Last week I made four bench strops from ½ birch ply with denim glued on one surface. I put chrome oxide, 1.8 boron carbide, rottenstone, and tin oxide on the last one tonight.

So far I have tried the chrome and the rottenstone, after coming of my yellow coticule. The rottenstone and chrome had very similar results. I will try the tin oxide later this week sometime.

I will break into my old telescope making boxes and dig up some cerium oxide and give it a try at a later date.

The linde abrasive seems like it would be a good choice.

I have read several old references to people stropping on bare aluminum. Aluminum forms an oxide very quickly on the surface I wonder how it would work. Have any of you tried it?


Charlie