Thread: Jewelers rouge question

so i bought a strip of latigo leather from a local saddle maker today and we got talking about shaving with a SR. he said that uses jewelers rouge, either the white or red, for certain leather tools he has. he said it really makes a huge difference on these fine, sharp tools and he gave me a chunk to try. i have seen jewelers rouge mentioned before but have no idea where in my progression it would best fit.

i have a CrOx strop that i really like, but how would i know if it is finer?
it reminds me of buffing compound, so what is the easiest way to use this stuff?
i was thinking of putting it on the backside of my linen, good choice?

thanks
Wes

If memory serves I think the rouge is 32k. Is it red?

From a website:

Schaffner manufactures a variety of jeweler's rouge to meet your specific requirements.

Red Bright Jeweler's Rouge

The abrasive medium is a superfine, soft red rouge combined with just enough hard grease binders to keep the compound on the buffing wheel. Used to bring out a high color on Gold, Silver,
Sterling , Platinum and Brass.

White Jeweler's Rouge

An extremely dry grade of compound made with ultra-fine, soft abrasive powders. Produces a clear, brilliant, mirror-like finish on chromium, stainless, carbon steel, brass and aluminum.

Green Jeweler's Rouge

A very dry compound made with green chromium oxide powder. Used in the jewelry trade for extremely fine color buffing jobs on all classes of metals. To a mirror bright finish and to remove light "metal fuzz" or lap lines without disturbing the essential dimensions of the work.

There are different grades of rouge. If it's claimed to bring a high polish on stainless or other hardened steel then it's probably worth trying for razors. I've had good luck with the white buffing compound from Harbor Freight, for example. I don't know what grit it was but it produced an edge comparable to a submicron polish.

I would just try it and see. Smear it on a piece of cardstock, like the back of a yellow pad, and see how it works. That way you don't mess up something expensive if it turns out to be a turkey.

it is the white stuff. interesting though as my sister is a jewelry smith and said i could have her red jewelers rouge since she doesn't really use it. now i am intrigued.

what about putting it on some flat wood? i have a balsa type paddle strop that i made that has CrOx on one side but could have this on the other. but would i have to mix it with anything? like and oil or something?

i work in the gear cutting industry and i use red rouge every day mixed with a little oil to do contact markings on the gear teeth. so if i mixed some with some oil and applyed some on a balsa type paddle would this be ok for touch ups?

Originally Posted by chee16

it is the white stuff. interesting though as my sister is a jewelry smith and said i could have her red jewelers rouge since she doesn't really use it. now i am intrigued.

what about putting it on some flat wood? i have a balsa type paddle strop that i made that has CrOx on one side but could have this on the other. but would i have to mix it with anything? like and oil or something?

If you put it on wood you'll have to glue the wood to a piece of tile or something stiff and dimensionally stable. The paste clogs up the pores ofthe wood so it doesn't absorb or release moisture evenly anymore, so any humidity change will make it warp enough to cause problems (generally it will cup, so the razor will only touch the two edges of the board.

Originally Posted by mparker762

If you put it on wood you'll have to glue the wood to a piece of tile or something stiff and dimensionally stable. The paste clogs up the pores ofthe wood so it doesn't absorb or release moisture evenly anymore, so any humidity change will make it warp enough to cause problems (generally it will cup, so the razor will only touch the two edges of the board.

i glued it to a thicker piece of wood. would that do?
should i lightly sand the wood before applying it? it was plained when i bought it but who knows what the oil and paste would do.