Thread: 8K my worst stone, or I'm my worst honer?

Are these all brand new stones ? Have they been lapped properly ? If so I would go through the whole progression and then do the test shave. Funny thing I do when I test between stones is forget to strop :<0)

It took me a while before I started getting shave-worthy edges. Hang in there. Maybe someone close can give you an afternoon lesson? I taught myself for about the first year and a half then spent a few days within 6 months with a few local pros and my edges took off! I could get an ok shave with the 8k at first, definitely tugged a bit. After 6 months to a year I was getting better shaves and upgraded to a 12k stone. Shaves improved yet again but nothing like what the pros were producing. After a few lessons with the masters I can almost get edges like theirs. They aren't quite on the same level, but definitely in the same league. I also found having access to a microscope has helped me a great amount as well. But they are expensive for a nice one unless you get lucky and find one for cheap.

Simply having great stones doesn't guarantee great edges either. I was trying to figure out the Escher for a few months before I started getting it to perform. It is a learning process for sure. Just take you time, people will help. The biggest tips I've ever had were using ZERO pressure and honing with one hand. Yes, occasionally I use two hands, but ever since switching to one hand, my edges have been better.

Having diamond spray or CrOx might serve useful while your learning too. It did for me, although some people advise to stay away from then in the beginning. It helped me because my edges weren't up to par and the spray/paste helped stretch my edges just a tad more and smooth everything out. Now I don't ever use paste/spray, I enjoy seeing how good of shaves I can get using strictly hones. I wish you luck and hope everything starts coming together soon!

Thanks mate, I really think I use too much pressure, because, sometimes I get a great result..My worry is I can 't replicate it. But I dead set reckon that 1/k 6/k combo is a good stone. I find the naniwa SS 4k to be hard 4 me to get it to the 8k. I end up going back to the 6k just to get it to a set bevel christ, I've got a lot to learn... No doubt the .50 crox is a top product. Look at your bevel under magnificatrion you will never doubt it's reality as a scratch remover. Subjective as if it's a real....I RECKON IT IS.

No doubt as to Crox or other pastes, etc, They do work. Opinion is a good thing. I saw the the bloke that touted the 'nano-cloth. Science has a positive view on his ideas. Think of it as 'cut and polish' in a panel shop. It's not some mystic crazy idea..
Fact I bought a 3 x 3 balsa piece. I bought 98% pure Chromium Oxide from a potter. The dopes who bought crayon crox at a fortune at 15% more power to you. My balsa strop aint 15% crayon...for christs sake. Mine is 98% and you use a 1/4 teaspoon for the whole strop.....Go to the pottery shop. 8 bucks will make you 1000 stops....

Which 8 and 10k stones do you have. If the super stones either should be able to take a razor to shave ready without paste. Good luck. Ed

Mate, after going from 1k, where there is a pen knife sharp feel, say a little better, it cuts arm hair. I then put it on the naniwa deluxe 4k, after that, it's less sharp feel. So I go the 1k's brother the 6K, i find it a lovely smooth fast cutting whetsone. (It needs soaking) Once I've done 10 to 15 strokes round it feels nice on the thumb pad test. Well stuff me if when I put 8-10 strokes on the naniwa SS8k it dulls. I don't know why. What I ended up doing was going back to the King 1k/6k and giving it a dozen or so strokes with slurry on the 6k. After that, I just gave it half a dozen super light on the 10 K naniwaSS. I's OK, but not what I'd hoped to replicate from my Pro honed razor. I could be over expecting, but I'm shaving in the morning. I'll let you know. I'm trying my hardest, and truly getting the shits over this. Crazy as it seems the 8k seems to send me backwards, the 4k not better. I am getting the best results from 1k to 6k to 10 k. I have a 4k and a 8k that I don't get results from. I maybe barking up the wrong tree, but common sense tells me those two stones should be good in a progression. Bob

Originally Posted by bobski

Mate, after going from 1k, where there is a pen knife sharp feel, say a little better, it cuts arm hair. I then put it on the naniwa deluxe 4k, after that, it's less sharp feel. So I go the 1k's brother the 6K, i find it a lovely smooth fast cutting whetsone. (It needs soaking) Once I've done 10 to 15 strokes round it feels nice on the thumb pad test. Well stuff me if when I put 8-10 strokes on the naniwa SS8k it dulls. I don't know why. What I ended up doing was going back to the King 1k/6k and giving it a dozen or so strokes with slurry on the 6k. After that, I just gave it half a dozen super light on the 10 K naniwaSS. I's OK, but not what I'd hoped to replicate from my Pro honed razor. I could be over expecting, but I'm shaving in the morning. I'll let you know. I'm trying my hardest, and truly getting the shits over this. Crazy as it seems the 8k seems to send me backwards, the 4k not better. I am getting the best results from 1k to 6k to 10 k. I have a 4k and a 8k that I don't get results from. I maybe barking up the wrong tree, but common sense tells me those two stones should be good in a progression. Bob

So what you're saying is the razor shaves better off the 6k than the 8k ? All other tests or perceptions are irrelevant.

Re the CrO. We had a member some years back that pasted a strop with 5 micron CrO rather than 0.5 micron. It worked well enough simply because the powder embeds into the medium so the actual size is not such an influence. That doesn't mean it IS as fine as 0.5 powder & you are likely to get random larger scratches in the finish seen under magnification. Will it degrade the shave ? Not likely but don't think it is the same powder.

I have re-assessed my situation. There is nothing wrong with either naniwa 4k or 8k or 10k. I set the bevel successfully with the 1K. (I used to set the bevel on the 4k prior to buying 1-6 combo.) So as of today, I will follow logic. If after bevel setting I dull it on the 4k, I need to examine what I've done wrong., the natural progression to the clay based water stone 6K is nice and I declare straight up it's a smooth stone and gives a shavable edge. So to the 8k, I will use as little pressure as one can, then same on the 10 k. What has been happening is after the 6 ot 7 on ther 8k my edge vanishes. I do believe I have tried to think of it as needing to create an edge, not simply polish one, so my pressure is way to hard. I am not due to shave with 'this' razor for 3 days, so if I have success. with the softly softly approach, all good. If the best I can do is a 6k edge, then would it be wise to lead with the spine on the 8, 10k? (I've watched murray carter, that's how stuffed up I am)? Cheers Bob