Thread: Consumer Alert: Chromium oxide bars, or not?

Well, I'm way late to this thread, but found it due to Slartibartast's bump. Before I did a lot of research on here, I ordered that exact same bar, and used it to treat the inside linen surface of my then-new TM Latigo-Linen strop. And though I've now read all the warnings about using such coarse CrOx as this, I have gotten excellent results with it after coming off a Norton 8k (my "finisher" until I can afford a real one). I use it for touch-ups quite often, and am getting great edges and great shaves.

As I'm too cheap to throw it out or get rid of it, I'll probably keep using it for now. That bar is enough to last 10 lifetimes! Maybe when I can afford the SRD paddle strop I'll upgrade my pastes. Till then, I won't fix what doesn't appear to be broken on my end. Anyway, a belated thanks for the leg-work, Ben!

I got some CrOx from Hand American several years ago. I got two bottles instead of one and it proved to be a good idea since it has become very hard to find. I also ended up with a Veritas bar and it is collecting dust in case anybody needs some dust!!

There is a tube of CrOx polishing compound advertised at Hand tools for woodworking, wood carving, wood turning and log building if anyone cares to research the grit size.

Jerry
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Star shaving sells hand american stuff - powder and paste, and has for a while. I think it's around $10-$15 for a bottle of paste or a bag of several ounces of powder (I got the powder).

I think I'll get the paste next time. I've spent enough time trying to clean the powder off of things after I dropped a little here or there. It's not hard to see why it's used as a pigment.

Ben It's good to see this old post of yours. I was beginning to think I was the one that cared to know this stuff. I've been in contact with 3 different manufactures trying to get the same exact answers. So far no luck. Each and every company acts like it's a big secret. Anyhow do you have an updated source for the product you are using? I just went to the Kitchen Knife Sharpening Service, Knife Sharpening Service, knife sharpening service by mail, professional knife sharpening services, Japanese knife sharpening service site you listed and it looks as if they are no longer selling products. Do you have a new source to purchase from?

I get a chuckle out of this, because it's being (this particular post) brought up on another forum by a user who likes to troll Lee Valley despite the fact that there are dozens or hundreds of instances of LV doing charitable things and being more honest than they need to. They are good to their employees, good to community and good to their customers - at the expense of the owners.

Zero of those from the folks that troll them as far as I can tell (this is directed not at anyone in this thread, I certainly understand the concern from a razor user's perspective. I've used the hand american powder that star shaving used to sell, I've used a green bar from sears that was $1.99 and I've used the KG green bar that McMaster Carr sells. The latter two have larger particles in them, it's quite easy to notice.

I don't think anyone here would ever find anything more than a stray light scratch here or there if using the formax microfine honing compound on a razor, and certainly it has always brought the polish up from every stone I've used. If there are any particles at their theoretical limit (300 grit), I certainly have never seen them.

(I wouldn't suggest the hard wax sticks that McMaster sells, though - I'm sure you could shave with them, but you can actually tell they're more coarse on tools).

In an actual use test of the formax microfine compound vs. the hand american powder (which is just pure graded 0.5 micron chrome ox pigment), I don't ever remember being able to tell the difference of razor keenness *in actual use*, which should probably be what we judge things by, but I guess not in the days of the internet.

My real issue with the wax sticks is that I have no need for the wax on any of my strops. I'd rather have the powder and affix it to the strop with a very small amount of light oil. Just the same, I no longer use any of them, anyway, as I think a vintage uncharged linen does a better job making a smooth and sharp shaving edge.

I'm surprised at how many times i've been linked from woodworking forums back to this forum, though, based on the supposition that Lee Valley is a dirty pool company. They probably just weren't experts on the product in this case, as it's an ancillary good for them. Nonetheless, of the sticks that are not specifically aimed at razor sharpeners, it's the finest I've found in terms of the abrasive size and the polish it leaves, and it's also the only non-razor specific one that I've run into that the wax is relatively soft - the others are designed

I would imagine the alumina is in the formax stick (and others) because it's inexpensive and because the users of these sorts of things don't have the patience for a buffing compound that is only chrome ox - certainly on tools, pure hand american powder is slower than the formax compound - to the point that it wouldn't be practical for carvers. Actually, i'm not sure that even the formax is that practical for carvers, as the compounds traditionally sold to carvers before the days of internet spec finding (as opposed to judging the compounds based on how well they work in a carving cycle where edge quality and cutting speed are both important factors) were 3 micron-ish alumina only compounds. The amateur woodworking market drives spec sheet buying rather than relying on experienced guidance.

The flexcut gold mentioned earlier in this thread is one of the sticks aimed at carvers.

SRD used to carry the Hand America liquid, now they carry the stick and the spray, don’t know if it is Hand America any more.

You can still get the HA liquid from West Coast Shaving, but it is messy. If you use it pour a small puddle in a container then finger apply, it will pour out of the bottle and make a mess.

The SRD stick is much easier to use.

All the Woodworking sticks, are abrasive and can cause chipping, but if you have some and want to try it, just apply to a piece of cardboard and see what happens. Worst case the edge chips and you will just have to joint the edge and strop it. No big deal.

It becomes an issue if you paste a good strop and it is too abrasive, you will never get all of it out of a leather strop.

Pure Chrome Oxide powder is available from Kremer Pigments very inexpensively, there are threads with the part numbers if you want to order.

Agree with all of that. Speaking from the view of someone not of our experience (due to spending, I'd say - my experience is out of spending, not because I'm an expert - I just bought all of the stuff and tried it).

Once you're in the middle of razors, shop for stuff designed for razors (or from a pigment store that has graded pigments).

For the rest of the stuff (like the green bars), if the seller and manufacturer wasn't honest, I don't think anyone would notice anything from the microfine other than a few small scratches here and there under a scope, and a very good shave.

The other coarser compounds, though, they would have to be equated to more abrasive compounds in the dovo system, as many of them are 3 micron compounds intended to cut carving tools appreciably fast.