Thread: Chalk

I just re-honed a Barber's Pet razor and stropped it on a Hess Hair Milk Keen Edge Silk Finish strop treated with black/green board chalk by Crayola. This razor is dropping 10 armhairs at a time straight down.

I would like to think that the chalk did the trick but my first thought is to inquire if anyone has any experience with a linen/cotton strop treated with chalk.

I got the Hess Hair Milk strops from Chris L several months ago and am only starting to use them now. There have been some posts about chalk pastes in recent weeks. Let the info flow.

Again, the question is about the use of chalk. Any info is greatly appreciated........... J S

I use chalk paste on the linen side of my pasted strop. It works very well as a final finisher just before moving onto the unpasted daily strop, or as a very mild touch up paste instead of CrOx or something.

Its really good stuff!

Is there any difference between the chalk paste that you are using and the Crayola chalk that I am using?? I would like to understand the difference.

Chalk is not necessarily chalk. Specific definitions are in order. What I am saying is that apple pie is not blueberry pie and single malt scotch is not blended scotch. Can we pinpoint things more precisely???

By the way, Glenlivet is theeee best single malt going for my taste.

I must admit, I'm not sure! The chalk paste I'm using is, according to the maker, really fine chalk dust mixed with a waxy substance to make a small crayon that you rub on the strop. I got this stuff from Trumpers.

AFAIK, chalk is chalk, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong! So as long as you grind the stuff up to a really fine dust (no oversize lumps) and get an even coating on the strop it should be fine.

I guess how finely the chalk is ground is the thing that will make the most difference to the effect it has on the razors edge. Any larger bits will act as a coarser paste and rough up the edge, so as long as its a real fine dust, you should be good!

In terms of comparing them, I guess the only way to to do it would be to have a strop with each paste on it and compare the performance of two identical razors after using the paste?

The Crayola chalk sticks I have purchased from Wal-Mart were rubbed into the Hess Milk strops in dry form with no liquid applied. I applied a light coating by rubbing the end of a chalk stick onto the strop.

I AM WONDERING IF THE TYPE OF CHALK STICK DESIGNED TO RUB ON THE SIDEWALK WOULD NOT REACT DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE IT HAS A SOFTER COMPOSITION.

If chalk can give us a better edge in certain circumstances, let's make that determination and use it to our advantage............. js

I'm starting to wonder what they use to color the chalk on your sidewalk chalk. Is it possible they are using clay for colorings, which would alter the polish from plain white chalk.

I'm a Aberlour fan, myself, though Gelenlivet is a fine scotch.

Goog

Once, a long time ago the typical blackboard chalk or the stuff you used to draw on the sidewalk or the stuff in your plumbline was actually made from chalk either ground up or compressed to one degree or another depending on how dense the stuff was. The stuff they use these days may still contain some but I'd be surprised that it's not some substitute like everything else they make these days. Chalk afterall is a rock and so would have some honing potential even though it is very soft.

I have used the white sidewalk chalk for years on the linen side of the Illinois strops...
Spray lightly with hair spray rub with chalk leave alone over night... lasts about 1 year....
Never really noticed it doing any "better" but it seems to refresh that style of linen...

Thanks guys for your thoughts on chalk. So many of us are looking for that little extra touch on the shaving edge...........

I use Dovo and like it, and I've also started to use plain white billboard chalk again. Chalk used to be used to polish silver, and I think it has some effect on steel.

I've only used white chalk, I passed on picking up the pigmented stuff b/c I didn't know what the pigments are. I wonder if there might be a little CrO in the green chalk you got, its a pretty common pigment, and it sounds like you got results from the chalk much more quickly then most.