Chrome Ox - The Paste or The Powder

Hey guys,

I see that chrome ox questions are fairly frequent in the honing section so I'll pose my question here, and hopefully it will clear this up for other newbs as well. Which version of chrome ox do you use?

The paste seems to be a lot easier to find on the market, and seems to be popular. I guess I'm talking more about the "real" paste sold by Lynn/Don at SRD than that useless crap from Lee Valley.

I think the powder has been discontinued, except for the quantities that Chrisl sells, but members rave about that as well.

Given the choice what would you choose?

BTW - I'll probably be making my own balsa paddle strop soon, so that will be the medium of choice for my chrome ox setup.

Thanks,
Ryan

Powder is the most common form of ChromeOx. I have the Hand American powder as well as the liquid, and I prefer the powder.

I haven't tried the stuff from Lynn and Don, but it does NOT appear to be like the Lee Valley stuff. Everyone raves about the edges off of Livi's, so I would assume that this stuff is top-notch just like the other stuff SRD has. If Lynn and Don didn't like it alot, I don't think they'd sell it.

I got the powder from ChrisL last week and it's a very good deal. Shipping was super fast and the instructions were really informative as well. A+ for mr. C

The powder, liquid (2 sizes) from HA is still available from Japaneseknifesharpening though I see that he's changed the site to this and the link will take you straight to the pertinent page. The bar type as sold by Lee Valley and various woodworking stores is not the same stuff, it's not pure chromium but rather a mix of that and probably aluminum oxide in a grease/wax type base. I have a huge bar of it here that I use for my woodworking tools and I've used it on my razors and it seems to work just fine but I do prefer the liquid for initial application and the dry powder for refreshing later. Though many say the coating lasts a long time, I find I prefer to refresh mine after every 4 or 5 razors as I find it cuts much quicker if I do.

Regards

Kaptain "Green like Kermit and sharp as a butter knife" Zero

You need so little that I would suggest buying the powder and make your own 'paste' with a drop or two of Lexol or Neatsfoot oil in a bottle cap. It takes very little to properly dress a strop.

Being in Europe, I ordered two jars of CrO powder from HandAmerican, while they still carried it, in order to make it worthwhile the shipping costs. I have enough of it to ensure my great-grand son and his off-spring a lifetime of happy pasting.:)
On occasion, I give some of my supply to a straight shaving friend.

I have never used something else, so I can't compare with other versions.

Bart.

Thanks guys, it's always good to get many perspectives as everyone has had different experiences using their product of choice. Has anyone tried the paste sold through SRD?

Just ordered the hand american powder from japaneseknifesharpening.com $18 with shipping and the order seemed to go trough all right, so you guys might want to try there.

I vote the CroOx in liquid form from japaneseknifesharpening.com - super easy to apply, the excess wipes off easily with a paper towel, and it washes off your surfaces or hands in seconds!

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Originally Posted by huntmol

I vote the CroOx in liquid form from japaneseknifesharpening.com - super easy to apply, the excess wipes off easily with a paper towel, and it washes off your surfaces or hands in seconds!

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?? how does this happen ?? CrOx is a very effective pigment. I'm wondering what you could suspend it in that would prevent it from staining things while still allowing it to do what it's intended for in this application.

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Originally Posted by Quick

?? how does this happen ?? CrOx is a very effective pigment. I'm wondering what you could suspend it in that would prevent it from staining things while still allowing it to do what it's intended for in this application.

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That's bizarre to me as well. Mixing the powder with a light oil ends up making a very thin paint that IME has taken days to wear off my fingers.

Chris L

I have been using the liquid from Hand America and being water based it works really well. I put a few drops on my paddle strop, wet my finger with the kitchen faucet and spread evenly over the balsa. Water rinses off my finger easily. The paddle is dry in a couple hours but I have used before it drys and have had no problem.

bj

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Originally Posted by Quick

?? how does this happen ?? CrOx is a very effective pigment. I'm wondering what you could suspend it in that would prevent it from staining things while still allowing it to do what it's intended for in this application.

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Hello Quick. I have some tee shirts that have some green stains so keep away from material that will stain. It does rinse easily from hands or fingers since it is water based. I use a damp paper towel for easy cleanup of counter and sides of paddle.

bj

It's easy. it's mixed with a detergent. It conditions leather just fine, doesn't dry it out. When it's on your hands, it's basically green soap.

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

Thanks guys, it's always good to get many perspectives as everyone has had different experiences using their product of choice. Has anyone tried the paste sold through SRD?

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I just received it a few days ago. It comes in stick form. I haven't decided what I'm gonna put it on yet, though.

Sorry,about the power and liquid CrOx from Japaneseknifesharpening, mentioned above, can you use either on its own, can the powder be used on its own (or does it have to be made up into a paste?)?

Thanks

The powder can be used on its own. It's so fine that it rubs very easily into leather in a nice "self limiting" way. Meaning, a light tint is all that's needed for optimum results. The goal with chrome ox is NOT to slather or heavily apply it. For balsa, I do prefer mixing the powder with a light oil such as mineral oil. It soaks in a bit better. I don't "paint" the entire balsa surface but instead I "paint" a big "X" on the surface. The razors spread it around a bit more.

Chris L

Ben325e beat me to it, but yep! From japaneseknifesharpening.com:

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Detergent based Liquid Chromium Oxide in a convenient squeeze applicator.
This is HandAmerican's "Original Formula" that they've been producing for many years. It's packed with so much chromium oxide that it could almost be considered a paste. Great to use on smooth leather either by itself or in combination with our pure dry chromium oxide powder.
Contains detergents for ease of cleaning from hands and clothes and also contains conditioners to help keep the leather pad supple.

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And yup, the liquid can be used on its own, I like it much better than the powder.

How does Livi do to get that nice thick green finish on their stops then? 2mm thick coat? :D

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Originally Posted by Stuggi

How does Livi do to get that nice thick green finish on their stops then? 2mm thick coat? :D

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I've always wondered about that, because if you listen to the general advice, he's got too much on there!
...but he's a razor-making genius, so I don't know.
Maybe he uses a mix of liquid and dry chro-ox, like Dave does

Yes and even when you look at websites selling pre-pasted paddles they look like a pool table?

If thats too much then why is it done by the likes of Dovo etc :thinking:

I put CrO on my paddles like paint and refresh every 15 or 20 razors and haven't had any issues.

bj

Ok, I'll throw my two cents in for the stick/paste sold by Don and lynn. it's the stuff used by Matro Livi, no fuss,no muss, just apply and go.....It works for me....

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Originally Posted by honersimpson

Yes and even when you look at websites selling pre-pasted paddles they look like a pool table?

If thats too much then why is it done by the likes of Dovo etc :thinking:

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In my experience (on leather), it does not matter much whether the coat is translucent or not. As long as you don't allow a fuzzy, chalklike layer on top of the surface. A coat like that is detrimental to the edge. But a nice and even, sheeny green is what I would aim for if I had to sell pasted paddles. At home, I don't care if it doesn't look that neat, but from a sales perspective, I think it does.

Bart.