Originally Posted by
spacetransient
The coarse diamond for bedding/leveling/slurry is on the way. Thanks for the recommendation.
It is becoming clear to me that the primary consideration for razors over their history has been sharpen-ability. (Assuming the primary influence on shave-ability is blade sharpness).This was not so obvious (to me) before but makes perfectly good, even common sense now that I am dealing with it. One abrasive manufacturer even noted that their aluminum oxide lapping compound was recommended up to an HRC 62 hardness for steel; implying a diminishing return for those honing something harder.
This also implies our razor steel technology was limited by our abrasive technology; not visa versa. Our great-grandfathers could have made "better" steel, but the abrasives were not commonly available to deal with it if they did, combined with the value added labor costs of such a blade would likely make that razor a white elephant. Fortunately for us, other options are present or emerging.