Thread: Jeweler's rouge?

Has anyone here ever used jewelers rouge on their strops?
A gentleman on another (non-shaving) board told me that about once every year he treats his daily use strop with jewelers rouge. Has anyone else heard of this?
Wouldn't it be like using a pasted strop as a daily user?

I would think so yes

how does jewelers rouge compare to chromium oxide in grit terms?

I'm no tsure how it would compare. I'm not sure I'd want to use one for an every day strop though.

I apply some jeweler's rouge on the "sued" side of my strop about every other month. I think it helps to smoothen the razor's edge a bit. There are many different kinds of this stuff on the market. All are a little different from one another. So, the question how the rouge compares to chromium oxide is difficult to answer. Most of them are finer, from my experience, as they are intended to be used for precious alloys (gold, silver, etc.), which are significantly softer than steel.

Sorry if this is slightly off topic but Cro pasting of strops could not have happened till late 1700's. Chrome was undiscovered till then so Jeweller's rouge and/or other substances would have been the choice. Because CrO is a chrome compound it gives a brighter polish on steel but I can't help wondering - Which gives the smoother shave ?

Jeweller's rouge and CrO can be identical in grit size or worlds apart. Depends on what you buy but grit size alone does not a good polish make. You could use 0.3 micron Aluminium oxide powder but it can clump together and form a larger grit size.

Rouge is slightly harder 9 Mohs compared to 8.5 for CrO. However rouge is more friable so it breaks down faster and becomes finer which also implies it might cut faster to a point. It's effect after say, 9 months use on a strop without a top up would be conjecture on my part but it might give an ultra fine polish.

Some experimenting may be in order.

Well I just looked it up in my jewelers catalog and they dont list the grit for rouges, but I do know that red will get you , after proper pre polishings, a shiny reflecive surface on silver, gold, brass and copper. A green rouge is for harder metals so will have more grit in it, but still fine. Platinum polish can come in up to 12000 grit. The pre-polishing compounds can get you to a very fine medium scratch surface on metals. A Fabulustre can polish plastics, fiberglass and soft metals.

I would am not sure how it would effect a strop but I could see using a cloth and using to polish the metal.
I have done it. but I am also a beginner in dire need of a blade honing.

If you are interested and can not find any let me know and I can get some for you.

True Jewelers Rouge is the red rouge and is quite soft. Sorry but no way it is 9 on the mohs scale which is sapphire. It is designed for gold and silver so to have some really hard stuff makes no sense. Aluminum oxide is the harder stuff.Usually you would not get the standard alumina but levigated alumina which works much better and does not clump. There are many different metal rouges out there for different purposes. You can also use cerium oxide which gives a very high polish and is very hard but remember most of these rouges and polishing compounds are designed more for jewelry work and lapidary work. Many will work just fine for razors. You just have to experiment to find the best.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

True Jewelers Rouge is the red rouge and is quite soft. Sorry but no way it is 9 on the mohs scale which is sapphire. It is designed for gold and silver so to have some really hard stuff makes no sense. Aluminum oxide is the harder stuff.Usually you would not get the standard alumina but levigated alumina which works much better and does not clump. There are many different metal rouges out there for different purposes. You can also use cerium oxide which gives a very high polish and is very hard but remember most of these rouges and polishing compounds are designed more for jewelry work and lapidary work. Many will work just fine for razors. You just have to experiment to find the best.

I stand corrected on the jeweller's rouge.
According to this site (below) it is 6.5 Mohs and there are variables other than hardness in regards to lapping and finish.
It is also used for final polishing of harder materials like telescope lenses and Japanese swords.

United States Products Co. - Lapping/Polishing Compounds

Originally Posted by onimaru55

I stand corrected on the jeweller's rouge.
According to this site (below) it is 6.5 Mohs and there are variables other than hardness in regards to lapping and finish.
It is also used for final polishing of harder materials like telescope lenses and Japanese swords.

United States Products Co. - Lapping/Polishing Compounds

The Green Rouge though is 805 Mohs and then there is also Alundum that is 9 Mohs