Quote Originally Posted by chapman View Post
Thanks for the response!



~~~con mucho gusto!




Quote Originally Posted by chapman View Post
I like the idea of natural stones but have a long ways to go before even considering getting one. My original plan was to use the two stones I have 'til I feel like theres nothing more I can do on them, and then move on to new territory or stick with them if they work well enough for me.

~~~your plan is sound, you have a set of stones that will deliver a good sharp edge, best to start there before making other hone buying decisions


Quote Originally Posted by chapman View Post
The thought of natural stones is more of a temptation than anything right now because I received a razor from TheSuperiorShave that was honed on a coticule and I can say it felt very good on my face haha.


~~~once bitten twice shy=:-)



Quote Originally Posted by chapman View Post
My face may still be somewhat of a rookie when it comes to feeling small changes like that but I could tell it felt very "natural."

~~~well then, it looks like the chink in the wall is there



Quote Originally Posted by chapman View Post
What would you say makes you like the edge off of a natural stone like a coticule or thurry or J-Nat more so than the edge off a synthetic stone? I know everyone has different opinions just like to hear the reasoning behind them sometimes is all.

Sam



~~~Speaking strictly for myself, I just prefer the way my face feels while shaving with an edge that came off a coticule in particular, other natural stone edges in general. I started, learned to hone using coticule. I've always liked the edge, the way it feels while shaving. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. the other side of that coin is, the best you know is the best you've shaven with, so I've shaved with other edges, some I crafted for myself, others did for me

I was interested in lapping film hearing of others trying it, so I gave it a whirl, firstly using a $5 piece of bull nose marble tile as the substrate for the film



then buying a slab of granite (lapping plate) from woodcraft when they were shipping to your door for $32.50



I used a sheet of damp copy paper under the 12 K film sheet before finishing it off on a Cr0x hanging linen



I liked those edges, they were sharp but not as face friendly (IMO) as any of my coti edges

I think a lot of it for me is preference. I prefer the way coti shaves me. that's not to say it's the be all end all edge for most anyone. it isn't, but it is what I prefer

I'm a bit of a n00b when it comes to J-Nats. I've had my J-Nat I think for several years but only recently learned how to get what I would call very good edges off it. I learned the technique I now use (w/the j-nat) from someone else and believe it or not, I'm using it pretty much how I would hone using coticule...basically a dilucot style of honing except I'm generating slurry using a 600 dmt credit card and using only that slurry, no other nagura, just tomo nagura generated from the mother hone, start to finish, refreshing several times (the slurry). I'm really liking these edges, and on a variety of razors

FWIW I sent this/my jnat hone and one of my razors to the friend that showed me how he was honing using j-nats, and I flipped when I got the edge back. It never worked that way for me when I used it, so it was about technique. The several razors I've done on that hone since I've finished with misty slurry

About my limited experience with thurris, besides the y/g thurri I have, I also have a dark blue thurri. I've gone to each of them after crafting an edge with coticule first. The thurri hone for me changes the coti edge. I don't feel I have enough time in with the two thurris I've used/own to say much of anything definitive about them, other than I have enjoyed the edges yet I prefer the feel of coticule hands down

I was working with the y/g thurri not long ago with one razor in particular, a vintage Bismarck. I'd put my best coti edge on the blade then go to the y/g thurri raising slurry from the underside using my Duo-Sharp DMT then transferring that slurry to the top of the hone. Skim milk consistency?...maybe a little heavier but not much, keeping it wet, very light pressure, mostly very light X strokes. Enough to erase the character of the preceding stone. I liked the edge very much. It was glass like. Not dead at all as it still felt like a natural stone edge

I've found with this particular thurri...you have to bring your best edge to it. It wont tune up a dull edge. It's a polisher. Now when that edge fell off, bringing it back to that thurri for some more laps and it was golden again, on a misty + slurry which seems to act like a lubricant. running laps on that stone on straight water didn't work for me. Now it's been so long since I've used my dark blue thurri...I've forgot how it works, how to use it=:-) I remember using it but I don't recall the results specifically. I should have kept and used a diary of sorts, a log book of the edges I've tried. Never got around to it though. All the notes I am quoting here are from memory

Did I answer your question? I don't think one particular method of honing will please everyone. there are many that use syn stones then keep the edge up using pasted strops between honings, or they may very well keep the edge going for an indefinite period using a pasted strop. Eventually the bevels will need to be flattened again as the fin will round. Because I like the feel of a stone edge to shave with, I use the same stone hone for the touch up, but those that like to use pasted strops...they've found the combo of pastes that work for them

I tried mixing .5 poly diamond with .5 Cr0x. Felt too rough for me. Same with a blade I got from a vendor that used a strop pasted with TI paste (poly diamond)...way too rough for me, but I can shave off a hanging linen strop that was Cr0x pasted, though I prefer to then go to plain linen then leather before shaving

I bought a tube of TI paste once. Put some on the rough side of a leather strop. If I'm not mistaken, Thiers once (maybe they still do) recommended touching up their singing blades using their paste, to pick up a fallen edge. Put a little life into it. To each his own but I don't care for diamond edges

Another j-nat user I know likes to take his j-nat edges to CBN, sprayed on fine sanded balsa, using two different grades going from one to another. he wants that little extra kick. he sent me 4 different CBN pasted balsa strops. it will take an already sharp edge up to another level. I didn't care for it enough to keep using it. In fact it tweaked the edge enough I had to be careful how much pressure I was using while shaving otherwise I'd slice my skin. We're not supposed to use any pressure while shaving though you know we use a little, but with a wickedly polished edge, you have to be on your toes while shaving. I didn't care for that exp. some do. It's a large nation


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.