Well, if you used strop conditioner on a strop and it dried out a few days later, you'd probably be ticked. So if you use strop conditoner on balsa and it doesn't dry out, then you shouldn't be surpirsed! It is what it is.

I don't see the need to use anything as a carrier for the chromium oxide. It takes very little chrome ox to be effective, and since it's half of a micron, I don't think it would have any problem settling into the gran of the balsa all by itself.

For dry chromium oxide, I wad up a piece of paper towel, dab it in the dry chrome ox, then dab it onto the strop, putting little dots all over, like this: :::::::: Then, once I've blotted it all over, I wipe over it in circular motions to even things out. After that, i take a clean piece of paper towel, and wipe the strop until very little green comes off. What's left on the strop is more than plenty.

Good luck!