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What are peoples opinions of these pastes. For me they don't seem like they do anything, as far as I am aware the red paste is some form of FeOx and the black paste is made with lamp black, both to me seem like they would be too soft to affect the steel. No evidence of swarf on the strop also seems to hint at this (obviously difficult to see on the black paste but would expect some on the red being advertised as coarser).
These are the small crayon pastes btw not the tubes.
Try them on Older Sheffield razors
They do quite well Red then Black about 20 laps each
That was about the only use I ever found for them
I like them used on leather. The red can be used to refine an edge off, say, a coticule. And the black is great for touch-ups when the edge starts falling off after repeated shaving. A Solingen loom strop or a Solingen paddle strop lined with felt works for me.
I've been using it on a small loom strop, seems to help.
Yea, other than soft Sheffield steel they do not do much for me. I found that CBN is way more effective and has a wider range, but it is so aggressive, and it will thin an edge so much that few razors steel can handle it and microchip after a week or two of shaves.
It is easy to touch up the edge, but there are other alternatives that work better with a range of razors.
You can get a good Ferrous Oxide from Kramer pigments, it is also where I get my Chromium Oxide, it is inexpensive.
If you want to experiment with paste, paste a piece of cardboard, inside of a cereal box, or buy a yard of Pellon fabric interfacing. And make some test strops. A yard is $5-10 at any fabric store or Walmart.
Pellon is a paper fabric uses as a stiffener in sewing. It is very tough and inexpensive, yet flexible and holds paste well.
I use CBN for keenness, mostly on tools and knives, now days and Chrome Oxide occasionally for smoothness.