Thread: my crome-ox paste experience

I finally got around to trying out my sample from ChrisL this week. I applied the powder to newspaper and stropped my Ebro wedge on it, 50 times I think. I'm sorry to say, the result was the absolute WORST shave I've had in my 6 week career of straight razor shaving. Even the wide parts of my cheeks that are usually the easiest to get smooth came out rough. I had to redo the edge with 100 laps on the Spyderco UF (and have had a couple of really great shaves since then). The only thing I can think might have gone wrong is that I had the newspaper wrapped around the Spydie to try to get a flat surface, but the hone is narrow enough that the newspaper may have been too convex. Anyway, it was pretty disappointing.

Originally Posted by BurnBeGone

I finally got around to trying out my sample from ChrisL this week. I applied the powder to newspaper and stropped my Ebro wedge on it, 50 times I think. I'm sorry to say, the result was the absolute WORST shave I've had in my 6 week career of straight razor shaving. Even the wide parts of my cheeks that are usually the easiest to get smooth came out rough. I had to redo the edge with 100 laps on the Spyderco UF (and have had a couple of really great shaves since then). The only thing I can think might have gone wrong is that I had the newspaper wrapped around the Spydie to try to get a flat surface, but the hone is narrow enough that the newspaper may have been too convex. Anyway, it was pretty disappointing.

Yikes, that's not good!. Let's try to troubleshoot this. How was the razor shaving prior to stropping on the chromed newspaper? How much did you put on the newspaper? I assume you stropped spine leading like stropping on leather? We need to figure this out. I don't want you to give up on chrome ox. Hundreds+ of us use it that way and have superb results. Please give more info.

Thanks

Chris L

Originally Posted by Chrisl

Yikes, that's not good!. Let's try to troubleshoot this. How was the razor shaving prior to stropping on the chromed newspaper? How much did you put on the newspaper? I assume you stropped spine leading like stropping on leather? We need to figure this out. I don't want you to give up on chrome ox. Hundreds+ of us use it that way and have superb results. Please give more info.

Thanks

Chris L

To answer your questions in order:
- The razor was starting to get hard to shave with, about ready for a touch-up, before stropping on the CrOx, but it was definitely MUCH worse afterwards.
- I used the powder pretty sparingly, a pretty sparse coating, not even close to uniform, though there were still a couple lumps that the razor smoothed out on the first couple of passes.
- Yes, I stropped spine-first.

After I stropped, the bevel was nice and shiny, in fact a tiny spot of rust I had been unable to get out of it was nearly removed, so I was quite excited to use it. Then I rinsed and dried, skipped the linen, and stropped on the leather as usual before shaving. As I said, my best guess is that the newspaper wasn't properly flat. If it was bulging upward too much due to how it was wrapped around my stone, I guess it could have rounded my edge as I stropped.

Originally Posted by BurnBeGone

After I stropped, the bevel was nice and shiny, in fact a tiny spot of rust I had been unable to get out of it was nearly removed, so I was quite excited to use it. Then I rinsed and dried, skipped the linen, and stropped on the leather as usual before shaving. As I said, my best guess is that the newspaper wasn't properly flat. If it was bulging upward too much due to how it was wrapped around my stone, I guess it could have rounded my edge as I stropped.

Actually, after the CrO, I hit the linen quite hard, I mean, I do about 50+ passes on the linen and then on the leather. I usually don't use the linen side if I don't use the CrO.
Try to spend some time in the linen side of your strop after using CrO. Also, apply a small amount of CrO before hitting the linen.

This works best for me.

Originally Posted by vulcano

Hello All...

I just order the Felt Pad from HandAmerican, I already have the CR but in the paste version....Can I use it over the Felt Pad? Or should I get some dry CR to use it?

If I need it dry, is there any recommendation to dry some of the paste that I already have?

See my post above. I used the liquid on the felt with good results. Chris recommends mixing the dry CO to make a paste so it is the same.

Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

See my post above. I used the liquid on the felt with good results. Chris recommends mixing the dry CO to make a paste so it is the same.

Thank you Jimmy, but the liquid is the same as the paste? the paste looks like a grease paste.....

Josh make the paste, but it is for a leather, I dont know if we should do something different on a felt


Thanks for your answer

I wouldn't recomend pasting the Handamerican felt. I used the Handamerican paste on the felt and didn't really like it. The felt seamed rough before the paste and I just didnt like stroping on it. I then pasted a bovine leather pad per Josh's instruction thread using the X pattern. It seemed to work well. The draw was a little much at first due to the leather not the CRO2. After a little use it sofened up and seems to do fine.
I now use the felt to touch up pocket and kitchen knives. I don't know if it does any good but I don't like to waste the pad.

I also found that my Union Spike doesn't like the chrome as well as the dovo. The spike shaves its best off the coticule where the dovo really benifits from the CRO2 bench strop. The others I really haven't tried yet.

Don

Did 10 laps on it. Let me tell you, this stuff is actual magic. Real magic, in powdered form. And then liquid magic before it dries on the strop. And then you have a magic strop that makes your razors magic. If you don't have this stuff, you need to get some, pronto.

Very humorous characterization!

My past experience with CrO is that you can easily overhone an edge with it. I would
recommend starting with only a few strokes (10-15) and proceed from there after test
shaving.

- Scott

Originally Posted by BurnBeGone

To answer your questions in order:
- The razor was starting to get hard to shave with, about ready for a touch-up, before stropping on the CrOx, but it was definitely MUCH worse afterwards.
- I used the powder pretty sparingly, a pretty sparse coating, not even close to uniform, though there were still a couple lumps that the razor smoothed out on the first couple of passes.
- Yes, I stropped spine-first.

After I stropped, the bevel was nice and shiny, in fact a tiny spot of rust I had been unable to get out of it was nearly removed, so I was quite excited to use it. Then I rinsed and dried, skipped the linen, and stropped on the leather as usual before shaving. As I said, my best guess is that the newspaper wasn't properly flat. If it was bulging upward too much due to how it was wrapped around my stone, I guess it could have rounded my edge as I stropped.

I think the best way to use the CrO is on a freshly-honed razor, only 5-10 laps, to get that final smoothness and polish. Then, as you build up shaves, depending on beard toughness, density, number of passes, whatever, it will start to drag a little. That's when you go back to the CrO for another 10 laps. I feel if you wait until it's almost ready to go back to the hone, even just the UF, it's too late. And 50 laps is probably excessive, too. You were in effect using the CrO as a hone, and it's really just a polisher.

I love Chromium Oxide.
I have some from Chris and some from Hand American.
I also found a chemical supplier who will supply any grade you want.
It is incredibly cheap to purchase because it is a basic pigment they use to make some green paints.

So everybody wins.

What I do not like about this post is the throwaway comments about using Chromium Oxide on newspaper as if that is a way to go.

That hides an option that is important to understand.

Newspaper on its own will give you a sharper smoother edge than Chromium Oxide. For me it's too sharp almost like diamond paste.

Still what do I know, it was my Grandad that used newspaper to hone his razor and all the household cutlery knives . He was always clean shaven and never had razor burn.

So to avoid confusion,

Stropping on newspaper will give you a smooth very very sharp edge. It is very inexpensive.

Stropping on Chromium oxide will give you a very sharp edge. It is more expensive than newspaper but still very inexpensive.

Depending on your skins sensitivity, you may prefer one over the other but you should really try them both and see for yourself which one you prefer.

I make this post as a point of clarification only.