Thread: Iron Oxide Usage

A few weeks ago, I bought some 0.1 micron Iron (Ferrous) Oxide powder from Kremer Pigments. I like it so far, and am using it in two different ways:

(1) A very fine paste for touching up a razor. (I'm experimenting, using this in place of the 0.5 micron Chromium Oxide to "freshen up" an edge.)

(2) A polish for the non-cutting areas of the blade.

Occasionally, someone mentions using Iron Oxide. I am curious whether many others are using it?

I would, but I just can't bring myself to spend that much on a quantity large enough to do 1000 strops.

Iron oxide is rust. Rust is softer than iron. So why use it to sharpen your razor?

Your comment about iron sharpening, or not sharpening iron seemingly makes sense. But, I think we all have to admit not knowing exactly what happens at the bleeding edge of our blades. We use the word "sharpen" quite loosely to mean "something" that results in a better cutting edge. And, I think this squashiness in the use of the term "sharpen" applies to Iron Oxide.

When we strop with untreated leather, which is much softer than Iron Oxide, we often speak of the edge being improved. Some even say it is a mild abrasive, which means it sharpens. Water "sharpens" rock, if run over it long enough.

Here's the wikipedia article about "rust", or iron oxide... Iron(III) oxide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have started to wonder whether one of the actions of stropping on leather, and especially linen, is just to remove gunk from the blade at the microscopic level. Possibly, iron oxide does the same, but more efficiently?

Iron Oxide is used extensively to polish metal. This seems to indicate that some "gunk" is being removed from the edge of our blades when we polish/sharpen/"something" our blades with it. And, the result of removing "gunk" would be to "sharpen" our blades.

Let me add a little more about why I am starting to think that removal of residues (better word then gunk) from my blade edges might be more important than I originally thought...

I have done a lot of experimenting with stropping with linen, and stropping with leather. I think I am not in the mainstream, as I have concluded that just a few passes on the linen strop does more to restore the cutting shape of razors during a shave than many more passes with the leather strop. I think the leather stropping helps though.

If correct that the linen helps as much as I think it does, possibly it is because it is polishing the blade. In other words, removing residues from the cutting surface. And, doing it more efficiently than the leather.

Possibly...

Remove residues with linen...
Reshape the cutting edge with leather...

We rub oils on leather, which would in turn add residues to the blade. That is why I always finish with 2 or 3 passes on linen.

Who knows?!

DPFlaumer...

Send me your address in a private message, and I will send you some Kremer Iron Oxide powder to try. Just a stamp and an envelope and, say, 10 cents worth of powder. I can handle that! (And, it will be enough powder to use for some time.)

I doubt the world will knock down my door with requests. If you want to test, everyone else, send me a message with name and address.

Do you have the link to this product at kremer's? I can't seem to find it, the best I can find is 5 micron...

I had recorded the Kremer order information, and am pasting below. It includes info on the Kremer Chromium Oxide 0.3 micron powder, which I like very much.

The 0.3 micron Chromium Oxide powder compares in size to the 0.25 micron diamond spray from SRD. Currently, I use the diamond spray, followed with the (for all practical purposes same grit size) 0.3 micron Chromium Oxide. The Chromium Oxide reputedly leaves a smoother blade, with less deep gouging than the 0.25 micron diamond. Who knows whether I'm wasting my time, or whether this even makes sense!

But, here's what you asked for...

Kremer Pigments
247 West 29th Street
New York, NY 10001
212-219-2394 voice
212-219-2395 fax
Kremer Pigments Inc. NYC
[email protected]

Product# 44200
0.3 micron Chrome Oxide Green powder
100g
7.80 US$ + $9.50 shipping

Product# 48100
0.1 micron Iron Oxide Red 110 M light powder
100g
10.00 US$ + shipping

Thanks for the information. I ordered the 0.09 iron oxide and the 0.3 micron chrome oxide. This should be interesting.

For those of you who are big fans of the coticule, I notice that they've also got 5 micron garnet - that's smaller than the garnets in a coticule.

I'm curious if these extremely fine powders have the clumping problems that bedevils aluminum oxide. You can get 0.05 micron aluminum oxide, for example, but it acts much bigger than that because at that size the particles clump together in threes and fours, so there's not much point. The 0.3 micron aluminum oxide doesn't do this and works fine. I suspect that this clumping effect is ultimately the limiting factor on the fineness of the nakayama hones.

Originally Posted by mparker762

... You can get 0.05 micron aluminum oxide, for example, but it acts much bigger than that because at that size the particles clump together in threes and fours, so there's not much point.

How is it that the clumping problem is detected or exhibits?

As time goes on, I am increasingly valuing smoothness of the edge. The blade needs to be sharp. But, after a point, smoothness seems to become more important. And, these powders pasted on my balsa wood seem to give me a very smooth non-irritating edge.

Will look forward to your experiences.