Quote Originally Posted by Mijbil View Post
Thanks guys, but a few folllow-upS:
Holli: do you strop or smooth (CrOx) after, and if so what materials and how much? And why do you say you never use slurry on a finisher? (One expert told me, intriguingu, that with softer stones a slurry will decrease effective grit, but with the hardest stones - like an Asagi - a slurry can actually *incnrease* the effective grit, perhaps 2K-3K.)

I also wonder: are you guys able to get the edge as sharp as, say, a .25micron diamond paste (to my mind about as sharp as a razor can get)? I know that the j-nat edge is much smoother and a different beast, but I'm just wondering how *sharp* one can really get it.

Thanks again .
I strop only on leather - I don't use pastes and I don't have linen. I do 50 laps on the leather. As far as not using slurry - the way I visualize it is that slurry sits on the stone, so your edge will run into the slurry and that will dull the edge. I don't know if this is a correct theory, and I don't know if it is true in practice because I never use slurry on my finishers. I am very happy with the edges I get, so I feel no need to experiment at this time. My Asagi also has stamps that I don't want to lose, so slurry on the Asagi is out of the question.

I have no idea how my edges compare to .25 diamond because I have never done a comparison.