Chinese Waterstone 12k

The biggest issue with these stones is that there are basically two distinct types There are a few within those types but I am trying to keep it simple first..

The easiest way to determine which you have is to make a very light slurry and trying honing with it..

One type will give you a soft almost Talc like experience and create a sweet edge much akin to a Thuringen the other will be scratchy and feel terrible while honing..

If you have the softer type then use it like a Thuringen and be happy with the edge, it should be a good comfortable finisher with a bit of versatility also..

If you have the harder scratchy type then Lap it as high as possible. burnish it out, and use it like a Noviculite (Arkansas/ Charnley Forest) as a final burnishing style finisher.. I would highly suggest finding Smith's Honing solution if you have this type..

Again there are different variations within these two types but that is your first experiment to figure out what you actually have in your hands from there you can find out what is going to work or not work with your particular stone..

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

The biggest issue with these stones is that there are basically two distinct types

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Great post Glenn!
I've got both kinds and I almost always use the super hard burnishing one as I really like the edges it makes but now I'll have to break out the softer one for more experimenting again

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Originally Posted by TomP30

I bought it direct and it arrived shave ready, no seriously, shave ready.��

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It may have been sharp enough to shave, but it is possible that it was not as sharp as it could be. I am only telling you this because if you are using this razor as an exemplar for a sharp razor, that standard may not be as good as you might think. Factory honing can be a bit of a crap shoot--some good and not so much, but rarely optimal. I'm not criticizing your vendor, this is standard practice for factory honing. Sometimes they can shave well and sometimes they don't. This is a scan of another factory edge of a razor as found right out of the box.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO2LvAYK12w

I know that you are correct in this, and I am in no doubt that, in the right hands, the razor could be made sharper. I make that statement purely on the basis that for the last two months I have been getting excellent shaves from the razor. One of the reasons I opted for the brand was Celticcrusader's recommendation, also I read an excellent article about the company that provided insight into their processes, I had confidence therefore in my purchase.

And you should be confident in it. The fact that you got two months of shaves from it proves that the honing was quite good.

I may be wrong but I believe the company is now owned and run as a small family concern, the razors being made in a workshop. I know they stock an impressive collection of vintage NOS razors. The literature that came with the razor did stress that the item was honed by hand and stropped before shipping; I would definitely buy from them again.

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

The biggest issue with these stones is that there are basically two distinct types There are a few within those types but I am trying to keep it simple first..

The easiest way to determine which you have is to make a very light slurry and trying honing with it..

One type will give you a soft almost Talc like experience and create a sweet edge much akin to a Thuringen the other will be scratchy and feel terrible while honing..

If you have the softer type then use it like a Thuringen and be happy with the edge, it should be a good comfortable finisher with a bit of versatility also..

If you have the harder scratchy type then Lap it as high as possible. burnish it out, and use it like a Noviculite (Arkansas/ Charnley Forest) as a final burnishing style finisher.. I would highly suggest finding Smith's Honing solution if you have this type..

Again there are different variations within these two types but that is your first experiment to figure out what you actually have in your hands from there you can find out what is going to work or not work with your particular stone..

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I could not with any certainty suggest which type it may st this stage. I am currently lapping with wet dry sandpaper, would you recommend otherwise with this type of stone, or is it not that important provided it's done correctly?

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Originally Posted by rodb

My Ebay PHIG is almost a mirror finish and VERY hard with a few inclusions like yours. Mine needs a lot of laps but produces a super edge. I usually do 3 sets of 20 half x-strokes then 50 regular laps. I never slurry mine and use it strictly as a water only finisher

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That's really helpful insight Rodb, my thanks for that. IF you don't mind me asking, what do you use to lap the stone?

I used sandpaper to get it flat then a 750 diamond under running water then burnished it with a kitchen knife. You might try a sandpaper progression up to 2k but I didn't need to.

Here's mine outside and dry showing it's mirror quality

Attachment 233307

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Originally Posted by TomP30

That's really helpful insight Rodb, my thanks for that. IF you don't mind me asking, what do you use to lap the stone?

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Oh my gosh, you have sunshine ��, is it warm, can you share some?

Sorry, we Brits can get excited by such natural phenomena. Thanks for the photo, it shows perfectly your meaning. How often do you find you need to lap it?