Rouge (was: crocus cloth)

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

In response to Kevin Trent's question "What is 'crocus cloth'?", Felix Schmidt
replied "It has something like a rouge impregnated in the surface of a sturdy
cloth - definitely finer than 400/600 wet/dry. Does not come in grits that I
am aware of-please correct me if wrong, someone."

Totally correct, as far as I know. Very fine, no grits per se.

A couple of desk dictionaries call 'crocus' a dark red ferric oxide used for
polishing metals, glass, or gems.

The word 'crocus' apparently dates back to alchemy, the largely Arabic
precursor of chemistry, as a general term for metallic oxides- including a
reddish-brown oxide of iron called 'crocus of Mars' (the 'Mars' part surviving
in the names of some artist's pigments) and 'crocus of Venus', a cuprous
oxide, the Mars/Venus parts suggesting conceptual links to astrology. My
French/English dictionary translates the English 'crocus' as the French 'rouge
d'Angleterre', the red of England, whence presumably came the use of 'rouge'
as a general term in English for polishing compounds such as 'red rouge' and
'white rouge'.

Alfa content? Anyone who doesn't recognize "Alfa content" in iron oxides - - -

John H.

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