Thread: A couple of quetions about hones

"I like the idea of a Chosera/Naniwa progression but what with the Washita, Trans Ark and Diamond Plate I think I have spent enough on stones for now."

Since you don't want to purchase more stones at this time consider lapping film for the intermediate work. A 5µ, 3µ(4.5K, 8K) would work fine. a video showing the use is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tADrQFcN_7g&t=19s

You have all the tools needed

In fact you are going to be hard pressed to beat the edges you can produce from them

So far the "Best" bevel setter by popular use is the Chosera/Pro 1k to be honest if you are not honing quite a few eBabies each week even it is a waste of money

Yes there are better systems, but it comes down to your usage, you are not going to really "Beat" your system now but you can get there faster and more consistently...

Your money your razors but you did ask and yes I have used them

Originally Posted by boz

"I like the idea of a Chosera/Naniwa progression but what with the Washita, Trans Ark and Diamond Plate I think I have spent enough on stones for now."

Since you don't want to purchase more stones at this time consider lapping film for the intermediate work. A 5µ, 3µ(4.5K, 8K) would work fine. a video showing the use is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tADrQFcN_7g&t=19s

Another vote for lapping film. It's great for keeping your out the door costs down and really even for an ongoing thing it is pretty economical.And it's nice to not have to lap your honing surface. Just a little fidgety getting the film absolutely flat on the plate with no lint or dust or bubbles underneath, is all.

There are some guys who notice that the 5u film tends to slurry off a bit, though. Me, I go 9u to 3u to 1u and that works really well. The 1u film is even better than the 12k Naniwa as a great jumping off point for the .5u, .25u, .1u pasted balsa progression, if you are into that or think you might be some day.

I like TAP Plastics for buying acrylic. I use a 12" x 3" x 3/4" (or 1") piece for honing with film, and also for making pasted balsa strops. Currently a 1" thick x 12" x 3" piece is $14.28 and 3/4" thick is $10 because there is a $10 minimum. The thicker is worth it, anyhow. This stuff is pretty darn flat and you won't break it if you try. https://www.tapplastics.com/product/...cast_clear/510

I think it is worth saying that a lot of the answers to questions in this conversation will depend on what you're after. If you want good, shavable edges with a controllable, predictable outcome then, as Glen said, you already have what you need. The rest is just perfecting the process and maximizing what your equipment will do. If you are on a quest or if money is no object then by God you need one of these and one of those etc.
I would seriously try (if you don't already have them) a good lapping plate like a hard glazed ceramic floor tile and some SIC powder to lap with. It makes those Norton stones so much ...smoother is not exactly the word...maybe cleaner?...more consistent? I guess smooth h but not in terms of coarseness. It terms of eveness.

What is the difference between lapping and flattening? I thought they were the same thing.

Well hopefully both things happen at the same time. Generally they are used interchangeably. Flattening though means to get the surface completely flat without inclusions dips or bumps. Lapping technically means polishing. Conceivably you could lap something without flattening it and definitely vice versa. Most importantly for our purposes, just because something is flat does not mean it is lapped. The differences are a little bit fuzzy but it is really more a difference in connotation.