Thread: Where to buy inexpensive Chromium Oxide Paste?

Dear Fellow Razorheads- Am wondering if I can buy the small block of Chromium Oxide and shave it into a powder and mix with water, prior to applying to my Balsa strop? I bought a water based Chromium Oxide paste, but it's difficult to work with being so runny and it's a very small amount for the $, IMHO. If not the block of Chromium Oxide, does anyone know where I can buy the Chromium Oxide powder to mix with water? Moderators, please move if in wrong section. FWIW, I have the Norton 3 stone set incoming, bought an inexpensive Jap Nagura stone at Woodcraft, have the Big Daddy Strop, the Balsa Chromium Oxide strop and have the felt strop incoming that takes the diamond slurry paste. Touched up the Balsa Strop after lightly sanding with 320, as it had some gray streaks on it-Gearhead

You can check out almost any of the vendors that sell honing gear and most of them sell the CrOx powder.

Cheap CrOx usually means Un-pure CrOx

The stuff SRD sells is made specifically for what we do, and you might also think about at least making yourself a leather strop for the paste

The Balsa was really never meant to be used all the time they were recommended years ago as a cheap test platform for trying out different pastes before committing a leather strop to a single type of paste..

Fascinating! So I should buy an inexpensive strop and coat it with Chromium Oxide paste then?-Again, any feedback on the Chromium Oxide blocks? Still searching-Gearhead

gearhead222

You would be wise to pay particular attention to Glen's reference to "un-pure" CrOx.
Many years ago I made the mistake of buying a bar of CrOx from a woodworking store and it was a waste of money. Then I discovered Hand American which sold .5 micron paste. Great stuff because it is pure .5 micron. SRD can fill your needs. I believe there is also a .3 micron version out there somewhere.

Bottom line is make sure of the quality before you spend bucks for inferior stuff. Ask questions.

Jerry
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I think that Larry at whippeddog.com will sell small quantities of CrOxide powder (0.5 micron), if you can't find it elsewhere.

I've been using a block of "Veritas honing paste" from Lee Valley Tools. It may be impure, but I can shave off a strop pasted with it. A bar of that stuff should last about 3 lifetimes.

. Charles

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

I think that Larry at whippeddog.com will sell small quantities of CrOxide powder (0.5 micron), if you can't find it elsewhere.

I've been using a block of "Veritas honing paste" from Lee Valley Tools. It may be impure, but I can shave off a strop pasted with it. A bar of that stuff should last about 3 lifetimes.

. Charles

+1. A tablespoon of powder is basically a lifetime's supply. I bought mine from whippeddog, very inexpensive. I use it exclusively for touch up.

Did you use the balsa strop and then notice the gray streaks in it? If so that is normally as use it tiny steel particles will come of the razor and get onto the strop. Eventually it might become pretty much black and still work fine.

+1 on the veritas honing compound from leevalley. Anything from Leevalley is usually high end, especially tools made by veritas. It is a different formulation but seems to cut very nice and is stated to be a .5 micron compound.

You should probably look through the forum and search out the old posts on the Blocks from Lee Valley and from Woodcraft..

Some of the guys went through the trouble of finding the actual Matraials handeling sheets to find out that they contain, trust me that the search is worth the effort..