Stroping questions, and questions about Chromium Oxide

[bluefoxicy]

I'm considering the 3 inch Latigo strop with a fabric weave, and rubbing Chromium Oxide paste to the fabric strop.

Is this a good thing? Should I pass my blade on the CrO2 every day, or every several shaves, or when the blade feels a little iffy, or what?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liKYctpdjC4

is this basically all I need to know about stroping?

 

[richmondesi]

Yeah, that would be good. I think that's a pretty good video in terms of the "why" in stropping and basic technique. I disagree with his assertion that you shouldn't use the canvas every day, but you wouldn't want to use the CrO2 everyday. I use a linen/horsehide strop daily and it's great for edge maintenance.

If you want to, you could paste one side of that canvas and use it on occasion, and use the other side daily.

 

[bluefoxicy]

will the proper use of both the canvas and the chromium oxide let me avoid honing for a much longer time, without too much wear on the edge?

I read somewhere that you should use chrox on leather, rather than canvas. Thoughts? I have a cheap *** strop I could use too, and paste that.

 

[mdunn]

will the proper use of both the canvas and the chromium oxide let me avoid honing for a much longer time, without too much wear on the edge?

I read somewhere that you should use chrox on leather, rather than canvas. Thoughts? I have a cheap *** strop I could use too, and paste that.

yep - crox acts kida like a superfine hone.

regular leather every day, crox every few months. IMHO it doesnt matter what you paste, really.

 

[richmondesi]

will the proper use of both the canvas and the chromium oxide let me avoid honing for a much longer time, without too much wear on the edge?

I read somewhere that you should use chrox on leather, rather than canvas. Thoughts? I have a cheap *** strop I could use too, and paste that.

I agree with Dunny. I like using chrox on my canvas strop. It works on leather too, but my current setup is on hanging canvas.

If you go with diamond spray, I'd suggest putting it on felt because it helps take some of the harshness out of the edge.

 

[Leche]

I just use plain canvas right now but will be increasing the performance with Dovo White Paste, an incredibly mild polishing paste that can be used daily. CrOx shouldn't be used daily as pointed out above. You can make a paddle strop for the CrOx out of balsa on the cheap or you can paste a section of the old strop.

 

[bluefoxicy]

I just use plain canvas right now but will be increasing the performance with Dovo White Paste, an incredibly mild polishing paste that can be used daily. .

http://www.royalshave.com/p/427-004/dovo_pastes.html

?

 

[leighton]

http://www.royalshave.com/p/427-004/dovo_pastes.html

?

The only abrasive ones are the red & green.

Either case, I wouldn't use any of those on my razors. Strops don't need conditioners for daily stropping. Tony says to just rub your hands on his latigo leather. I've done the same with his horse, the razor seems to actually buff the horse to a high gloss shine. Don't see the need to condition that either. And I would never condition cloth/canvas/linen. Do you condition your shirts?

 

[bluefoxicy]

Do you condition your shirts?

Of course. I tick some Head and Shoulders Silky Smooth into the washing machine with my Land's End V-neck t-shirts to get them nice and soft. Works much better than that Downy crap.

 

[English]

The only abrasive ones are the red & green.

Either case, I wouldn't use any of those on my razors. Strops don't need conditioners for daily stropping. Tony says to just rub your hands on his latigo leather. I've done the same with his horse, the razor seems to actually buff the horse to a high gloss shine. Don't see the need to condition that either. And I would never condition cloth/canvas/linen. Do you condition your shirts?

+1.

A good linen/leather strop will keep a razor going for a long time and you really don't want pastes anywere near your daily use strop. I find the pastes to be agressive (yes effective as well) and dirty. If you just hang a pasted strop next to a unpasted strop, the one will pollute the other.

Maybe I was lucky and learnt to use a strop properly before I discovered pastes. I also know how easy it is to mess up a good edge on a strop while you are learning and it is at this point that a pasted strop will fix the problem.
That said, It is my belief that the edge off a good finishing hone is both smoother and more comfortable than any edge of any paste and it will last far far longer. I also feel that pastes are much more agressive than many 8K+ hones. Even using a light pressure on a pasted linen strop and I found the strop got blackened very quickly. That was with either a diamond paste or Chromium Oxide.

So, I would keep pastes well away from a quality hanging strop and only put them on something cheap and cheerful and try to learn how to live without them.

Every time I used to reach for paste, I found that it was to cure some inadequacy in my honing skills. I for one am now glad that I don't feel the need to use them anymore. I have also found that whilst a paste will soften a raspy edge, they don't in my opinion do it as well as a stropping on leather or as well as doing the initial honing properly.

What I do accept is for guys who really like a super sharp edge, nothing will beat the sharpness that 50K grit Chromium Oxide or diamond paste will give to a razors edge. I don't get a comfortable shave of such an edge. It is almost too close for comfort. But as always, these are just my opinions and I fully understand that other shavers love to use pastes in their sharpening rituals.