Ockham's Razor (the idea; not the forum member)

[Ben325e]

I'm a firm believer in the nominalist philosophy that "the simplest solution is (usually) always the best."

On that note, can someone please explain to me why it is always suggested to mix dry chromium oxide with oil to apply to a strop surface?

IMHO and FWIW and AFAIK, it has always been very easy for me to apply chromium oxide on most anything dry. Since the average particle size is 0.5 microns (most of the particles are much smaller actually, I can bring up a paper to read on the subject if you like), it gets in every little nook and cranny available.

Balsa grabs on to the stuff and keeps on holding. Horse leather grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. Newspaper grabs onto the stuff and keeps on holding. Bovine grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. Printer paper grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. MDF grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. Nexxcare paper tape grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. Canvas strops grab the stuff and keep on holding. Hard Felt grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. I don't ever mix it with oil. I just get a cottonball, dab it into my giant vat of CrO, and dab dab dab all over whatever I feel like turning green today. It just works. On EVERYTHING I have ever tried.

All you need is something that has a microscopically porous surface with tiny little holes, valleys, nooks, crannies, dips, dings or whatever else that a .5 micron particle can get into.

It might not make super concentrated areas like the oil mix does, but you don't need it to. It only takes just a teensy weensy itty bitty bit to be enough to smooth out a razor, or one of my carbon steel kitchen knives for that matter.

I think it's the honing version of peer pressure. Everyone does it because everyone else does it, and they kind of don't know why. (Don't take that too seriously - I'm sure some of you just prefer the oil and like it better for some dang reason or another. I'm talking about the majority here...)

I'd be grateful to hear why some people use oil, if they do it just because they think they're supposed to, and if you've ever tried to use it just dry. Or if you've got a four dollar packet from ChrisL and you've only got a couple of shots to get this thing right, so you do it with oil to keep from you accidentally sneezing all of your chromium oxide away!


Thanks guys,

[dylandog]

Peer pressure aside, I think you'll find that a lot of guys are coming to the same conclusion as you. There are some threads on powder vs. oil-based chrome oxide right now.

I have a tub of the oil-based stuff. It's definitely a challenge to distribute it lightly & evenly on a surface. I usually dab a small amount on one fingertip, and then very lightly touch that fingertip to the linen or whatever, just enough to "stain" it, so to speak, every 3/4 inch or so. And then smear it around as best I can. Then do it again. Each time very very lightly. The end effect is sort of ghostly polka dots. It works very well, and I'm not looking to replace my tub or my system, but if I were starting out now, yeah I'd probably get the powder.

[Ben325e]

That's just the thing, Ddog.... lots of guys are guying the powder from HA or ChrisL and then popping up on the forum asking if they should mix it with Neatsfoot oil or Mineral oil or whatever. I'm just wondering why they feel this primal urge to mix CrO with oil.

[dylandog]

That's just the thing, Ddog.... lots of guys are guying the powder from HA or ChrisL and then popping up on the forum asking if they should mix it with Neatsfoot oil or Mineral oil or whatever. I'm just wondering why they feel this primal urge to mix CrO with oil.

But if you read some of those threads, you'll see that a lot of guys are coming around to your way of thinking.

Oil-based was just how it was done, til recently. Maybe that's changing now.

There's a lot out there about the health hazards of chrome oxide, and maybe people are wary of having powder around. I've never seen the powder form, but if it's as light as flour, to the point where you might be breathing it, I can see how that'd be unnerving.

Anyway if you're finding it works great dry, you're not alone.

[Jimbo]

I was under the impression that a lot of people just applied it dry I don't know where I came up with that impression though. I seem to recall ChrisL telling people to do it in his old CrOx thread....??

James.

[singlewedge]

I received my Chrom OX from ChrisL and he agreed with me that you could dry rub the linen side like a Texas hog.

So I did and it works great.

[Rajagra]

Balsa grabs on to the stuff and keeps on holding. Horse leather grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. Newspaper grabs onto the stuff and keeps on holding. Bovine grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. Printer paper grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. MDF grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. Nexxcare paper tape grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. Canvas strops grab the stuff and keep on holding. Hard Felt grabs the stuff and keeps on holding. I don't ever mix it with oil. I just get a cottonball, dab it into my giant vat of CrO, and dab dab dab all over whatever I feel like turning green today.

So a cottonball grabs the stuff and DOESN'T keep on holding! Somebody should investigate this strange material!

You are lucky having a giant vat of CrO, usually I see it sold in minute amounts in those teeny tiny plastic bags.

[Neil Miller]

I use it and have always used it dry. It clings to everything, I find, even me! A lot of the very old continental small strops I have come across have green paint on them - I expect the colourant was Cro Ox, so mixing it with oil may not have been the original way of using it at all.

I don't think you need a giant vat of it, Ray - I'm still using a lightly dusted bench strop that is going on 8 months old. It had about half a gramme or less on it originally and still performs well - I use it on at least four or five different razors a week.

Regards,
Neil

[Ryan82]

I just assumed that people mixed it with some medium to avoid wasting the powder. But then again I've never touched the stuff ..........

[Ben325e]

yeah, so I don't have a five gallon bucket full of the stuff, just the 4 ounce container from Hand American. Which, is pretty much the same as a giant vat of it. At the rate I'm using it, It'll be around after I'm gone....