Thread: 5 micron film

hi im new to straight razor shaving and am just wondering about sharpening them. i bought a 8000 grit stone from my local woodcraft place and when i use it, it seems to leave bigger scratches in the blade than my 5 micron film i put on top of it. also the blade gets a more mirror like finish with the film. is the 5 micron film fine enough where i can strop it after and be done? or do i need something finer to use before i strop. thank you for the replies- Travis

no one have any advice?

I would think that the 5 micron film would be a pretty coarse shave. Give it a try and report your results. Considering the grit equivalent which is around 2500 compared to an 8K stone, something would seem off. What kind of 8K stone?

Did you lap your 8k before you started?

the stone just had Japanese writing on it, and feels very smooth to the touch, but just doesnt seem to work well. and i lapped it with 400 grit before i started.

Buy Natural Water Stone 8 x 2-3 4 x 1-1 4 at Woodcraft
ok seems the stone is 12,000+, and feels fine, but when i sharpen the razor it just doesnt get as good of an edge as the film

Your Chinese hone is quite slow, and works best starting with a light slurry. How are you using it and for how many laps?

i did about 50 very light passes on it on each side. and sorry i am a little new to the very fine stones. what do you mean by starting with a light slurry? is this starting with a sharpening paste on the stone?

Originally Posted by spavis

i did about 50 very light passes on it on each side. and sorry i am a little new to the very fine stones. what do you mean by starting with a light slurry? is this starting with a sharpening paste on the stone?

On my "C12K"(one of the many names of this stone) I have a small piece of the same stone which I rub on top of it to create a slurry, that will increase the "speed" (cutting faster), and I gradually dilute it down to clear water.

You can also use a small DMT diamond plate for the same purpose.

ok i will have to try that. thank you for the help