Stropping for razors/Sharpening

How many of you add a compound, diamond or other to your hanging strop v. just bare leather?

I am looking to get the most out of my routine, currently I feel my edge off the stones is pretty good (not HHT good, but shaves fine), finishing with a Shap Pro 15k then stopping on bare leather. Wondering if adding a .5 or .25 micron diamond to the strop will make any difference.

For those that use a compound, do you have two strops one with and one without, or just one with?

2nd part of the question is how low of grit do you drop when you hone? 2k? I hesitate taking it down to a 1k, but wonder if I should start higher, 5k range?

 

My routine from making the razor to establishing an edge to finish is the following:

Shapton glass 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, 16000, Jnat ozuku asagi koppa (apport 15-20k), then strop on nano cloth with ken's cbn 1 micron and .125 micron spray (nano strop for each compound).

Would like to add .5 and .25 cbn spray to my stropping, but on the test razor I made for my barber has been going strong for 2 weeks now. Will strop/hone it for him next week.

 

Are you stropping only every two weeks?
I tend to strop before each use, maybe I am over stropping?

 

I strop on a hanging strop - plain linen and then plain leather - before every shave, otherwise comfort and closeness are compromised, at least for me. No compounds or sprays.

Every two or three weeks, I strop on balsa loaded with CrO, making sure that all of it is removed afterward.

After a few months, I take it to the stones, in my case 8k, 15k and 30k Shapton Pros. (Yes, the 30k was ridiculously expensive to me at the time I purchased it, but I've since gained a new perspective since getting involved with Japanese naturals for my knives.)

In the five years I've been using a straight, I've not had to go lower than 8k once the initial bevel was set.

 

I'm relatively new to this... have only been using 8k snow white then stropping on plain balsa. Does ok. But have recently aquired an aiiwatani, a nakayama and a set of asano nagura to try and lift my game. Haven't gotten around to sealing them yet (hopefully this week) so not used. But don't think I will bother loading my strop.

 

since i am using XHP not carbon steel im sure im vastly different. i also have 4 hanging strops but only one has any chromOx on it one strop is textured and hardly used i use a clean bridal leather as my preshave strop and if things are not quite right i use the eloaded strop knowing in a week or 2 i ll hit the hones again anyhow
for me thts norton 8k china 12k. with stainless i just dont like the feel i get off of the shapton 16k (its like it has too much bite) so after the 12k its a loaded bench strop and to me shave reeady

 

After a run on the stones I strop on .25 and .1 CBN on leather . Then clean linen and clean leather. Get HHT root in pops off that.

 

I use 0.3-micron chromium oxide sometimes at the end of a progression before switching back to disposables.
I also use a Suehiro 20k sometimes before switching back to disposables.
Once in a while, I use a Nakayama finisher before switching back to disposables.

 

I use CrO on leather after honing but for pre-use stropping it's a plain leather for me. I sure do love the edge off of the CrO though......s.....m......o....o.....t.....h!