Thread: Curious about jewelers rouge

I have seen on many of the videos many strops with different pastes for finishing the edges on razors. Cerium Oxide, Chromium oxide, diamond pastes and different micron sizes for each. I was wondering if you can use jewelers rouge, which I believe is ferrous oxide on both the leather and linen parts of a strop to finish an edge.

The stuff is designed for polishing soft metals like silver and gold. I imagine it would eventually polish an edge of steel however I think there are better materials to use.

I suppose that also begs the question about using a metal polish such as Maas or Autosol on a strop?

Maybe I shall have to dig out some leather and try that!

The problem with the jewelers rouge or any other rouge is that you have no clue the exact amount of ferric oxide content. Every brand will make his own mixture and concentration. Best is to get whatever you're going to be using in it's pure form. I'd go for chromium oxide, cerium oxide or another medium.

Max is right -- you don't know the exact composition of "jeweller's rouge". But it's usually ferric oxide.

Whipped Dog uses 0.1 micron FeOxide powder for his "fine" pasted strop, so there's precedent for using FeOxide for sharpening razors.

You could try some jeweller's rouge, and report back here. Even if it's a mistake, it'll be a cheap mistake.

Charles

I have a vintage paddle treated on one side with ferric oxide. No idea as to micron measurement though.

I use Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) from a pigment manufactuerer in 0.09µm. This stuff works very well.
Even though it is a softer material, it works great and cuts quickly.
As long as the qulity is good and fineness is guaranteed there´s nothing wrong with jewelers rouge

Originally Posted by Jeltz

I suppose that also begs the question about using a metal polish such as Maas or Autosol on a strop?

Maybe I shall have to dig out some leather and try that!

I fairly certain someone put a metal polish like MAAS on some sort of foam for stropping with very good results. I can't recall who the member was or the thread title though.

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

Whipped Dog uses 0.1 micron FeOxide powder for his "fine" pasted strop, so there's precedent for using FeOxide for sharpening razors.

No precedent at all really. Rouge, lamp black, talc etc. were used on strops for decades.
archives, la pogonotomia III

search for wicked strop, or maas and foam
Wicked Paddle Strop
theres a link to a thread. appearantly it worked quite well.