Wood Ash Anybody?

[mjclark]

I remembered hearing that soot could be used as a strop paste and wondered about wood ash so after a bonfire I loaded some onto a bit of balsa and it really does seem to make a good final finisher:

I know this is another one of those "Great Depression" style low end solutions like my green painted plank, but has anyone else tried this in the past eighty years?

 

[EL Alamein]

I have never heard of this but it *sounds* like a Depression Era stop-gap.

If it works then use it!

Chris

 

[bluesman 7]

I had the thought once of trying this to increase the effectiveness of a hanging newspaper strop for a cheap disposable newbie strop. I figured it would likely be less aggressive than CrO2. I came to the conclusion that there were too many variables, just what a newbie doesn't need, to pursue it. I'm glad to see someone experimenting with it though.

 

[mjclark]

I've used the wood ash on balsa as a final polisher after CrOx in a similar way to the metal polish Elsterglanz and it gives a sweet and gentle result.