I just put CrO2 on one side of my linen strop. I know this is an abrasive, not to be used every day. I also know that it will be some time before I can judge whether my changing edge condition is due to shaving or daily stropping technique, so I would like to have some idea how frequently I should need to use CrO2. If you use this, how often do you, and do you use it over linen or balsa wood? If you use it on balsa wood, have you used the linen before and found it to be less effective? Should this be used more frequently than the balsa to compensate, or do you think it's just a bad idea altogether?
How often do you use CrO2?
- Thread starter Badger_Killer
- Start date
I have this balsa strop with CrOx on it: http://shop.starshaving.com/product.sc?productId=4&categoryId=6
After honing, I do 35 laps on it to remove any loose debris created by the honing process. Then I use the hanging strop.
I also use it when the blade edge seems to have dulled and it's not time to hone again.
You will see a discoloration on the CrOx because of the debris left behind and I clean that up with a lent roller.
After honing, I do 35 laps on it to remove any loose debris created by the honing process. Then I use the hanging strop.
I also use it when the blade edge seems to have dulled and it's not time to hone again.
You will see a discoloration on the CrOx because of the debris left behind and I clean that up with a lent roller.
In theory the linen will give/flex more than the balsa plank, so over time the edge on linen and crox will round over and become "unshave-ready". In practice my suspicion is that the edge merely gets too dull for the crox to overcome and it will need a touchup. I don't think you can use it too often if the crox edge agrees with your face. Another option would to use balsa exclusively, which in theory would never lead to a rounded edge assuming the balsa is flat and you use a light touch. YMMV of course 
I never use crox. I just touch up on a hone if needed. Get a small stone or a barber's hone
i used crox at the beginning of my straight journey but not for a long while.
^
What he said.
What he said.
I have been making "hard" balsa strops since 2008. I can attest to the fact that these, absolutely, will extend the life of the razors edge. Many of the folks I know who have them experience somewhere between 8 and 12 months between honings. Personally, the last razor I honed for myself and used the hard balsa strop when needed lasted 14 months before it required a full honing. Now, you might think this is not normal, or maybe even exaggerated, but please be assured it is not. Knowing how to properly maintain your razor can make the shaving experience quite enjoyable.
One of the key reasons that someone might not agree is maybe because of the material used. The Balsa, for instance, needs to be harder than what you would normally get at a hobby store. Soft balsa is a sure key to failure. The base that the Balsa is attached to is also very important. Just like a honing stone, the base must be absolutely flat, any deviation from this will result in an unflat surface. That's why extremely hard and stabilized wood is mandatory for success. Knowing when and how to use it is also important.
Remember, the key to having a sharp razor is not just being able to hone it. It is being able to maintain it as well. Experience has shown that usually being able to keep a razor at peak sharpness for about 20 days or longer without needing a touch up on the hones is a great indication that your stropping skills are finally paying off. If you can't do that then you need to keep at it until you can.
One of the key reasons that someone might not agree is maybe because of the material used. The Balsa, for instance, needs to be harder than what you would normally get at a hobby store. Soft balsa is a sure key to failure. The base that the Balsa is attached to is also very important. Just like a honing stone, the base must be absolutely flat, any deviation from this will result in an unflat surface. That's why extremely hard and stabilized wood is mandatory for success. Knowing when and how to use it is also important.
Remember, the key to having a sharp razor is not just being able to hone it. It is being able to maintain it as well. Experience has shown that usually being able to keep a razor at peak sharpness for about 20 days or longer without needing a touch up on the hones is a great indication that your stropping skills are finally paying off. If you can't do that then you need to keep at it until you can.
Me, I'm more of a slack-jaw ferox man these days.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
I used CrOx a couple of weeks ago on a new GD conversion I did that came off the Lapping Film a bit harsh. I had to tone down the edge a bit on the felt side of my Big Daddy. That's the only thing I use CrOx for these days. Before the recent GD I had not used CrOx in over a year.
What I use for edge maintenance is .1u diamond paste on balsa. I strop on the balsa about 4 dozen laps after each shave, and on the rare occasion that this does not seem to be keeping the edge in tip top shape, I hit the other side, pasted with .5u, until it is deadly sharp again, and then hit the .1u side. I never have to re-hone a razor. I hone it when I first acquire it or restore or modify or make it, and the balsa keeps it nice and sharp. I find that the .1u diamond works much better for this than .5u CrOx, but the CrOx is great for sweetening an edge that is too harsh.
CrOx CAN be used on balsa OR on a hanging strop. Many guys use it with great success, especially with the CrOx (green paste) on one side, and FeOx (Iron Oxide, the red paste) on the other. The red is finer. The Balsa is better for daily edge maintenance. The red side is probably better for daily use, and you will want quite a lot of laps because it doesn't cut as aggressively as diamond.
The most common mistake is applying too much. You should only use 2 or 3 BBs worth initially, and half that each month for refreshing the balsa. It will seem like it is not enough, but you do not want a coating. You want it rubbed into the balsa. A coating can have a slurry effect and limit the sharpness of the edge. YMMV. The CrOx should just barely make a good stain on the balsa.
What I use for edge maintenance is .1u diamond paste on balsa. I strop on the balsa about 4 dozen laps after each shave, and on the rare occasion that this does not seem to be keeping the edge in tip top shape, I hit the other side, pasted with .5u, until it is deadly sharp again, and then hit the .1u side. I never have to re-hone a razor. I hone it when I first acquire it or restore or modify or make it, and the balsa keeps it nice and sharp. I find that the .1u diamond works much better for this than .5u CrOx, but the CrOx is great for sweetening an edge that is too harsh.
CrOx CAN be used on balsa OR on a hanging strop. Many guys use it with great success, especially with the CrOx (green paste) on one side, and FeOx (Iron Oxide, the red paste) on the other. The red is finer. The Balsa is better for daily edge maintenance. The red side is probably better for daily use, and you will want quite a lot of laps because it doesn't cut as aggressively as diamond.
The most common mistake is applying too much. You should only use 2 or 3 BBs worth initially, and half that each month for refreshing the balsa. It will seem like it is not enough, but you do not want a coating. You want it rubbed into the balsa. A coating can have a slurry effect and limit the sharpness of the edge. YMMV. The CrOx should just barely make a good stain on the balsa.
I concur with this post. I find a few (maybe a dozen) laps on a balsa bench strop once every five shaves or so can greatly prolong the edge before it needs to hit the hones again. I've never really tested how long, but I'd bet I could go five or six months with just one honed razor, and CrOx, and a strop.
I might do it one day, when I go super minimalist.
I have the "Filly" beginner strop. It comes with CrOx applied to the rough side of the leather. Stropping with it every 5 shaves or so seems to improve my edge. The comments here and other places indicate CrOx is to be used on a smooth surface. Are there differing thoughts on that? Any tips on technique for applying the CrOx to the stropping surface? Would a run on 1 micron or .3 micron film be equivalent to stropping with CrOx?I'm wondering if I should buy some as I already have some film.
Tried it a few times at the beginning of my straight razor days, makes it sharper but for me it yields a rough edge.
I used it a lot early on to help my edges along. Once my honing skills got better, there was not as much of an advantage to using CrOx, so I just skipped it. When my razors need a tune-up, just a bit of time on the hones brings them right back to where I like them.
I used CrOx on a pasted balsa block (part of the Poor Man's Strop Kit), for what it's worth.
I used CrOx on a pasted balsa block (part of the Poor Man's Strop Kit), for what it's worth.
I'm wondering exactly same thing as the OP. I dulled my edge in the first few days of using it via poor shaving technique and some strop trouble, so I used crox on cotton to bring it back to life. I also use rough side of the strop for regular stropping because I've ruined the smooth side. Do I understand it right that if I use crox like a few times a week, I will dull the edge prematurely and have to rehone earlier?
My plan is 40 passes on rough side before every shave, 10 after, and 10 passes on crox before every 3d shave. How does that look?
My plan is 40 passes on rough side before every shave, 10 after, and 10 passes on crox before every 3d shave. How does that look?
Chrome Oxide will improve almost any edge. It can be harsh I believe because of the particle size. It will refresh an edge though. I have stropped daily on CBN .125 or Cerium Oxide on a hanging paper or nylon, seatbelt weave strop, for a very keen and comfortable edge.
Cerium or CBN will maintain an edge indefinitely. A rounded edge is a result of technique, not the Chrome Oxide. A pasted strop is much more abrasive than plain leather and one unattended stroke can ruin an edge, lord knows, Ive done it.
Chromium Oxide works best on fine weave nylon, but will work on almost anything, any tight grain wood, leather and especially well on paper and poster board.
Cut some poster board in 3 inch strips and paint Chrome Oxide in 2 inch Xs with your finger, as said less is more and Xs will give you the right amount of cutting and polishing. Hit the Chrome Ox as needed, 10 laps every other month or so and Cerium and CBN for comfort.
So to answer your question is Chrome Ox a bad idea? Hell No.
You can learn to hone without Chrome Ox or any paste, but it will take some time and many will give up. Chrome and other paste will keep you shaving and shaving very well as you continue on you honing education.
And you may just decide a pasted edge is pretty damn good, cost effective and foolproof. You will, just have to buy new razors to practice your honing on.
Cerium or CBN will maintain an edge indefinitely. A rounded edge is a result of technique, not the Chrome Oxide. A pasted strop is much more abrasive than plain leather and one unattended stroke can ruin an edge, lord knows, Ive done it.
Chromium Oxide works best on fine weave nylon, but will work on almost anything, any tight grain wood, leather and especially well on paper and poster board.
Cut some poster board in 3 inch strips and paint Chrome Oxide in 2 inch Xs with your finger, as said less is more and Xs will give you the right amount of cutting and polishing. Hit the Chrome Ox as needed, 10 laps every other month or so and Cerium and CBN for comfort.
So to answer your question is Chrome Ox a bad idea? Hell No.
You can learn to hone without Chrome Ox or any paste, but it will take some time and many will give up. Chrome and other paste will keep you shaving and shaving very well as you continue on you honing education.
And you may just decide a pasted edge is pretty damn good, cost effective and foolproof. You will, just have to buy new razors to practice your honing on.
I tried it on my razors and didn't like it so I only use stones, linen and leather now. I do like it on my pocketknives that are sharpened freehand with a bit of a rounded bevel. Because they are honed freehand the bevel sometimes is a little faceted and stropping it on a hanging cotton strop with crox will blend that into a shiny rounded and very sharp edge.
It's great for polishing purposes too.
It's great for polishing purposes too.
