Mixing chromium oxide powder?

[FaPat5]

I'm looking to get some chromium oxide to spread on some hessian webbing I've got. I don't want to spend lots of money and I've found little 10g/19g bags of the stuff as a powder. I know there are pastes but they cost so much more and I'd rather mix myself if it can be cheaper.

Question is, what do I mix the powder with and how much? I've seen oil and water as the main liquids to use. Can I just use water and will that work well? What are the proportions that one needs to use?

 

[Legion]

I've always used oil. Just baby oil from the market works fine. I guess I mix it about 50/50? You need to put it into a container which you can shave vigorously before use.

 

[Kentos]

I never used the stuff, but could you not mix some up with some distilled water and spray it on? I know most people mix it with oil, but just a thought.

 

[FaPat5]

Well, I've never used it either. I just want to give it a go. Spraying it sounds a good idea to me, but I was just curious how much powder to use and what carrier.

With regard to the baby oil, I didn't think that would be suitable because of other chemicals that might be in there?

 

[Kentos]

Either way think, "less is more". You don't need much regardless of what abrasive you are using.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Different schools on this. The main thing is to have a friendly chat with your local art-supply dealer, so as to arrive at the right grade of pigment powder. Then, one can either dip a fingertip into neat's-foot oil, lightly dabbing the powder and spreading this across the strop surface in a series of X's or separated, parallel diagonal strokes (limited paste school), or one can transfer larger amounts of the powder to olive oil so as to arrive at a warmed-over Vaseline consistency, and rub this mixture into the entire surface of the strop with the thumb until it's completely covered, removing any excess and refreshing with straight olive oil as necessary (full paste school). I incline towards the latter.

Edit: Just now read the "Hessian webbing" citation from the start. My above advice applies to leather on paddles, not hanging Solingen cotton/linen, etc. With the latter, less is probably more, and a light spritzing with water bottles may indeed be the way...

 

[Legion]

Well, I've never used it either. I just want to give it a go. Spraying it sounds a good idea to me, but I was just curious how much powder to use and what carrier.

With regard to the baby oil, I didn't think that would be suitable because of other chemicals that might be in there?

Baby oil is basically fairly pure mineral oil with a scent added. There is nothing overly corrosive in it, you are rubbing it on a newborns hide, after all.

If you want to err on the side of caution, get food grade mineral oil from your pharmacy.

Do not use olive, or any other sort of vegetable oil, as it can go rancid.

 

[FaPat5]

Righto, I think I'll try it with the baby oil. Just wasn't sure if anything in there could affect my blades. I can get little sachets of chromium oxide from some razor sellers here in the UK (they should hopefully be selling the correct grade). Assuming I get about a 10g sachet, how much oil would I mix that with to get the right consistency? Do I just take the whole sachet with about 100ml of oil, or is there less/more to be used either way? Thanks for all your help as well!

 

[chuckr9]

I use a little mineral oil from CVS - only mix an almond size dopplop at a time and keep it thin on the strop (I use it on the webbing).

 

[Legion]

10g seems like a lot. I can't remember how much I ordered last time. Try a dessert spoon, plus two spoons of oil and see how that looks.

I use to mix a very small jar (like one of those little, one serve jam jars you get in fancy hotels). When it settles it looks like half the jar is full of CrOx, and the other half oil. Give it a good shake, the spread on balsa with a (gloved) finger. Probably better to have too much CrOx in the mix than too little.

 

[Wid]

I used regular ol rubbing alcohol as a medium for mixing/spraying crox. It drys super fast and does not leave behind an oily feeling.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Do not use olive, or any other sort of vegetable oil, as it can go rancid.

Maybe it's rancid in taste, but following the example of a French razor vendor and honer I know, I've been loading an Illinois 361 strop with olive oil to make the strop more pliant for over a month now and it's been working great. Similarly, Knives Plus in Amarillo Texas makes a nice handheld strop block with crox applied with olive oil: http://www.knivesplus.com/KP-STROP8-STROPBLOCK.html. I've tried their method of dabbing just a little olive oil to refresh things on one of my loom strops that was starting to glaze over, and it really works. So I really do wonder at the prohibition against olive oil.

 

[rickboone1]

Whippeddog used to sell small packets of this. As well as neetsfoot oil. There are many YouTube videos explaining application. It's really no measurements or anything. Just get some powder on the whatever you're putting it on b

 

[FaPat5]

Unfortunately, I have to make do with what I can get in the UK. Its not really the amounts I have to put on the strop that I need, it was just how much powder goes into how much liquid. That's all I wanted. But thanks a bunch anyway, I'll try it out (ordered some crox today). I'm due to get some pressed felt bits from my brother so I'll see how that works as well.

 

[life2short1971]

I mix a bit in some alcohol and spray it on the strop from a small spray bottle/atomizer. It really sprays fine and even. (Do it outside and tape off areas you don't want green)

 

[Alum of Potash]

I found this sequence of pictures from a French forum pretty interesting: http://rasoircoupechoux.forumgratuit.org/t263-preparation-d-un-strop-a-la-pate. Neat's-foot oil was the vehicle. Not much luck finding Sennelier pigments here Stateside (although Gamblin will do), but you might find them in the UK.

Note: do wash your hands and refrain from biting your nails after applying the pigment direct like this! And avoid breathing the pigment as well...

 

[FaPat5]

Thanks for your help guys, I'll give it a go on the weekend I think