Last night i got a chance to try out the Apart BH. I have to start out by saying that i have a bad case of CRS and i did not go back and read this thread again before using the Apart. So can you say overkill...
:overkill:
The razor i put on the hone was swedish steal that i had honed last weekend up to 12k. My test shave that night was like about half of my razors comming off the 12k, keen but harsh. I just dont know when to stop so i think i do too much on the 12k. But thats another story.
Sense i forgot what i had read here i took the BH to the kitchen sink, got it wet, then touched the tip of the dish soap bottle to the wet stone. Smeared the soap around and started honing with my lightest touch. After about 15 laps i added a couple drops of water and continued. Did this a few times until i wasnt feel8ng the soap any longer. Refreashed the soap and water and went some more. I think i did around 150 laps. :gaah:
Looked at the edge with my 40x loupe and seen a scratch pattern. I thought it would ha e cleaned off all the scratches, not put some on. I mean the stone is so damn smooth!
Stropped 40 on linen and 100 on leather. I like to strop. Grabbed up a backup razor just encase, and went upstairs to shower and shave. I did my standard prep after my shower and used MDC with a badger brush. Standard test equipment.
The edge felt keen and smooth. Now maybe i over did it on the BH as it wasnt quite as keen as a 12k edge but the smoothness was a wonderful thing! Ive been looking for a stone to calm my edges down a touch without loosing the keeness and this might just be the ticket. I do have a Zulu in the mail and hope to see it some day in the future. It was my next stone to try for a smooth and keen finisher.
I have a Henckel that needs touched up after a lot of shaves so i think i will give this another try and keep it down to under 20 laps if i can contain myself and ill see how it works following directions. Ha.
@Lazarus , sense you know this hone personnaly, is the front with the logo the same as the back? I mean, both sides look as if they have been lapped. I used the front but there is more useable surface on the back.