Alternative stropping compounds.

Hi everyone,

Just curious about alternative approaches to stropping pastes and compounds. In the first place because I am curious as a teen boy (even if I am a few times that age...) and in the second place because I live in Argentina, and importing most things is cumbersome or even nearly impossible.

I am currently stropping with green paste (probably CrOx, which is around #700 grit in whatever scale they are using), very fine, also used by knifemakers to polish blades, and then a white paste (#1300 grit in hopefully the same scale). No problem with them, I jump to plain leather after the white one.

But as nothing is too good to avoid trying something better, someone around might have already tried with alternative products: Brass polish, silver polish, car paint polish (at least three available here: "rough", "fine", and "autopolish"), toothpaste, engine valve polish (at least two available around here: "rough", which is definitely too rough for a straight razor, and "fine"), and probably other ones.

Has anyone tried any of the above? Other ones? Any clue on where should I place them on my "stropping grit scale" order?

Thanks for any input on this.

The scale they are using seems a bit off IMHO.
Isn't Chromium Oxide supposed to be 0.5 micron, so more in the 20-30k grit range if looking at the scale used by Shapton and Naniwa (the JIS I think)?

Cheers.

There are a variety of diamond slurries/sprays in the .5-0.1 micron range.
Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN)goes all the way to 0.05 micron I believe.
Cerium Oxide is a very common jewelers lapping compound in the 0.3 micron range.

Alternatives can be tested on a simple Newspaper folded to resemble a strop

Try

Lead
Pencil Lead
Ash
Lamp Black
Metal Polish (Flitz, Maas, Simi-Chrome)
Dried Slurry from a good finisher mixed with a carrier

These are proved Alternatives to buying Pastes

ps: The Newspaper and some inks in them are slightly abrasive too :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mainaman

There are a variety of diamond slurries/sprays in the .5-0.1 micron range.
Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN)goes all the way to 0.05 micron I believe.
Cerium Oxide is a very common jewelers lapping compound in the 0.3 micron range.

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I know. I will try to get them at jewelry shops. They also have rouge (whatever grit it is supposed to be). As of now, the only references I know for these are abroad, and it is not easy for us to import (except maybe if you are an industry or shop instead of a final user).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pi3

The scale they are using seems a bit off IMHO.
Isn't Chromium Oxide supposed to be 0.5 micron, so more in the 20-30k grit range if looking at the scale used by Shapton and Naniwa (the JIS I think)?

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My opinion is about the same as yours ;-) I am not certain whether it is CrOX or not, though. Even if it is something else, it wouldn't be used as steel shine polish if it were #700 in most known scales.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Alternatives can be tested on a simple Newspaper folded to resemble a strop

Try

Lead

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Only with a respirator.

I have intended to try ash, something every shaver would have had access to, for years. Hopefully sometime I will actually try it. Has anyone else tried ash as an abrasive?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Only with a respirator.

I have intended to try ash, something every shaver would have had access to, for years. Hopefully sometime I will actually try it. Has anyone else tried ash as an abrasive?

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Stropping on a baseball bat.

Out of curiosity, what about newspaper with a judicious rubbing of charcoal pencil?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tymus

Out of curiosity, what about newspaper with a judicious rubbing of charcoal pencil?

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Haven't tried it but it sounds plausible

I personally don't recommend anything that I haven't actually tried myself,, so Yes Ron, the Wood Ash does work :p

These are all simply "Back in the Day" ideas as alternative strop pastes to our modern stuff

Personally I find really Pure CrOx at about .30~ or really Pure CeOx at about .25~ micron to be my goto pasted leather strops they simply smooth out an edge rather then add much keenness at all

I once considerd Silica fume but never got around to it. Could only buy it by the ton.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silica_fume

Quote:

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

I once considerd Silica fume but never got around to it. Could only buy it by the ton.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silica_fume

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Or just a jar of portland cement maybe?

Sikacrete 950?

Be like Star Trek & "Boldly go" :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

Be like Star Trek & "Boldly go" :)

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Not a bad idea at all.
I might suffer of some behavior disorder, but I know there are lots of us around so nothing to write home about. Syndrome is as follows:
a) Something calls my attention
b) I start juggling with ideas in my mind, bouncing inside my almost empty head echoing here and there lots of times, and probably figuring some things in the meantime.
c) I browse the web (google is kind of busy in my pc), ask around to guys I meet (or virtually meet, as in the post that started this thread).
d) I get some of the necessary things, either by buying them, collecting them (pieces of wood from the street, iron shapes, and such. My wife suffers my ideas...).

After d) I seldom go, either because it is a hard time to go, or because it is expensive to go.

For example: I was reading about polishing compounds and one of the favorites here is iron oxide. My mind immediately started to think in a jar with water and some iron wool inside, stored for a few days (this is "b) step" above). I would probably jump to c) somehow within the next few days (or not, some of my ideas die before d) step).

Back to my original question: I would probably wait for some of the experiments because 1) I have only one razor (my grandpa's one) and 2) I only have two pasted leather strops, with known progression. But if someone else had already experimented with this, I would have eagerly made another leather strop (I have seen some mentions to linen, but haven't either seen or made one of those... yet? OUGH! back to a) step).

Thanks again.

Martin

Metal polishes work but can leave a harsh edge. You will have to try different ones as they all have different formulations.

Paste newspaper or piece of cereal box cardboard with 3 in X’s.

Find local jewelers, and craftsmen that use sharp tools, woodworkers, artisans and barbers, see if they will sell you a bit, you don’t need much or point you in the right direction.

Any fine weave nylon or canvas will make a fine pasted strop or finishing strop.

If you have a harsh edge linen, nylon, canvas and leather and 100+ laps can calm the edge down.

Stropping alone can refine an edge, may take some time and skill, but if it is all you have…