Thread: chromium oxide duration

Buy a syn stone of an absolute known grit,Barber hone hones are cool, but they can also be a crap shoot,JMO

how would you guys determine if one is in good condition?

Like others have said it depends on many factors. For me I have one razor that I have been using almost daily and stropping on balsa with FeOx (iron oxide) and then leather as an experiment and I am still going with no ill effect. It's been so long I can't remember when I started but it has been well over a month and maybe around two. I wouldn't recommend this to others as it is excessive but you asked the question (which has many factors) and I am trying to give an answer the best I can. It is not quite as scary sharp as it was but still gives BBS shaves.

EDIT: To be fair I should explain that sometimes I only use it for half the shave as I may be "shave testing" razors that I am honing.

I am fairly new, plus i am a hispanic, so my beard is very curly so i probably wont be shaving every day due to ingrowns. I also have a fairly heavy beard (been shaving since 12). I think i would need to refresh often because of this, and my poor technique. Plus, i tend to cold water shave since my face tends to like it better and i dont get as many ingrowns, so i think it will dull even faster.

Barber Hone Reviews
that will help you choose a barbers hone and give it a determined grit. As your technique improves you will need to refresh less. If you are looking at pictures of them the condition is usually fairly obvious. If it is clean and free of chips and scratches or gouges as well as looking solid and not cracking or chalky it will likely be ok.

i was looking at this one
Vintage Franz Swaty Barber Razor Hone Stone Sharpener Austria | eBay
what do you think?

that is a referred to as a three line Franz Swaty. It is around 8K. there are better ones to be had, and the condition is mediocre at best. check out the data base as you are shopping.

I wonder if a diamond spray regiment wouldn't work for you??

I use CrOx - it works pretty well for me. But sometimes I note that I waited a bit too long before application. When that happens, I could go to a stone, but i am finding if i stroke the blade on my linen strop with 1 micron diamond paste on it , and then go back tothe CrOx - balm, Bob's my uncle.

Its working for me?

I strop on paste or spray daily and rarely hit the leather. Most of my rotation has not touched a stone for years.

As said there are variables, the biggest is the user/stropper, then maintenance (how you take care of your razors). Leaving the edge and bevel dirty with soap, skin and moisture will degrade an edge faster than any beard type. Hot water rinse and microfiber a couple of time will get 99 percent of crud off the edge. Then strop a few licks on paper, nylon, canvas or linen.

Chrome Ox purity/quality is also a big factor. Lately it seems there are many questions on buying cheap Chrome Ox. Buy quality, it is not expensive. A one-time purchase is a lifetime supply.

I use a 3 strop maintenance routine, of .25 Diamond, Chrome Oxide and .125 CBN and can keep a razor shaving very well… indefinitely.

It’s like auto maintenance, I once had a Turbo Volvo that I maintained religiously when I was commuting 130 miles daily. It had over 350,000 miles on the original motor, ran strong and looked good when I sold it.

If you wait until the motor is knocking to change the oil, it won’t do much.

If your on a budget and you have no hones at all don't get the naniwa 12K superstone.

I'll explain why.

When you set the bevel on a razor you do it from a low grit normally 1000. When you do this you make the spine and edge fall in line with each other, as well as removing metal from the edge to sharpen it.

Most honers set a bevel on 1 layer of tape, Most factories do not. This means that a pro honed razor and a factory honed razor will not have the same bevel. Added to that it is not uncommon for a factory bevel to not follow the spine.

This lack of a unified bevel means a few things. Firstly it means you either have to know what tape/angle was used on the original bevel. Or you have to have the bevel reset.

The naniwa 12K doesn't have the cutting power to reset a bevel by itself, And if the bevel you have is less than perfect then the 12K will do absolutely nothing for the razor.



Crox on a strop is a different animal, the strop itself is flexible, and allows the abrasive to contact all parts of the edge. A razor that has been used only on crox for a long time can be assumed to have a rounded bevel and will need a full reset if you want to re-hone. A well maintained razor on pastes should last a long time without needing to hit any stones. Once you want to hit the stones your first point of call however will not be a 12K.


My advice is get some good Crox, and some balsa wood. To make a good solid strop.

And save up and pick up either the norton 4/8 combi stone, or the naniwa 3/8 combi stone. The 8K on both stones is good enough to shave with, and you already have the crox to refine the edge. Added to that you get the abrasive power of the lower grit 3/4K for when you want to reset a bevel. This is going to take a fair amount of time on this grit but it will work if you persist. Once you have your combi stone you can then work out if you want more cutting power and pick up a 1K stone, or you want more polish and pick up a 12K stone.