Compound question for the stropmeisters

T

thombrogan

Joined
Nov 16, 2002
Messages
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Which compound do you use for your final finish?

I tried jeweler's rouge (red stick of what might be ferrous oxide from Dico) and it didn't work as well as I had hoped for polishing up already finished edges or for getting rid of wire edges. The edges didn't look as shiny as I would have hoped for after using a polishing compound.

Does chromium oxide really work that much better? Would white rouge or 'stainless steel' buffing compound work just as well as chromium oxide? Better? Worse?

Thanks in advance!

P.S.: Fulloflead, I used a Swiss Army-styled knife to clean the red jeweler's rouge off of my strop and it took most of it off. The rest came off with Joy, hot-water and a Scotch-Brite pad.
 
When I sell one of my knives, I provide the customer with a piece of white compound, ( 600 grit aluminum oxide ) to strop the knife after use. I do a convex grind on my blades and by stropping regularly they will stay sharp. Any knifemaking supply company sells three pound blocks of it. I get mine from Texas Knifemakers Supply. Hope this helps.
 
i went to sears and bought the white compound that they sell and it seems to work very well on my knives, but I have never tried anything else so I cant say how it compares to other compounds. gets my knives really sharp though
 
I use chromium oxide I beleive, it comes in a big green bar under the name of "ultra fine" or "Micro Fine", (can't remember exactly cause a 2 lb bar is going to last my whole life it looks like :D ) honing compound at woodcraft. ( www.woodcraft.com ) It works really well if your looking for a really polished edge.
 
You could also check out HandAmerica which have a boatload of different compounds. This might help if you want a toothier edge than the higher grits provide. I used to use the green compound (AO I believe) and it would polish the edge like nobodys business, but it wouldn't slice for squat. Super sharp, just too smooth. Now I use something in the 320/400 range which works better for my applications.

Rob
 
CrO works really well, finishing on smooth and pressed plain leather has slightly improved the results in general.

-Cliff
 
Thanks, everyone.

As I mill over honing compound choices, I find myself helped by lapping film and good advice. Tonight, I used my foam-padded EdgePro tape blank (with lapping film), an untreated strop, and Pendentive's stropping technique to put quite the edge on my 806D2. Then, I wrapped a few different grits of lapping film around a ballpoint pen and not only restored my recently chipped Dodo's edge (I was the dodo who chipped it trying to sharpen with a Dremel and a felt wheel), but got it to a very high polish. Think I rounded it out too much, though. :rolleyes:

I'll probably end up with the CrO.

Thanks again!
 
I've only used a couple stropping compounds. The red ferric oxide jeweler's rouge is meant for softer metals, but it is useful for puting a razor edge on plain carbon steel. The green chromium oxide compound I have used works on carbon steel and on some of the softer stainless. One issue is that it is so fine that I doesn't leave much tooth. When I use it on the harder stainless the edge seems to get duller. I usually finish my edge with ceramic rods and a little stropping on plain leather. If I want to polish the edge I sometimes strop with the green compound then I go back and do a couple strokes on ceramic and plain leather to restore the edge bite.

I haven't looked for it recently but as a teen I used to strop using emory cloth tape. I would clamp one end in a vice and hold the other in my left hand and use it like a barbers hanging strop. I would buy 1" wide tape in rolls. I would use about 220 grit to 600 grit then I would finish off with crocus cloth (jewelers rouge) tape.
 
Jeff Clark said:
The green chromium oxide compound I have used works on carbon steel and on some of the softer stainless. One issue is that it is so fine that I doesn't leave much tooth. When I use it on the harder stainless the edge seems to get duller.
Click to expand...

I would wonder here about adhesive wear, this is why you don't use D2 for example to cut stainless steel as the Cr can stick together in the tool and the material being cut. This is usually a welding effect though and may require high heats to be significant. Have you tried stropping any high wear carbon tool steels like M2 at the same hardness which is ineffective on the stainless steels?

-Cliff
 
green for stainless

white (not matchless white) for everything else - including handles.


simplistic approach, but it works.
 
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