Thread: King 1000 hone

My King 1200 works great and is very fast with slurry.
With bevel setting, check often and when it starts cutting hair, check after every 5 laps or so and when it cuts uniform heel to toe move up to the next hone

Not sure if anyone mentioned it yet but keeping the stone lapped is of the utmost importance lest you lap off the bevel on each stroke. I struggled with this for months. Think of trying to sharpen something in a concave dish, your basically sharpening the edge off the blade on each lap....

Originally Posted by Aerdvaark

Not sure if anyone mentioned it yet but keeping the stone lapped is of the utmost importance lest you lap off the bevel on each stroke. I struggled with this for months. Think of trying to sharpen something in a concave dish, your basically sharpening the edge off the blade on each lap....

Basic question: how do I know when to relap my stones? I lapped all my stones when I got then, honed 3 razors thus far, can't see any difference on the hones surfaces.

At least once per razor bevel setting session. Certainly won't hurt. Much much easier to stay on top of this way. If you wait till after 3 or more razors, your going to have some work to do. Its probably also the secret to the perfect edge.

It should only take a few minutes to set the bevel on a razor. The tricky part is to recognize when the work is done. The experienced guys can do this by look and the feel on the stones. I can't, so I use the tomato test. Search it on YouTube.

I just checked out the tomato test on YouTube. Very cool. I will have to try that.

Whatever works for you, use it. Just make sure you test the whole edge.

The quickest and easiest it to develop the TPT thumb pad test. Touch every sharp object you can find with your thumb, eventually you will know what sharp is. It should feel sticky, as you cut the first layer of skin, not enough to bleed.

You lap your stones when they feel rough or the buildup swarf. It depends on the stone. Kings do not load up like some of the Naniwia do. A lot depends on the composition of the stone.

You don’t really lap it, (a full lap) just give it a few swipes with a diamond plate to make sure they are smooth. Most folks grid lap when new, then just refresh periodically.

I use the tomato test but I also found grapes will work fine also.

Slawmeister

The one thing I do if I buy a razor is clean & sanitize it then try it out. If it gives a reasonable shave or cuts a grape well it probably does NOT need the bevel set. In this case I would start with a 3 to 5K stone.

Dave H.

Originally Posted by Aaron27

I just checked out the tomato test on YouTube. Very cool. I will have to try that.

A sharp knife can slice a tomato. A razor whose bevels almost meet also will slice a tomato. That test will only tell you that you are somewhat close, but it is not an adequate test.