Thread: Woodcraft micron pastes

Murph,
I chose it simply because Randy (I think) provided a link to it on the net. I found a few suppliers all difficult to deal with (no credit cards, checks only) except one who no longer sells it but now offers their own version in smaller bottles. I didn't realize the carat difference till I tried buying it again and wondered why the huge price difference. Just like chromium one can buy the powder and mix their own but probably more trouble than it's worth.

It comes either alcohol based or deionized water based. Unlike pastes though it is hard to tell just how much is on the paddle as there is little visual indication on light colored leather. I give mine 3 or 4 heavy, soaking coats, letting each evaporate in between. I then roll them with a steel roller to seat the particles into the leather surface.

Tony

I imagine mixing your own would be a bit of a nightmare as it would be hard to tell if you have the particles well dispersed in the chosen medium and you wouldn't exactly get a lot to play with.
I find it hard enough trying to mix much cheaper and plentiful oxide powders. I've never tried the sprays simply because they are hard to find over here and some companies charge more for international postage than the items.

Murph,
It's an interesting material really. As supplied from Crystalite you get a 2oz. bottle of clear alcohol and maybe 1/16" of sludge in the bottom which is 6 carats of super fine industrial diamond. Once shaken up the entire bottle turns a milky grey that looks just like slurry on a Coticule but way thinner. The first and second sprayed on coats barely discolor the leather once dry and the third leaves what looks like a milky film on the leather. That seems to cut very nicely though.

Remember that on the paste type compounds at least 90% of that is simply paste, not diamond. I have not found figures from Amplex or any other makes of tube type pastes saying just what carat weight of diamond is in a 5gr. tube. They are oly supplied as "Standard", "Light" and "Heavy" concentration with Standard being what Classic sells and what I buy as well. No real numeric value of what that means though.

I do wonder though that lesser priced pastes may give lesser quanitities of diamond. Usually you get what you pay for but below a certain price point the syringe, tube and label account for a higher percentage of the price. I know whan I botled up strop dressing samples to go with my strops a 1oz bottle costs nearly what a 2oz bottle did explaining why at most stores half size is never half price <g>.

Tony