Naniwa flattening stone question

[Porl]

I should start by saying that I am really new to honing. I have been using straight razors for about a year and have five in rotation.

I have had some success in refreshing them on a pasted strop, but recently decided to try my hand at honing.

I have a Naniwa 12000 stone and I find that it clogs up fairly quickly. I managed to clean it with some success with a nylon pan scourer. Recently I decided to invest in a Naniwa flattening stone. The idea being that I would need one sooner of later anyway and that it would help to refresh the surface of the stone too.

It worked great, the only thing now is that the flattening stone is clogging up. Is there a way to prevent this? Or a way to refresh it? I am doing my best to use plenty of water and keep it as clean as I can.

Maybe I am just doing it all wrong. I must say though that the blades I have sharpened are vastly improved and the comfort and closeness of my shaves with them have too.

I am only at the refreshing stage and certainly not what I would call honing. The bevels are all already set as I buy my razors shave ready. Maybe I will come to that later but will need coarser stones for that.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[tcrideshd]

IMHO, you need to just get rid of the flattening stone and take the advise on here many tines and just get a DMT325 diamond plate, once it's been prepped it's the best thing since sliced bread, or get a rubbing stone. But the plate is the way to go.

How much honing are you doing that your loading up the stone? If your just refreshing it only takes a few strokes,Mike on my razors I very seldom do more than 5 laps then shave , if it needs more I do 5 more. Then I just wipe the stone offender water and let dry. When I take t out the next time I spray it and do 4-5 figure eights with the diamond plate then spray it again and do my laps. Tc

[Porl]

IMHO, you need to just get rid of the flattening stone and take the advise on here many tines and just get a DMT325 diamond plate, once it's been prepped it's the best thing since sliced bread, or get a rubbing stone. But the plate is the way to go.

How much honing are you doing that your loading up the stone? If your just refreshing it only takes a few strokes,Mike on my razors I very seldom do more than 5 laps then shave , if it needs more I do 5 more. Then I just wipe the stone offender water and let dry. When I take t out the next time I spray it and do 4-5 figure eights with the diamond plate then spray it again and do my laps. Tc

Thanks TC, I did look at the rubbing stone but assumed that I would need the flattening stone. I will look out for a diamond plate.

In truth, I think I am probably doing too many laps. Partly due to inexperience and partly because I have put off this refresh for too long. I was afraid to ruin my razors.

I was trying the refresh then trying the hanging hair test and it just didn't seem to work. In the end I gave up on the test and just shaved with it and it was great.

I find that even on the first stroke there are grey streaks on the stone. Maybe I am pressing on too hard. I have read up on things and watched a ton of videos but still not sure on what I am doing. Having said that I am pleased with the results.

[Utopian]

For refreshing on the 12k, you should not be pressing at all, and as TC said, you should not need to do more than 5 to 10 laps. In general, I can refresh the 12k just by wiping it with my hand while it is wet.

[alex1921]

I got the flattening stone as well and used it until I was told by a mentor not to. Reason is that they also wear down and they are not flat. So after that I tried a little experiment and put the flattening stone on an Atoma. He was absolutely correct, that stone was not flat at all. I have not touched it since then and use the diamond plate.

Just wanted to clarify that the above is about the flattening stone and naniwas up to 8K which I have and not the 12K stone itself.

[tcrideshd]

Ya In my limited experience that Nani cuts fast, lots faster than you think and if you add to much pressure it can wear out a lot of steel. And what Ron said, that's pretty much how I clean mine, hands and water. The pressure thing is what us hard to learn, when you need some and when you don't. This is why some say they get harsh shaves or too crisp a shave from synthetics, once you really learn your Nani 12k you will get nice soft smooth shaves from it.

Try not to let your blade go too long before refresh, instead of waiting till it needs it, go on a maintenance routine,, say every 10-12 shaves, take it to your stone for 5 laps very light, then strop and shave, if not there yet do another 5. This will keep it shaving without degrading plus you just won't need to do any heavy honing. Good luck. Remember " less is more". Tc

[Porl]

I still have much to learn.

At least I have much more of an understanding of the shave now and I can really tell the difference between a good edge and a bad one.

Thanks you all for your replies. I guess the flattening stone was one of those expensive lessons to learn.

[jkatzman]

I use my Naniwa's under running water. It keeps them from clogging up and it enables me to do very smooth laps because it is gliding over the water. It also removes any particles on the stone. I was told that the water isn't the key to getting good results, it just keeps the pressure much lower because of the water cushion. It works for me and I find cleaning the stones much easier because the metal doesn't clog the stone.

[jkatzman]

If you are clogging up the 12k you may have to much pressure. Try lapping it under running water.
I had the discussion with Lynn and he said the running water reduces the friction between the blade and water by cushioning it. That's why my results are better. Less pressure on finishing stones is key.

[athiker]

+1 On the DMT325 ! As a matter of fact, I threw my flatten stone away.

Mike