Thread: Help with Chinese 12k

Originally Posted by IanS

That seems like a... destructive way... to test that.

My guess is that they were cutting one up to furnish slurry stones for themselves and for other Chi 12k owners.

I only use the 12k as an occasional touch-up with no slurry.

I don't know what sort of scratches it's making, but the resulting edge is sharp n' smooth

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

My guess is that they were cutting one up to furnish slurry stones for themselves and for other Chi 12k owners.

You got it Jimmy. People have done it to either make slurry stones or to make narrower hones.

Try a little bit of shave soap just the smallest touch will make it feel very different
and it washes off. No need to paint it with lather just rub a puck with a damp
finger then the stone.

My Chinese stone needed a lot of cleanup. It was not flat, even or level and after flattening needed a modest work out with a large kitchen knife to get rid of the roughness left after I got most of it flat.

Like others have said, forget what the bevel looks like, it's how it shaves that counts! Also, there is no point in soaking them. I have had a fair number of them pass through my hands, and have found that they can be quite variable - some are finer than others, and some have crystal-like inclusions that can leave scratches no matter how careful you are.

Because the surface is so hard and adamantine anything on it can be felt - even dust that settles out of the air, or grit from lower rated hones, so you must keep it very clean. I use a thin slurry, then dilute it progressively with water til it is just water - you don't have to do as many laps this way as the slurry speeds things up a bit. You will still need a fair number of laps, though.

The soap/lather is good advice - makes the blade adhere well to the stone (I suppose it increases the suction).

Do make sure the edges are rounded - the stone is very unforgiving because it is so hard, and rough or raised edges can undo all your hard work.

Regards,
Neil.