Thread: Using Marble as a finishing stone

Now I understand why my wife looking at my new coticule said: "you don't know how to throw money! My grandfather sharpened his razor on the marble step in front of the house!" One again wives are always right ...

First, way too many stones. Do 1k, 4k & 8k, perfect each stone and make sure that the bevel is fully set.

It is difficult to determine much from these photos other than to say the stria pattern has been altered.

Keep in mind that the goal is not a particular stria pattern, but what that stria pattern does to the edge. In theory as we refine synthetic stone stria, with thinner and narrower stria, and the edge gets straighter. But if the edge was not straight and the bevel full of deep stria a finish stone may not do much to an edge.

And that is the problem with finish Arks. They cut so shallow and slow, (polish really) if you do not have a very good edge a hard Ark will not improve it much, and the finish stone gets the blame.

A better test would be, to make a pristine 8k edge, then see what Granite does to the edge and if there is any shaving improvement.

Some better photos may tell us something about the edge, but I would say that the Ark edge, was not that straight and lots of deep stria were on the bevels. So, while you may have laid down more uniform stria on the bevel, it may not have done much for the edge.

In short , from these photos you could not say, the Granite improved the edge.

I refer you again, to the post (Second Try at Honing), because the micrographs are so good at each stage in the progression and we all have access to them. Match your edges to those in the post at each stage in the progression.

Here is the 8k edge photo.

Okay, points taken. I know I probably need to get better magnification at least for taking pictures. That handheld glass of mine with the smaller second lense magnifies up pretty darn close but it's a challenge to get it placed just right. As I say, it wasn't until late in the process that it occurred to me to take pics to compare. I should have gotten some earlier in the process. My 8k edge shined similar to the pic in the last post with a few more stria but then after going to the 12k it clouded up some. I should add that I smoothed it with a diamond plate first and decided to leave the slurry since it was there. Long story and really a different topic but my flattening stone seems to have been roughing my stones too much and I used the diamond plate to smooth them some. Anyway, after using the 12k with the slurry for a bit I diluted it to plain water and what was left was a more opaque finish.
I have been trying to do a reset after letting go of the pyramid and trying to instead venture into more "technique" and out of the "system." I think I may be trying to add too many things into the equation at one time but I have just had a thirst for techniques since then. Really it's a conundrum because I made that pyramid work. I got fine shaving edges most of the time with it but I found it very limiting especially in special cases. Sometimes I got better edges than I get now.This notwithstanding you can teach a chicken to play the piano and they can do it but it doesn't mean they have a good grasp on music theory.
I'm going to look again at that thread. I've been trying to keep more of an open mind but it's a struggle because I learn more by doing than by studying so I'll definitely have to relearn how to learn...if that makes any sense.

The point of the above post is, look at the edge. The goal is the edge, a stria free bevel is a by-product not the goal.

You can strop on metal polish and get a stria free (up to 400x) edge, but the edge is micro-chipped and will not shave comfortably. BTW, it is a great edge for stropping a knife for cutting foam core or leather, micro toothed.

Look at the edge with magnification. Also, a reason, new honers need more magnification. The caveat is understanding what you are seeing.

Eliminate as many variables and perfect each stone in the progression. Once you jump to Natural finishers, all markers go out the window, and all you have, to compare is the edge. But you must have created an edge to polish one.

Okay, I see your point. I actually was looking at the edge, maybe I got a little side tracked with the stria. The edge looked pretty good to me from what I can see. It will certainly help to have better magnification, not that this glass doesn't blow the image up but because it's a trick to maneuver it into position to see it well. That secondary lens is about the size of a dime so it doesn't give much to look through.
Honestly I haven't had as much time as I wanted to to work with it recently but I'm going to take that advice and use the hockey player cliches: "Go back to basics. Simplify my game. Get pucks in deep,"... Well maybe not that last one.