Contributor
Jim,
There is no such unit as the macron, unless Emmanuel Macron decided to name one after himself. At 5'10", those would be some very large particles.
If .3 micron is real, that's about 80,000 grit which is indeed pretty fine.
For reference, here are the prefixes used in the metric system:
prefixes.JPG
Patiently waiting for some yoctometer sized polishing compound. Perhaps Stewart has a source?
Originally Posted by Jim Koepke
Last edited by Pete Taran; 04-30-2019 at 9:31 AM.
Contributor
Andrew: You have seen what I use as a strop. They are $9.95 at the borgs, sold as leather belts to hold nail bags. That is all my strop is, and I use the rough, inner face of the belt. H-F crayon for the green stick. K.I.S.S.....
Contributor
Thanks Pete, the initial typo made me laugh. At one time my occupation was in the printing trade. Typos often make me chuckle. In this ad, not only did they get the word wrong, it appears they also had the number misstated.There is no such unit as the macron, unless Emmanuel Macron decided to name one after himself. At 5'10", those would be some very large particles.
One of my favorite typos (improper word usage) was on a sign on a sidewalk in front of a computer shop in Berkeley, CA. It claimed they provided "On Side Service."
Let us know if you ever find some of that yoctometer polishing compound.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
Pete; why am I being targeted. ??Patiently waiting for some yoctometer sized polishing compound. Perhaps Stewart has a source?
Stewie;
Contributor
Stewart,
"Tis merely a lighthearted jest. Considering an angstrom is 10^-10 which is what they measure atoms with, 10^-24 would be the micro fragments of atoms or smaller. I doubt anyone is going to make any abrasive that small in this universe.
Pete
Member
Pete; its all cool.
Did you notice I answered your previous question.
Perhaps Stewart can set us straight, but I think that chromium oxide stick is just chromium oxide in a wax base. Heating some up in mineral spirits or whatever will dissolve the wax will get that brew which I agree will be much easier to apply than the crayon. Stewart, what do you use to dissolve it?
PetePete; the process you describe never happened.
https://www.workshopheaven.com/chrom...ide-paste.html
Contributor
I did and thanks for the source. I may have to order some and try it with my Tormek(s).
Contributor
I have both the Flexcut Gold and the green compound from the local Woodcraft (I presume it’s Formax, but I threw out the packaging right after I confirmed that it worked fine so I can't confirm that it is indeed Formax). In my experience using both, the Flexcut Gold cuts faster but doesn’t leave as fine a polish. For better or worse, it also tends to “crumble” off the surface of the strop more readily, keeping the coating thin without any extra effort on my part but requiring more frequent reapplication; the green compound is more gummy and doesn’t initially adhere as well to either my leather strop or my wooden strop unless I heat it up somehow and keep the coating thin (i.e. scrape off the old before adding new). Before it’s been heated, the green compound tends to “peel off” both the leather and wood and gather into clumps. This is particularly a problem in the colder months when my shop isn’t so warm. When reloading a stop with the green compound, I will often try to kill two birds with one stone by (further) polishing my scraper burnisher while using it to friction-heat the green compound and evenly load the strop. It only takes a minute or so of vigorous action to get the green compound to load properly, and at the same time I polish out any marks left on the burnisher from the last time(s) I used it to turn a hook. Once loaded in this fashion, the green compound adheres better than the Flexcut.
[OP]
Contributor
I wonder how a hair dryer would work if you wanted to heat things.....
Member
For the third time in this thread, try some "Marvel Mystery Oil"! Put a few drops on you leather strop, then rub the compound on the strop: it will dissolve the stick into paste form. The oil is available for about $4.00 a quart at WallyWorl.
If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.
Contributor
Both a heat gun (hair dryer) and light oil will soften and dissolve the wax in a stick of honing compound and help to distribute it evenly.
When it's time to recharge the strop, I get good results if I heat the leather before applying the new compound. Probably very little difference from applying a few drops of oil.
Member
Marvel mystery oil is pretty good stuff. I also use mineral oil from the pharmacy. Cheap and clean enough to eat. Literally.
Contributor
Check in the home health care section of most large grocery stores and you will also find mineral oil. Often labeled for use as a lubricant/laxative. It is great on cutting boards and oilstones. Add some mineral spirits if you want to reduce the viscosity on the oilstones, not the cutting boards.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
I've heard, years ago, from an oldtimer (his age at that time is now younger than what I now am), that viscosity on oilstones is gaged to coarseness of the stone: fine stone, use very lightweight oil. Coarse stones need thicker stuff. I'm now wondering what how a lubricant, such as Ballistol would work (safe to ingest).
For strops, with over charging with compound, we're just making up a stone, but with a resilient surface, that gives under the blade. My charging is very light, and not built up.
If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.
Contributor
80 k grit is about 10 times finer than what is needed. Sharpen to 1200 - 1500 and go to a strop. The grit levels some sharpen to today is insane.
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