Thread: Cro-ox oops or not?

I got some Cro-ox from Chris L and its awesome btw, just wondering if I made a mistake. I put it on the back side of my strop as instructed but its not completely smooth. After about 15 laps I noticed some small scratches on the blade near the edge and I'm thinking its due to the leather not being perfectly smooth. Any help would be much obliged.

Should I smooth it out with some sandpaper or just use the linen side instead or am I just trippin and eveything is cool and this is normal?

Pictures would certainly help (of the strop, that is). But yes, sandpaper will work.

As an aside, the abbreviation for Chromium oxide is CrO.

what strop is it?
is the backside hard?
when do we se pictures?

The strop is an Illinois 127 and the back is soft more of a felt feeling if I understand what you are asking. Hope this pic helps I'm a horrible photographer. Thanks again for the help.

The back of your strop doesn't seem to be an ideal surface for stropping a finished edge. Get yourself a 2 1/2 inch strip of top grain cowhide at TANDY LEATHER and make a dedicated Cr-Ox strop......

I have been having good luck using a lapped piece of thick oak. The non-compliant surface does not convex the edge at all. Finishing this way gives me a less irritating shave than if I were to shave directly off the Swaty.

Rather than using a hanging strop I use a paddle strop. It works so much better for me.

You could also try a balsa wood plank from a hobby store and apply it to that, should be pretty cheap.

Yes, I use it with a balsa wood block and it works very well. Though I don't think it's really balsa, as the wood is a bit heavier than that.

I have an old strop I picked up at a flea market. I put a little CROX on the linen side and use that for a final finish after honing. It works just great. Don't use too much, just a small amount rubbed into the linen. I like the way my razors feel afterwards.