.5 CrOx Crayon

Good Day Gents,

Purchased a CrOx crayon from SRD many, many months go and had used it on a few occassions just to squeak out that last bit of keeness on an edge or just a few passes to do a blade refresh, when I first got it the crayon seemed softer and was easier to rub onto the leather but now it seems that it's drier and does not want to come off onto the black scrub leather I am rubbing it on, the black dye from the scrub leather seems to clog the end of the crayon, it easily rubs off clean on a paper towel but within a few passes it gets black again so not sure if its getting into the leather, it also feels drier if that makes sense, so with all my rambling does the crayon dry out and if so can it be refreshed ? I was storing it the way it came just wrapped up in foil.

I have one that is probably 5 years old that is barely used and still in good condition. I have kept it in a ziplock bag. I have no idea if that helped or if I was just lucky but I wanted to rub your face in it.

Kidding!

I have no idea if it is possible to "rehydrate" the crayon that is wax-like, but have you tried taking it out of the foil and checking the condition of the bottom end of it?

Crayons are for coloring books, stones are for razors. :beer2:

They get a skin on them, rub it on some sand paper, to get to the soft stuff.

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Originally Posted by Hirlau

Crayons are for coloring books, stones are for razors. :beer2:

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I have a few stones but have the crayon for that last little bit

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Originally Posted by Euclid440

They get a skin on them, rub it on some sand paper, to get to the soft stuff.

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I will try that, thanks :tu

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Originally Posted by Utopian

I have one that is probably 5 years old that is barely used and still in good condition. I have kept it in a ziplock bag. I have no idea if that helped or if I was just lucky but I wanted to rub your face in it.

Kidding!

I have no idea if it is possible to "rehydrate" the crayon that is wax-like, but have you tried taking it out of the foil and checking the condition of the bottom end of it?

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I recently took it out of the foil and lightly rubbed it with some fine sandpaper on the end and it seemed to help alot, i also read somewhere that applying a few drops of neatsfoot oil to your palm and rubbing it on the leather before applying helps spread it.

One more question, i know it's not supposed to be applied heavy but once applied how long does it last before it needs to be reapplied ?

Here it is applied to my paddle strop, the panels are replaceable which is nice.

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Depends on how often you use it and what it is applied to, the substrate.

I put it on MDF for knives and tools and it does not wear out but gets black, so I just reapply as needed once or twice a year.

For razors, I put Chrome Oxide on a hanging Polyester Canvas Sailcloth hanging strop. I apply 3 in. X’s about ½ wide. I lay the strop on a bench with a cut up brown paper bag under it. The brown paper is also good for rubbing off the skin.

On a hanging strop it will last years, I use my chrome ox strop when honing so it gets a lot of use, probably much more than average and it’s been years since I have put any on.

Pretty much just re apply as needed. I have the Chrome Ox spray, but that just makes a mess.

I do have a leather paddle that I use for chisels and the rough leather, much like yours does not seem to hold it as well, and I apply it more often. It does not take much

I have had that stick for years and made and pasted quite a few strops, I doubt I have use more than 10 percent.


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Originally Posted by Euclid440

Depends on how often you use it and what it is applied to, the substrate.

I put it on MDF for knives and tools and it does not wear out but gets black, so I just reapply as needed once or twice a year.

For razors, I put Chrome Oxide on a hanging Polyester Canvas Sailcloth hanging strop. I apply 3 in. X’s about ½ wide. I lay the strop on a bench with a cut up brown paper bag under it. The brown paper is also good for rubbing off the skin.

On a hanging strop it will last years, I use my chrome ox strop when honing so it gets a lot of use, probably much more than average and it’s been years since I have put any on.

Pretty much just re apply as needed. I have the Chrome Ox spray, but that just makes a mess.

I do have a leather paddle that I use for chisels and the rough leather, much like yours does not seem to hold it as well, and I apply it more often. It does not take much

I have had that stick for years and made and pasted quite a few strops, I doubt I have use more than 10 percent.


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Thanks for the great info, I will leave what i have on it in the pics I posted and see how long it last's, i do like the fact that it's really not messy, I don't use it often like maybe a few times a month and it's never more that 10-15 very light passes like just enough pressure to keep the blade in good contact with the scrub leather, i did at one time have it on a hanging strop and had it pasted to flax linen which it seemed to go on easier with the flax but I had read some where that using it on a hanging strop was a no-no but can see from your post that you have it on a hanging strop, what i had read was that using it on a hanging strop tended to round the edge since it's not as ridgid as a paddle ot balsa pasted strop.

I used my paddle a lot at one point. It just goes and goes and goes as far as I can tell. I was told to keep it covered when not in use as it is a little greasy it contaminates easily.

Some forget that the black that builds up is oxidized steel
and it also has abrasive and polishing qualities, qualities that I like.

Black dyed leather hides this good stuff...

I like to occasionally scrub a strop with dry heavy brown paper
or newsprint. Color some heavy brown paper green and scrub that
green onto the strop -- good sand paper does not release grit like
woodworking flint paper but make sure you do not transfer
grit to the strop by accident. Leather tolerates a lot some so long term
it all works out.

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Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Some forget that the black that builds up is oxidized steel
and it also has abrasive and polishing qualities, qualities that I like.

Black dyed leather hides this good stuff...

I like to occasionally scrub a strop with dry heavy brown paper
or newsprint. Color some heavy brown paper green and scrub that
green onto the strop -- good sand paper does not release grit like
woodworking flint paper but make sure you do not transfer
grit to the strop by accident. Leather tolerates a lot some so long term
it all works out.

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Never thought of coloring brown craft paper and then rubbing the strop, seems to make sense it would get smoothly transferred to the leather.

On Mastro Livi's videos, he recommends and demos using lighter fluid on folded toilet paper to clean a CrOx-infused strop that has gotten black from steel particles. He says one pass only before folding the TP to get a clean section.

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Originally Posted by 400E

On Mastro Livi's videos, he recommends and demos using lighter fluid on folded toilet paper to clean a CrOx-infused strop that has gotten black from steel particles. He says one pass only before folding the TP to get a clean section.

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This can work.
Remember that he hones and polishes a lot of razors from ground zero.
The black will be a lot finer and less abrasive than CrOx so I happen to like it.

Occasionally I rub my strop with coarse brown paper. The lighter fluid would cut the wax
or oil from a CrOx stick.

I will have to keep this in my bag of tricks.

One thing that I wonder about is that he is saying that the strop is to be cleaned with lighter fluid, but he seems to be saying (in Italian) "benzene," but lighter fluid is butane.

Does anyone care to speculate?

Butane is a gas at room temperature used in disposable gas lighters and torch lighters.. The fluid mentioned would be that used in old style zippo lighters (i.e. the second one on this list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighter_fluid).

Correct, basically naphtha.


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Originally Posted by Utopian

One thing that I wonder about is that he is saying that the strop is to be cleaned with lighter fluid, but he seems to be saying (in Italian) "benzene," but lighter fluid is butane.

Does anyone care to speculate?

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When I watched the video, I thought he said "benzina" which is the Italian equivalent for petrol (U.K. members) or gasoline (US members).

I never thought he was referring to the stuff sold at the gas pump though and took it as a reference to the fluid used for Zippo lighters or to remove gunk that adhesive tapes and stickers leave on smooth surfaces.


B.

Naptha is also sold in the U.S. as white gas, a.k.a. Coleman fuel.


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So should i occasionally wipe the napped leather clean with say lighter fluid and re-apply the CrOx ?

You have to remember that Livi, applies much more Chrome Oxide than anyone I have seen.

It does seem to work for him, but applying that much, you run the risk of contamination.

I have removed old dirty paste on small vintage loom strops with a paper towel sprayed with WD40 and it does remove it well, with no ill effects to the leather.

So , I suppose if applied that heavy, you could wipe occasionally with some form of solvent. To emulsify the paste.

Probably not, even if you do you won't get all the abrasive out of it ant way, once pasted always pasted. To honest unless your doing a bunch of razors a day like honing for money, once your pasted it will last you as long as the strop you have it on. Tc

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Originally Posted by beluga

When I watched the video, I thought he said "benzina" which is the Italian equivalent for petrol (U.K. members) or gasoline (US members).

I never thought he was referring to the stuff sold at the gas pump though and took it as a reference to the fluid used for Zippo lighters or to remove gunk that adhesive tapes and stickers leave on smooth surfaces.

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Thank you. As my Italian comprehension is non-existent, I assumed his "benzina" translated to benzene but I was almost certain that was not correct.

Ya f your worried about chemicals , benzene would be one not to use. Tc

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Probably not, even if you do you won't get all the abrasive out of it ant way, once pasted always pasted. To honest unless your doing a bunch of razors a day like honing for money, once your pasted it will last you as long as the strop you have it on. Tc

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I do hone on the side but not a huge amount and I only use the pasted paddle if I think I can tweak just a bit more keenness from the edge and it's never more than 10-15 light passes, if I were to guess I would say a total of 100 passes a month at most.