Thread: This might sound silly...

Well, after trying this for a couple of times I can honestly say everyone should give the slurry method a shot, not finish on slurry but use your finisher as a final multi step stone. I am on my way to sharpen a razor by first butter knifing it on glass and then going DMT C, Chinese 12k. This would be the ultimate test given that CH12k have a reputation for being slow. So far coticules, renge Jnats, Asagi Jnat and a suita I own have all been winners. I don't have an escher so someone is going to have to report on that one and maybe charnleys and other finishing stones. I guess synthetics could go into the mix too? Will report findings ASAP.

Robert Williams has performed a similar study using diamond sprays and a Spyderco UF hone here.

My understanding is that the stone functions as a lapping plate and the slurry, regardless of it's origin, acts as the abrasive.

I've tried it with CrOx one time on a Spydee UF but paniced a bit because of the abrasive feeling. I have yet to go back and try again, but the method seems very promising.

So heres some new feedback on this method. Using the CH12K was interesting, using a slurry that thing cuts faster than mentioned before, in fact I think it was just as fast as a coticule with water only, then again once the water on the hone was gone we were back to a slow cutting action though not as slow as before (maybe the grooves on the hone made the job easier?) anyway the experiment was a success, DMT C -> CH12K can definitely be done approx time? 10 to 15 min.

I also tried doing this with the belgian BBW and I was always a bit skeptic on whether this hone was actually around 4k or not and using a slurry on this thing rendered the results as 4k if not rougher, I could literrally see groovage on the spine of the razor similiar to that of a hone on the 1k level. For those interested in using one hone (in terms of it being just one rock with two sides) a natural or other combo coticule should produce any results one wanted, of course the quality of the coticule will yield different edge qualities but over all they all leave a pretty good edge with some coticules leaving an exceptional one. Keep on honing!

During the Mo. Razor meet at BJ's I tried using Spyderco's with a slurry from a natural Nagura stone. It really does work very well. The razors used were vintage razors that needed work, one really bad edge that needed 325 & 600 sandpaper first, and the stones were the med, fine, and ultrafine.

One more pebble on the mountain of knowledge here at SRP,

well to add one more facet to the murky waters of honing with naturals,
I have tried Nagura honing and finish with Nakayama, and it works great.
I did 1k bevel set then using my big Nakayama Asagi as base, I made slurry with Mejiro Nagura, then Koma nagura and finished on Asagi Slurry. Result was very smooth edge.

Seriously. Honing made easy.

1. Set the bevel.

2. Spray a lap stone (I use a Spyderco Fine or Ultra-fine not much diff) with 50K, 100K or 200K diamond spray and watch the slurry turn black in hyperspeed. If you had a really good, clean bevel, you can go from 1K to 200K diamond spray on a lap and finish in about 20 strokes per side.

3. Take about 25 licks per side on a chromium oxide pasted leather strop.

Done.

Of course you have to test it, but if you got the bevel setting stage right, the next two are no-brainers for the most part. Very fast. Very effective.

Alumina Oxide powder in a slurr (.3 micron) isn't as fast as the diamond spray but makes for the best finish off a hone I've ever seen. You can even forego a pasted strop after that.

I've said it about a hundred or so times and it's still true. The biggest challenge someone new to honing has to overcome is getting agressive enough to set a clean bevel. There's so much talk about how light to hone and only the weight of the razor and counting strokes and all the other ritual stuff that I think the new guys end up being afraid to actually hone the damned thing and end up spending countless days and hours trying to get a really great edge out of a razor that never had a chance because they never got to a clean bevel. If you don't have a clean, very sharp bevel you jump up from your coarsest stone, you're wasting your time with every stroke you make afterward on the finer hones.

Less is more in razor honing. Unless your edge doesn't have a proper bevel set yet. Then less is just less. At least that's my advice. Of course, it's free and you get what you pay for so.... take it for what it's worth.

well I have tried it and I have to agree this works extremely well!! this is only the second time I have used my asagi, so i have a long way to go in learning its personality, but taking a Clauss from the DMT to the asagi with slurry and honing until it dried gave me a great edge, and smooth shave!.

I have already ordered diamond spray, and cant wait to try Robert's method on my spydercos.

Thank's guys for continuing to elighten me on various methods, and allowing me to add more tools to my aresenal!

It seems that their really is more than one way to skin a cat, lol. I wonder if balsa wood with diamond spray will work? next thing to do on the list, tomorrow.

I inadvertantly bumped into this thread. Going from a bevelsetter directly to a finisher is an interesting theory. I have not tried it yet but if it actually works, this method would lend credence to Lynn's well-publicized theory regarding "Less is more".

Eliminating the 1k to 8k sounds like a big timesaver to me.

And what do the hone mfg-ers think of all this?

Originally Posted by wdwrx

Robert Williams has performed a similar study using diamond sprays and a Spyderco UF hone here.

My understanding is that the stone functions as a lapping plate and the slurry, regardless of it's origin, acts as the abrasive.

I've tried it with CrOx one time on a Spydee UF but paniced a bit because of the abrasive feeling. I have yet to go back and try again, but the method seems very promising.

I wonder how Nagura or Coticule slurry would work on a barber hone?