good green strop compound?

BRK makes good compound. It is what Flexx Strops uses on their products. A few of the Blade Forum sponsors carry it.
 
I read somewhere that Bark River’s strip compound colors might not coordinate with some other brands’ compounds grit wise. Might be something to look into. Someone feel free to correct me though
 
cashville said:
I read somewhere that Bark River’s strip compound colors might not coordinate with some other brands’ compounds grit wise. Might be something to look into. Someone feel free to correct me though
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In my memory, last time I was looking to buy some, yeah the colors varied from manufacture to manufacturer. But they all told you the grit so it wasn’t a big deal. I like BRKs stuff its good and doesn’t break the bank like some of the industrial diamond suspensions can.
 
Knife devotee said:
what website can I find the compound
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One that I’m pretty sure is a Blade Forum sponsor is KnivesShipFree. There are others if you do a google search. Sorry for being vague but I don’t want to list non Blade Forum supporters.
 
I personally use Woodstock green compound that comes in a 1lb block which is about 400-600 grit. It works for me for getting a toothy edge on my knives. I will soon be purchasing their rogue compound in 1000-2500 grit
cashville said:
I read somewhere that Bark River’s strip compound colors might not coordinate with some other brands’ compounds grit wise. Might be something to look into. Someone feel free to correct me though
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I think that the reason that it might not coordinate with other brands is because of how high of a grit it is. From what I have seen from companies (please feel free to correct me) is that a lot of their compounds come in very low grits, with the lowest I've seen being 10 grit and the highest being 2,000 girt. (Low for BRK is black in 3,000 grit, high for BRK is white in 12,000 grit)
Edit: I do strop on cardboard if that is necessary for you to know
 
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Mr.SATism said:
I personally use Woodstock green compound that comes in a 1lb block which is about 400-600 grit. It works for me for getting a toothy edge on my knives. I will soon be purchasing their rogue compound in 1000-2500 grit

I think that the reason that it might not coordinate with other brands is because of how high of a grit it is. From what I have seen from companies (please feel free to correct me) is that a lot of their compounds come in very low grits, with the lowest I've seen being 10 grit and the highest being 2,000 girt. (Low for BRK is black in 3,000 grit, high for BRK is white in 12,000 grit)
Edit: I do strop on cardboard if that is necessary for you to know
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I don’t believe that any buffing compound is quite as aggressive as 400 or 600 grit.
Woodstock lists their green as fine and extra fine.
 
Groundhogsniper said:
I don’t believe that any buffing compound is quite as aggressive as 400 or 600 grit.
Woodstock lists their green as fine and extra fine.
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OOOOh, I would love to agree with you, but if you look on the Woodstock buffing compound amazon pages in the question sections, their reps say that grit range for the green extra fine. Although I cannot vouch for others and would love to be proven wrong, I just don't see any grits listed from other companies.
Edit: The information that the company gave for the fine and the extra fine were: 150-220 grit green fine, 400-600 grit green extra fine
 
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Groundhogsniper said:
I don’t believe that any buffing compound is quite as aggressive as 400 or 600 grit.
Woodstock lists their green as fine and extra fine.
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Need to consider what those bar/stick/brick compounds are designed for, which is application to cotton buffing wheels. Used as such, even a 400-600 grit abrasive will produce a finer finish that what will be seen with a 400-600 grit stone or sandpaper, for example. The cotton buff will have so much give, the abrasive can't cut nearly as deeply as a similarly-rated grit used in a stone, or backed by a harder substrate, like sandpaper backed by a hard surface.

Also need to consider that not all 'green' compounds can be expected to be made of the same stuff. It's generally assumed to be chromium oxide, simply based on it's 'green' coloring; but there are also 'green' compounds that are blends of aluminum oxide, maybe with some chromium oxide mixed in, or maybe even without it.

And most importantly, the grit ratings themselves, assigned by each manufacturer, aren't necessarily based upon any universal grit standard. Some will rate them based on the finish they produce ('fine', 'extra fine', 'polished', etc), which will vary widely depending on how they're used, on hard/soft substrates, etc, and also what abrasives are used and what materials they're designed to be used on (plastics, soft metals, hard metals, stainless steel, glass, etc). The softer the material being finished, the deeper the cut and the more coarse the finish; and on harder materials, a shallower cut and a finer finish.

Lots of variables, and it really doesn't matter so much what the numbered grit rating is. Look at the descriptions of how those compounds are designed to be used (on what metals/materials, applied to what type of substrate) and what the described finish is supposed to be, based on that designed usage, in order to get a feel for what it may do for your uses.
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
Lots of variables, and it really doesn't matter so much what the numbered grit rating is.
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I am not going to lie I truly thought that it was a hard fact about what the grit rating for those compounds were, and that is my fault.
Groundhogsniper said:
Woodstock lists their green as fine and extra fine
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At least we can all agree that 1 lb compound is VERY generous for anything you want to use it for.
 
I reckon I stand corrected ( wouldn't be the first time lol ) but all the green compound that I've seen sure doesn't seem like it would be as course as 400 - 600 grit.
 
Groundhogsniper said:
I reckon I stand corrected ( wouldn't be the first time lol ) but all the green compound that I've seen sure doesn't seem like it would be as course as 400 - 600 grit.
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Yeah, it seems too good to be true for this low of a grit number, but like Obsessed With Edges said, there are too many things going on to take the grit rating as law. For me, I'd like to think that if it works it works.
 
For what it's worth, if you're just looking for straight chromium oxide, you can buy it in pure, powdered form from lapidary supply outlets or rockhound hobbyist stores. It can be mixed with mineral oil or any other binder or suspension you choose, and it performs like most of us would expect of 'green' compound. It's what I've been using, and it's worked well for me on steels suited for it (plain carbon steels & low-alloyed stainless). Buying it in powdered form eliminates all the guessing about what's in the product, as it's actually labelled as 'chrome oxide' or 'chromium oxide', and nothing else. And yes, it's green. ;)

You DO need to be very careful in handling it, as the dry powder can make a heck of a mess if you spill it, and the dust is a health hazard if you inhale it. Don't open the container near any running fans, BTW.

I mix it as I need it, in very small amounts. I use a small, disposable dish of some sort, like an empty butter/margarine tub or yogurt cup, or whatever; I put maybe an eighth- or quarter-teaspoon's worth in the cup, and add a little mineral oil. Use a paint brush or a popsicle stick or whatever to stir & mix it to a paint-like consistency. A paintbrush works very well for applying it to your stropping substrate, as well. Simple liquid dish soap & water will clean up the brush easily, when you're done with it.
 
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