Thread: Chromium Oxide vs 0.5 micron diamond paste

Originally Posted by Jfala

I agree that this is another personal preference. With that being said, after speaking with Tony Miller about the pastes when I was researching a strop, Tony stated that the diamond paste leaves deeper more defined grooves in the steel due to the pointed "tips" of the diamond paste granules (I'm paraphrasing) which produces a harsher razor edge, while the CrO has rounded tips which leaves a smoother feeling edge to the razor.

That makes sense to me. I'm currently using Tony's .5/.25 diamond and following it up with a dozen or so passes on a black pasted strop. Really nice.

Ken

Originally Posted by ForestryProf

From my experience, Jeff hit the nail on the head. I have used diamond compounds (1.0, 0.5, and 0.25) as well as the 'black diamond' paste sold by Keith at Hand American (not diamond at all, but don't remember the abrasive compound right now--1.0 micron), and CrO2 (0.5 micron). I've put all of these compounds on various leathers (Thanks Tony), balsa, cedar, maple...various other soft woods, and for me....I now finish all of my blades with CrO2 on smooth vegetable tanned leather. I find that (for me), the edge produced gives a markedly smoother shave than diamond paste of any grit.

Anyone want to buy some diamond pastes and a two sided balsa strop?

Just another data point,
Ed

If I am not mistaken I think the 1.0 micron paste that Keith sells was Boron Carbide paste.

Boron Carbide sounds right to me as well but I think it was 1.8 micron.


Tony

Originally Posted by Tony Miller

Boron Carbide sounds right to me as well but I think it was 1.8 micron.


Tony

I'll check my tub when I get home, pretty sure mine was labeled 1.0.....Thanks Tony

Originally Posted by Tony Miller

Boron Carbide sounds right to me as well but I think it was 1.8 micron.


Tony

Right you are Tony,
That will teach me to post numbers from memory. I no longer use the black paste because I don't think it improves the edge of a razor that has been finished on a coticule. Before acquiring my coticule, I used the Boron Carbide after my Norton 4K/8K and then it was on to the CrO2.

Ed

One additional morsel of info curtesy of Tony. The diamond pastes are somewhat hygroscopic, they will absorb moisture in the air. The paddle strop I will order from Tony when he comes back will have CrO on one side because it doesn't absorb moisture so much.

You can't get much more humid than a sailboat in the Gulf of Mexico.

I notice my shop is more humid than my bedroom where my paddle is stored. In my shop the paddles keep a slightly dark, "damp" look for a week, once in the house or bedroom they dry to a whitish haze within a day, I suspect they will vary a bit depending where they are used around the country. If I take mine back into the shop ir starts to look a bit damp again after a few days.

Once damp they seem a little sticky and a bit harder to use.

Ton