Baking Soda as a strop abrasive?

Good day,

When I ordered my first straight razor, I also ordered 2 hanging strops and one stropping board (with leather surface) and a small tube of red Dovo paste. I have not used the red Dovo paste yet, but I was thinking of trying it this weekend with the spare stropping board.

Based on what I've read here, it seems that the red paste is considered fairly coarse, and perhaps not the best finishing option for a blade. I was thinking of other mild abrasives that I might be able to use after the red Dovo paste, and the thought of Baking Soda crossed my mind... I've read on one knife forum that it was described as a "very fine polishing or stropping compound" but how well would it work on a stainless steal straight razor (Dovo Inox)?

I know, I know, black Dovo or CrOx is probably a better option, but I'm still curious to know if anybody has ever tried baking soda on a strop, and how it worked out?

At the risk of getting side-tracked with two topics in the same thread, does anybody here use red Dovo only, then directly to regular cloth/leather for a shave?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to SRP. I've never tried baking soda as a strop abrasive, nor have I heard of its use as such. Might be very good though, and there may be someone along who has experience with it. What I will say is that I reserve a linen and leather hanging strop clean of any added abrasive for a daily driver. I keep an SRP modular paddle with various magnetic leather and felt for abrasives but only use them rarely. So I'd suggest a clean linen/leather with the abrasive of choice on alternative strop surfaces. IMHO. :gl:

Has anyone used autosol as a stropping medium ?

Snail mucous works well I have been told.Also pollen from elm trees.

First, welcome to SRP. Second, I agree with Jimmy on a dedicated strop. Third, is that your only straight? I will give a word of caution experimenting with your ONLY straight. Always helps to have a 'control' razor that is untouched. Experiment away!

You really need to match your paste to your final stone.
If you are honing to 12 k it would be logical to not use anything coarser than .5 micron pastes or sprays altho the embedability of leather as a strop medium would reduce the aggressiveness of coarser pastes.

Just a WAG but Autosol & most metal polishes would be coarser than 0.5 micron.

I also have no idea how you could load leather with baking soda.

Haven’t tried baking soda, but have tried all kinds of other powders with varying success.

But, really there are many better options that are not expensive and are proven polishers, having been used for years, Chrome, Ferrous, and Cerium Oxide, Diamond and CBN on the pricier end.

While you could possibly use a generic abrasive powder like soot, chalk, graphite or any other fine abrasive powder with success the problem is the consistency and abrasiveness of the grit.

Just one larger or harder grit can ruin the edge, again proven performers like quality Chrome and Cerium Ox are not expensive and more importantly consistent performers.

Some polishes work I have had good luck with MAAS on a nylon strop again it's about consistent grit size.

Not recommending it but it should be easy to make a thin paste with baking soda and water and then just painting it on with a brush.

Not sure but I think I saw Rick's Restoration TV show using baking soda as a sand blasting media. Apparently it is a milder abrasive and doesn't damage whatever delicate material is being blasted. I am sure that I can't be the only person who watched that episode. :beer2:

Baking soda is usually between 75 and 275 micron. I've used it to do "sand blasting" on chrome before. Never have tried to strop with it though. My guess would be that it would leave a jagged edge. Maybe try it on a dish rag with a pocket knife first.

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Originally Posted by shallard

Good day,

When I ordered my first straight razor, I also ordered 2 hanging strops and one stropping board (with leather surface) and a small tube of red Dovo paste. I have not used the red Dovo paste yet, but I was thinking of trying it this weekend with the spare stropping board.

Based on what I've read here, it seems that the red paste is considered fairly coarse, and perhaps not the best finishing option for a blade. I was thinking of other mild abrasives that I might be able to use after the red Dovo paste, and the thought of Baking Soda crossed my mind... I've read on one knife forum that it was described as a "very fine polishing or stropping compound" but how well would it work on a stainless steal straight razor (Dovo Inox)?

I know, I know, black Dovo or CrOx is probably a better option, but I'm still curious to know if anybody has ever tried baking soda on a strop, and how it worked out?

At the risk of getting side-tracked with two topics in the same thread, does anybody here use red Dovo only, then directly to regular cloth/leather for a shave?

Thanks in advance!

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If you are hell-bent on using some sort of abrasive on your strop, try rubbing just a little bit of chalk on your linen side like the old timey barbers did. However I would recommend zero treatment to either the linen side or the leather side until you have sufficient experience to understand the principles of stropping and you are getting shaves to die for. JMO

If you want to experiment with paste inexpensively, Craft Foam from Wally Mart or a craft store can be purchased for a dollar or two. Cut into 3 inch strips with a paper cutter or razor knife and straight edge and you get 3 strops for a buck.

2mm foam glued to a piece of wood or 4mm foam by itself works well.

Paint mineral Oil in 2-3 inch X’s on the foam, with your finger and sprinkle your powder on the oil, let dry overnight and strop away.

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Snail mucous works well I have been told.Also pollen from elm trees.

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So what your saying is if you want to know what an orange tastes like........eat an orange :D

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Originally Posted by mike1011

So what your saying is if you want to know what an orange tastes like........eat an orange :D

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Couldn't have put it better myself - bravo!

Never heard of baking soda as a strop additive or abrasive for honing, on either razors or knives.

What I have heard is that people add it to honing water - it changes the pH value and stops the knife/razor from rusting while it is being honed.

Chefs also use it to remove patina on knives and to give them a passive coating which protects against rust.

Regards,
Neil

Most everything has been tried at one time or another. Heck, way back in the Yahoo forum days one guy tried cocoa powder! He said it was extremely slow but helped the edge. So, pay attention to what has been said by the guys in this thread.
The proven performers have already been identified. Try to stick with those. If you experiment you will have fun and learn a bit, but you will also spend money and maybe ruin a few edges in the process. Been there, done that. :)

Also do a search for griffon strop aid. wolfpack posted his success with this and you can come across lead pretty easily to give it a try...

Thanks for all the replies and good info!

Yes, I agree that it's good to experiment and just go out and try new things, while exercising caution and using spare equipment, so as not to ruin the good gear. I had done some research about this before bringing it up to this forum, and had found info indicating it works on knives, and I had heard about using baking soda to clean and hone, but no info yet on stropping razors. I guess I was just hoping someone could give me some feedback if they had already tried it before.

Based on the comment about baking soda being 75-275 micron, and also the fact that this is my first and only straight razor and I'm still relatively knew at this art, I'll wait a bit before I start to experiment with "out of the box" ideas... As for the snail mucous, I don't think it has any abrasive properties, but I use it every day in my post-shave routine, and it does wonders for the skin :p

What about the red Dovo paste? Would anybody recommend going from the red paste, directly to the face, or should I really wait until I can find some CrOx or other 1-micron-or-less compound to finish the blade? I live in a small town, so I'd have to wait and order it online...

Thanks again for all the info and tips! Great forum, it's one of the main reasons I decided to take the plunge into the world of straights!

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Originally Posted by shallard

What about the red Dovo paste? Would anybody recommend going from the red paste, directly to the face, or should I really wait until I can find some CrOx or other 1-micron-or-less compound to finish the blade? I live in a small town, so I'd have to wait and order it online...

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I've honed a few razors for one of the local Dovo reps & he uses the red followed by the black paste on leather. I don't see him often so it must keep him going pretty well... or he's learnt how to hone . :)

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

I've honed a few razors for one of the local Dovo reps & he uses the red followed by the black paste on leather. I don't see him often so it must keep him going pretty well... or he's learnt how to hone . :)

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My barber of record for the time period 1967 t0 1971 definitely treated his shop strop with a light application of black paste and recommended that I do the same when he sold me my first strop (DD No. 70). I keep a horse strop with black paste in the bathroom.

Baking Soda and water will substitute nicely for toothpaste for your teeth.

Baking soda left open in the fridge will absorb odors, but everyone knows that. If you were a tattooer, soldering groups of needles together, like we all used to have to do before China made it cheaper to buy them -pre-made, than buying packs of 1,000 and making them yourself, I used baking soda in hot water to neutralize the flux, and prevent the needles from rusting after soldering. Probably should be in the useless knowledge thread. :shrug:

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Baking soda left open in the fridge will absorb odors, but everyone knows that. If you were a tattooer, soldering groups of needles together, like we all used to have to do before China made it cheaper to buy them -pre-made, than buying packs of 1,000 and making them yourself, I used baking soda in hot water to neutralize the flux, and prevent the needles from rusting after soldering. Probably should be in the useless knowledge thread. :shrug:

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Jimmy

That is interesting info. I use 20 Muleteam Borax soap as flux for brazing with bronze rod. Never hesitate to share what you think is interesting info. Thanks

Well, I took some baking soda and water, made a paste, and rubbed it on the tail of the razor with my finger, to see if it would have any effects on the metal. I looked at the tail with a loupe before and after, and found very little difference. The loupe did reveal some minor surface scratches on the "before" look, which I hoped the baking soda might help buff-out. Turns out it had no noticeable effect. I suspect the baking soda particles are just not hard enough to do anything useful. I guess after hundreds of laps on a soda-pasted strop it might have some sort of effect, but at that point, how do you know if it's the powder, or just the regular strop that's making the difference...

I'll keep the baking soda for the kitchen and for teeth brushing, and I'll order some CrOx or other suitable compound for the strop.

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Originally Posted by shallard

Well, I took some baking soda and water, made a paste, and rubbed it on the tail of the razor with my finger, to see if it would have any effects on the metal. I looked at the tail with a loupe before and after, and found very little difference. The loupe did reveal some minor surface scratches on the "before" look, which I hoped the baking soda might help buff-out. Turns out it had no noticeable effect. I suspect the baking soda particles are just not hard enough to do anything useful. I guess after hundreds of laps on a soda-pasted strop it might have some sort of effect, but at that point, how do you know if it's the powder, or just the regular strop that's making the difference...

I'll keep the baking soda for the kitchen and for teeth brushing, and I'll order some CrOx or other suitable compound for the strop.

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You have chosen wisely. :)

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Originally Posted by mrsell63

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Jimmy

That is interesting info. I use 20 Muleteam Borax soap as flux for brazing with bronze rod. Never hesitate to share what you think is interesting info. Thanks

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I used to frequent Domingo's Mexican restaurant on 20 Mule Team road in Boron, across from the mine. A very desolate place, but a fantastic restaurant, served by waiters in bow ties even for the lunch crowd :) But I shouldn't get the thread off course...

As far as I can make out only one person on the bladeforum suggested this as a very fine stropping compound, and everybody else who tried it on their knives in that thread said it had no effect whatsoever, which is hardly surprising as it is under 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale while a good razor steel is above 5.5

Regards,
Neil

Neil Miller: Thanks for the numbers, the objective numbers wrt particle size and hardness is what the engineer in me was really looking for!

It can't be very abrasive or there would be word to not use it brushing your teeth. Can you imagine sanding your gums?

I've never sanded my gums but I did clean my tongue with a dremel tool once. It was a requirement
of my first year online dental hygienist course. I would recommend not drinking alcohol the night before or having too much coffee the morning of.