Thread: help with welsh slate hone

I think I might have to eat my words here. After hearing people compare these to eschers and the likes I though I had best give the 15k Welsh thuri one last try. I decided to try and get the stone as smooth as possible by using the slurry stone to burnish the surface of the 15k until there was a mirror like finish when looking at it from a shallow angle.

After this I took my favourite razor, a Japanese made Swedish steel polgacrup 45, that needed a touch up as it was starting to tug. I done 40-50 laps on water only. Everything felt smooth and it felt like I was doing something positive to the edge. Once the razor started sticking to the stone I done another 20-30 laps under gently running water until the razor was sticking across the whole bevel. A quick HHT on arm hair and thing were popping nicely. Not the same as my jnat edges where the hair falls effortlessly but more like my coticule edges where the hairs pop off. I then took the razor to a leather only strop and done 100 laps. I would normally only do 60-70 but I wanted to give the stone the best chance.

For the shave I done my usual prep. Straight out the shower. My brush was the Simpson Chubby 2 Super Badger and my Soap was Saponificio Varesino Cosmo.

WTG felt very good as I started the shave. The blade felt like butter and was mowing through the hairs with no effort but the true test for me is ATG. I was surprised to find that even ATG the shave was amazing. The edge felt like it was between a coticule and a jnat edge. Very very smooth but still feeling sharp enough.

I followed up the shave with Fines Snakebite which always shows up any problem areas but there was no sting, no irritation, no issues. I couldn't believe it. This stone that I had relegated to a doorstop was giving me one of the best shaves I have ever had.

I would highly urge anyone who has one of these 15k Welsh slates and does not think it is good enough to try again. Smooth the surface and burnish it to get as shiny as possible and do some water only laps.

Maybe I got lucky with the quality of the stone but I am hoping others can get the same results.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So you burnished it with the slurry stone? i had tried with the back of a chisel because i didn't think slurry stone wouldn't do the same thing. Do you do that with or without water? Maybe i will give it another last ditch effort.

It can be done with another stone. Make sure all the scratches are gone, 1K to 2K sand paper. Then use the rubbing stone with water to finish it up. That's how I polished up my Jnat.

You just have to be cautious. If you feel any scratching stop immediately. My rubbing stones (or hones, still not sure which) seem to have inclusions that don't effect honing, but if they get busted loose from the stone will wreck the honing surface.

Either that or trash fell on my hone while I was tring to dig up slurry. Either way it was super annoying.

I am greener at this than the poop in a baby's diaper, and the only hones I have used other than a 1/6k King are the Welsh Slate set from AJ on Ebay. It has taken me some practice and patience, but I am able to get good edges with them, at least using the ones I have had sent out as a comparison. I do finish on 1m film after the stone marked as 15k and it definitely takes them a step up, so either the stone I have could be considered less than 15 or the film is just helping me fine tune mediocre honing.

I do not know if these stones are the route I would have gone if I had it to do over, but maybe the little bit steeper learning curve helped me learn to pay more attention to what I am doing, as opposed to just counting laps on a more popular stone because I saw it on a vid. All in all I am happy with them for now. If I start doing more than refreshes and the occasional start to finish rehone, I think I will be exploring other avenues.

I haven't seen a natural stone yet that I believe matches the ball park grit rating estimate given. So take them with a grain of salt. 1 micron film is pretty much 15K, a Black Welsh Slate will vary from rock to rock and likely top out significantly lower than the estimated 15K rating.

But they're still a very enjoyable finishing stone once you get them figured out. I like mine as much as I like my Arkansas stones.

Originally Posted by tintin

So you burnished it with the slurry stone? i had tried with the back of a chisel because i didn't think slurry stone wouldn't do the same thing. Do you do that with or without water? Maybe i will give it another last ditch effort.

Yes I lapped flat with DMT8C and then worked up through wet dry paper up to 2k. I then done a couple of heavy slurry sessions with the slurry stone eventually rubbing the slurry stone on the surface under running water. Have a look at the surface of the stone from about 20-30 degree angle and it should have a mirror finish on it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This was my experience straight after the coticule a kind sharp edge like the naniwa keenness yet still smooth very similar to j nat and against the grain is where I felt the difference as in very good.

Originally Posted by gary haywood

This was my experience straight after the coticule a kind sharp edge like the naniwa keenness yet still smooth very similar to j nat and against the grain is where I felt the difference as in very good.

I completely agree about ATG benefitting the most. Strange that the shave against the grain improved more than the shave with the grain. I would say WTG jnat has the superior edge but he Welsh slate is absolutely the best edge I have used ATG.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have used the Welsh slate many times with water and I tried slurry to water. With just water I felt that slurry to water was not needed.

First of all I used a shave ready coticule edge which was as good as I can get with coticule dilucot was the method. It took just 60 strokes on the Welsh slate with water. Hht was no different just a nice 4 . First pass shaved fine I did think mmmm this great but not as mellow as before, the first pass was close. Across the grain just skimmed through the stubble.

Then against the grain was so silky and no hesitation at all to me for the price I don't think you can go wrong by trying one. Mine cost £25 and it was a good size.

So all in all I felt the edge improved my coticule edge in closeness and less resistance in stubborn areas and no alum block sting .

I have had a razor that felt harsher and gave me bloodbspots on my chin, but I did do lots of strokes, maybe to many.

At the end of the day they are natural stones but I would say there more consistent than say a coticule .

I will have to test my stone out with a few more razors.

I think the stone fits in between my coti and jnat both in sharpness and comfort.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk