I figured I was cheating. Guess I still need to invest in a 5000 or something. At some point, I'd like to spend some money on an entire Arkansas set.

Thank you.
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I think I'm one of the few who prefer an arkansas progression, and maybe the only one that inserts a spyderco uf before the final black ark. Most use the standard 1k/4k/8k/12k synthetic then leather.
I find finishing with the black ark gives unmatched smoothness and cuts way down on final stropping.
I'm far from an expert but have experimented quite a bit the last year with stones and would try a ~4k after the 1000 and before paste. Maybe later add an 8k.
 
jpm2 said:
try a ~4k after the 1000 and before paste. Maybe later add an 8k.
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Cool, thanks for the breakdown of your system. I really enjoy the feedback and durability of my Hard Arkansas pocket stone, so I hope to expand to a full set at some point. Arkansas stones are classic.
 
Jave said:
Cool, thanks for the breakdown of your system. I really enjoy the feedback and durability of my Hard Arkansas pocket stone, so I hope to expand to a full set at some point. Arkansas stones are classic.
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Jave, I've given you my best recommendation based on limited experience, knowledge, and experience. There's a majority of people with decades more experienced with straight razor sharpening and shaving that disagree with me. I highly recommend browsing dedicated shaving forums, digest what's there, and choose your own way.
 
I don't work my blade on a lot of stones. When it needs tuning, I'll take it to my Charnley Forest stone or my Belgium cuticle stone. And work it on those. I have those other stones, the black Arkansas and a Spyderco ultra fine ceramic. All good stones. I resist that much stone work. Then I strop on leather with the green Rouge applied.
Razor sharpening is one area of sharpening that it's acceptable to get OCD on.
Still, I get a good shave. DM
 
David Martin said:
I don't work my blade on a lot of stones. When it needs tuning, I'll take it to my Charnley Forest stone or my Belgium cuticle stone. And work it on those. I have those other stones, the black Arkansas and a Spyderco ultra fine ceramic. All good stones. I resist that much stone work. Then I strop on leather with the green Rouge applied.
Razor sharpening is one area of sharpening that it's acceptable to get OCD on.
Still, I get a good shave. DM
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I've seen reference that charnley forrest stones are novaculite, like arkansas stones. Does that sound right? If so, what grade of arkansas stone does your charnley most act like?

I kind of see the spyderco ultra fine as a synthetic version of a black arkansas.
 
Quarried in England I have examined mine under magnification. It's structure / connecting layers is some what different than novaculite. Still, it operates like a hard Arkansas. The stone doesn't dish and it was hard to level with a SiC stone. We know razor steel is not as hard as some knife steels. Who knows what it was used to sharpen before I got. It gets rave reviews for good reasons. It really leaves a nice edge on a razor. Ready for stropping. DM
 
Sorry, haven't been around, and seems like you figured out your answer, but yes, green dialux works great on old razors.
Remember they are pretty bare bones basic carbon steels, so if it can polish up the edge on most (basic) stainless alloys, which are much harder, it ought to work on basic carbon varieties...

I use Shapton Glass HC stones 1k, 4k, 8k, & 16k on my razors, (if it's super jacked up, I'll use diamond stones to get the chips out, then move to the stones), and strop with green paste on canvas, then bare leather...

I don't shave often, usually just edging up my beard lines and cleaning my neck and throat, but once an edge is established, I typically can go bare leather for quite a few goes before is starts feeling grabby, then I'll rehone on green... That said, an 8k, 10k, and/or 16k Shapton make for great razor stones...
 
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