Thread: Chromium Oxide Alternative

YQW Dave. Actually you should be good for a year or so with what I sent you (about a teaspoon lol). I haven't had to refresh my 12x3" and I used about half a teaspoon's worth for polishing my rotation of 12, a few touchups on all of them and polishing a few sale pieces.

Hey Ilija,

Got a package in the the mail yesterday!

It had been opened and resealed by Australia Post. I have to admit it looked pretty dodgy, small bag of unmarked green powder. I suspect I'll get a visit from our anti-terrorism task force any day now . Hey that ice cream van has been parked out the from of our house for three days now

I pasted up one of my bench hones last night and will give it a burl tonight!

Pointer for anyone applying pastes to a strop with your finger....... Don't rub your eyes .... it really hurts and doesn't sharpen your vision.

Dave, the earliest you should try it is tomorrow. You paste once, let it sit for a day, re-paste, let sit for another day and finally start using. In any case I'm glad it arrived. Had me worried for a bit.
IIRC there might have been a couple of sample soaps (if there are, I declared them on the customs sticker) in the shipment. Did they arrive?

Yes, Ilija there was a soap and I'm going to give it a try tonight Thanks!!

As far as waiting 48 hours and 2 applications for the paste.... it didn't happen. I put one really thin coat and waited 24. I used it on a couple of razors and it seemed to improve them. I only shave every second day so tonight will tell. New soap sharper razors, it's all looking good!

After doing the razors I put another application of paste on so it should be right for next time.

At least it wasn't a white powder. They might have used half of it for samples then and you could have had sniffer dogs and armed police all over your house. Oh and you might try the likes of lapidary suppliers if you want to find somewhere closer to home in future. I think I saw some Australian links the last time I was trying different powders; something like shelleys lapidary supplies was one, I think.

One last question.... for the next 5 minutes anyway....

I've pasted the strop and let it sit overnight. I read that you need to spread it as thin as possible, so I did. But when it dries there is a dry powdery film on the top. Before I honed/stropped I dusted this off with some tissues.

Right thing or not? Should I have left this powder on?

Still worked pretty well though and the soap was shweet!

I'm not even sure about the answer.. No harm in keeping it there as long as you don't make a mess, but IIUC it's the stuff embedded into the leather that really does the polishing.

I bought a pound each of Chromium Oxide powder and rouge powder.

I applied about 1/4 teaspoon mixed with Dovo yellow strop grease (it was still too much.) applied it to a free side of my Tony Miller 4-sided paddle strop let a couple of days go by for it to settle in, started stropping one of my blades 15 laps on the .5 micron diamond paste first, then 15 laps on the chromium oxide... then gave my blade 30 laps on a TM latigo leather hanging strop...

Blade shaved ok... I dunno if there was an INCREDIBLE improvement, but it shaved nice...

Since I'm still a newbie, if I don't knick myself, or get razor burn, then it's been a good shave, anything else is just way too refined for me right now....maybe later, I'll be able to tell the difference...

Tony