Thread: BBW that feels like I'm honing on gravel.

I was testing this BBW today to see how it performed to the 3 other BBW's that I've been raving about. I lapped this on 400 grit and 1000 grit wet/dry which took me 30-45 minutes to flatten. Those other 2 BBW's are a more uniform purple with tiny pink dots and are a pure joy to use. This one has a bunch of blue looking spots (not sure what they are) that made me feel like I was honing on gravel, yet when you feel it, you can't feel anything but a smooth, glassy feeling. It's a slower cutter then my more purple BBW's. Does anyone know why the gravelly, pebble-like feeling would be picked up by the razor, yet not by the finger tips? Weird.

This is just speculation, but it seems to make sense. Your finger tips are only so sensitive, say they can pick up particles down to 4000 grit size for instance, anything smaller than that would feel the same as you have reached the limit of your sensitivity.

The particles on this BBW must be larger/more uneven than your other three BBW stones (possibly due to more large round garnets than smaller sharp ones?) and therefore feel more gravelly and slow when honing via feedback, but they are smaller than that 4000 grit size (what whatever the limit of your fingertip sensitivity is) and as a result you can't feel the difference through touch.

What type of stone is that?

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BBW
Belgian Blue Whetstone

G: Flip it over and try the other side, or lap it aggressively and try again

SW: What do you mean by lapping aggressively?

G: What do you use to lap with ??

SW: Wet/dry sand paper (400 and 1000)

G: Drop down to 120 and 220 then the 400,, Lap really hard for double the time on the 120, then smooth as normal after that
If that doesn't work flip the stone and repeat ...
If all that doesn't work then welcome to the realization that Natural stones are "Natural" and there are differences between the same type of stone

Home Depot or other hardware stores usually supply it in the paint or woodworking areas. Typically 32-600 are common. If there's a Woodcraft store, that'd carry some, but they're all Norton. I prefer the 3M stuff, used a variety of their abrasives in various tools and have never treated me wrong.

EDIT: Or the internet if you can wait, of which I am incapable.

Found some 150 grit at Home Depot and bought some 400 grit as well. Will use 150, 400, 1000, 1,500, 2,000 and 2,500. I'm going to lap this stone like crazy.

Would it accomplish anything to lap higher than 1000 or maybe 1500?

You would then be getting finer than your garnets.

It looks to me that there is a lot of trouble lately with Belgian hones (both types ) when people say that they are like honing on grit. I have to admit that when we were trying them "out of box" they all felt gritty. However after a bit of lapping (about 10 mins on DMT 360) the improvement was huge.
Rememeber that when they are made they are flattened on course plate finish of which will feel quite flat and smooth for normal user. However for razor honer it will be too uneven and course often feeling gritty.
On the other hand there can be possibility that thre are some inclusion which can also give this feel. Last weekend I was lapping one of the samples I got from the quarry and oh boy it was like trying to lap a bottle. that har it was due to Silica inclusions.
My advice is lap the hone properly, visualy check if possible with magnification, test it and if still not happy contact vendor or use for less delicate edges.

Originally Posted by ShaveWares

I am the vendor.... soon to be atleast So those silica inclusions are the blue specks?

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