Another stropping compound question

[NixKustoms]

Hey,
So I was wondering if stropping compound is the same or similar to polishing compound (the stuff you put on polishing wheels)? I did a quick search on here and couldn't find my answer.

Thanks

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

It sometimes is. Many here, myself included, use green 'stick' compound (chromium oxide). It's more commonly used with bench grinder/buffers, in fact it's made for that purpose. Same applies with the black, white, rouge, etc. They were originally made to be used with buffers, but many use them for stropping too.

BTW, I do get a kick out of your username. Very good.

 

[NixKustoms]

It sometimes is. Many here, myself included, use green 'stick' compound (chromium oxide). It's more commonly used with bench grinder/buffers, in fact it's made for that purpose. Same applies with the black, white, rouge, etc. They were originally made to be used with buffers, but many use them for stropping too.

BTW, I do get a kick out of your username. Very good.

Thanks for the quick response! :thumbup:

So since it is a similar product which color (or grit?) would be the best one to use? I was going to get a white stick to use for stopping because it's what I've seen on youtube. I will only strop after my final stone and to maintain the edge.

And thanks. I was hoping that the name wasn't already taken. I know I'm not the only one.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks for the quick response! :thumbup:

So since it is a similar product which color (or grit?) would be the best one to use? I was going to get a white stick to use for stopping because it's what I've seen on youtube. I will only strop after my final stone and to maintain the edge.

And thanks. I was hoping that the name wasn't already taken. I know I'm not the only one.

The green seems to be the general favorite, among the 'stick' compounds, anyway. It's very fine grit (below 1 micron, I think), and it's aggressive enough to work on the tougher 'super steels' too. A little goes a very, very long way. In the 6 oz. 'stick' form, it'll likely last for years & years. And it's inexpensive, too. The one I use was purchased at a Woodcraft store. Can order from them online, too. Here's a pic:

 

[Hard H2O]

I use the white and the red. Both refine edges after sharpening on stones and ceramic.

Good Luck

 

[thombrogan]

I use hubcap polish sometimes. I chose Meguiars Hot Rims because it didn't have any ventilation requirements, but some folks use Mothers Mag polish and/or Nevr Dull.

 

[Jason B.]

The subject of what compound usually has a basic answer but if you look deep into it you will find some interesting things.

First, not all are created equal. If you buy your compound at sears it will be vastly different than what you would find from leevally, handamerican, or basically any higher priced/quality compound.

I personally don't use any solid or bar compounds unless I'm using power tools. Bar type compounds are held together with a wax binder that under the friction of a power tool melts and allows even spread of the material. It can be rubbed on a strop but you usually must take additional steps to smooth it out.

Liquid, paste, and spray type compounds will usually be much more free of unnecessary materials and be more controled in abrasive size. These types are also usually geared towards knife and tool sharpening instead of surface polishing. Locally found compounds like those at sears, lowes, etc... work well on softer metals and can work with hard knife steels but results are okay at best when compared to dedicated quality compounds.

Selection of compound type/grit will depend on desired results and your finishing stone before stropping/polishing. Green compound (chromium oxide) of good quality will run around 0.5 microns (50,000 grit) and it really overkill for all but straight razors. Many use this type but rarely use it to full potential, For example, most finish a edge in the general area of 2000-4000 grit then jump straight to the 50k strop. This will work to refine a edge no doubt but fails at reaching full potential of the abrasive because it is unable to remove the much coarser scratches of previous abrasives. It would be like grinding in a edge with a 100 grit stone then trying to jump straight to a 8000 grit stone and expect it to remove those 100 grit scratches.

Selecting a compound will be a little about the steel and how polished you want it. For low alloy stainless and carbon steels I prefer a "natural" abrasive like silicon, boron carbide or chromium oxide after the use of more aggressive and higher grit diamond compounds. With new super steels and hard tool steels I like the diamond compounds, they work faster and with grits as fine as 200k a mirror polish is no problem.

Any abrasive polish will "work" but selecting the right one for your needs will work that much better.

 

[NixKustoms]

Thanks for all the great info. With that, what grit would be ideal for a carbonV or 1095 blade?

 

[KennyB]

The subject of what compound usually has a basic answer but if you look deep into it you will find some interesting things.

First, not all are created equal. If you buy your compound at sears it will be vastly different than what you would find from leevally, handamerican, or basically any higher priced/quality compound.

I personally don't use any solid or bar compounds unless I'm using power tools. Bar type compounds are held together with a wax binder that under the friction of a power tool melts and allows even spread of the material. It can be rubbed on a strop but you usually must take additional steps to smooth it out.

Liquid, paste, and spray type compounds will usually be much more free of unnecessary materials and be more controled in abrasive size. These types are also usually geared towards knife and tool sharpening instead of surface polishing. Locally found compounds like those at sears, lowes, etc... work well on softer metals and can work with hard knife steels but results are okay at best when compared to dedicated quality compounds.

Selection of compound type/grit will depend on desired results and your finishing stone before stropping/polishing. Green compound (chromium oxide) of good quality will run around 0.5 microns (50,000 grit) and it really overkill for all but straight razors. Many use this type but rarely use it to full potential, For example, most finish a edge in the general area of 2000-4000 grit then jump straight to the 50k strop. This will work to refine a edge no doubt but fails at reaching full potential of the abrasive because it is unable to remove the much coarser scratches of previous abrasives. It would be like grinding in a edge with a 100 grit stone then trying to jump straight to a 8000 grit stone and expect it to remove those 100 grit scratches.

Selecting a compound will be a little about the steel and how polished you want it. For low alloy stainless and carbon steels I prefer a "natural" abrasive like silicon, boron carbide or chromium oxide after the use of more aggressive and higher grit diamond compounds. With new super steels and hard tool steels I like the diamond compounds, they work faster and with grits as fine as 200k a mirror polish is no problem.

Any abrasive polish will "work" but selecting the right one for your needs will work that much better.

I don't deny what you say about grit jumping, but I think that it makes a lot more of a difference with than without. I jump from 1000 grit to chromium oxide and I really love it. It doesn't really polish up the bevel, but it refines the edge so well. I basically tried it because I thought that spending a few dollars on a strop to see if it would help before getting a higher grit stone would be a good idea, and it paid off.

I've stropped some pretty excessive amounts too. One time I did 1,000 strokes per side one night. The bevel I did that on was very nice and definitely more polished, but still had the hazy kind of look from scratches that just weren't going to come out.

Mostly I like it because it really does refine the edge a lot. I mean, in relative terms I'm sure it won't refine it as much as a proper grit progression, but I'm still quite surprised by how much sharper I'll get an edge on CrO than if I just stop after the 1000.

 

[Jason B.]

If your limited by stones and cost of higher grit stones then its a good option for getting a little extra from your edge but is something that can create bad habbits. That's a subject for another thread though.

Kenny, thought you were getting some more stones? You would probably find that a upgrade to a finer stone say in the 8k range without stropping would be sharper than what you get from the 1k and strop. You should really spring for some more stones, you would be extremely happy with the improvement.

OP, what is your final sharpening stone?

 

[KennyB]

Kenny, thought you were getting some more stones? You would probably find that a upgrade to a finer stone say in the 8k range without stropping would be sharper than what you get from the 1k and strop. You should really spring for some more stones, you would be extremely happy with the improvement.

Well, whenever I have to make the choice between an $80 stone or an $80 knife, I keep going, "Well, all three of my really nice knives will whittle hair, so I think that's sharp enough." I usually kick myself later when I'm stropping them 400 strokes per side. It took me a while to realize that wasn't normal and that my compound should last me a lot longer, but I don't know, sometimes I can't help but be thrifty. Luckily I've got a camera, and the next knife I want is well over $80, so I'm hoping the Norton 4000/8000 will be in my rotation soon. I might not even need the strop after that. In any case, I can spend 6 hours on a benchstone and 400 strokes per side on a strop, so I figure I can wait a little longer for that 4000/8000.

In any case, I just wanted to say that compound is really great if you want to be thrifty. Those habits you were talking about sound a little interesting though. I haven't figured out how to send a private message on these forums yet, but I'd like to know more about that if you don't mind sending one.

 

[Jason B.]

I don't think your user group allows it but feel free to send me a email.