A quartet of Naniwa questions...

Okay, so after agonizing about purchasing a set of hones, I had some extra money so I bought the Nani 5k, 8k and 12k along with the DMT course lapping stone.

Now, I do not have any razors currently that need work, however, I did have two razors that needed to be touched up. I went to work and lapped the 12k. I then did 10 - 12 passes on the 12k with the first razor. I then rinsed the 12k with water, gave it a few swipes with a course sponge and then gave the second razor 12 passes. I then followed with about 15 passes on the crox and stropped as usual.

So, (1) Was my protocol correct; (2) Is it okay that I followed one razor immediately with a second; (3) Do hones need to be "cleaned" after each use; and (4) Does the 12k need to be lapped prior to my next use?

Thanks in advance!

I always lap them before I use them (naniwas) and maybe after if they have swarf that won't come off with a nylon bristle brush. Nothing wrong with following one razor with another AFAIC.

As for whether your stroke count and progression with the 12k to chrom-ox, if it worked well it was right. If not try more or try less. :) IME it's all about trial and error.

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I always lap them before I use them (naniwas) and maybe after if they have swarf that won't come off with a nylon bristle brush. Nothing wrong with following one razor with another AFAIC.

As for whether your stroke count and progression with the 12k to chrom-ox, if it worked well it was right. If not try more or try less. :) IME it's all about trial and error.

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Okay, I did not rub them off with the sponge so there is possibly swarf that would not come off. It will definitely be lapped prior to my next use then.

As far as my progression/count....I will not know until I shave test. I will say that the two razors did not pass the HHT prior to the honing/paste but they both did after. I know that means nothing, but it was encouraging as my barber hone and paste alone never got me to that point.

1. You'll know when you shave
2. Yes, I typically do 8-10 razors in one sitting
3. Not necessairly. I usually add on extra water, rub the hone with the pads of two fingers, then wipe them off with one finger every two razors or so (but that's on the 5k, where much more metal is removed). For the 8k, I don't usually do anything (and like I said, I do 8-10 at once).
4. I do lap my hones before each use. But then again, I also used them straight out of the box with no lapping and got the same sort of results as after lapping (and yes, the first lapping did show they were not flat out of the box). So... I guess lap just to be safe. It's quick and you hardly remove any hone - better safe than sorry.

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Originally Posted by Fbones24

Okay, so after agonizing about purchasing a set of hones, I had some extra money so I bought the Nani 5k, 8k and 12k along with the DMT course lapping stone.

Now, I do not have any razors currently that need work, however, I did have two razors that needed to be touched up. I went to work and lapped the 12k. I then did 10 - 12 passes on the 12k with the first razor. I then rinsed the 12k with water, gave it a few swipes with a course sponge and then gave the second razor 12 passes. I then followed with about 15 passes on the crox and stropped as usual.

So, (1) Was my protocol correct; (2) Is it okay that I followed one razor immediately with a second; (3) Do hones need to be "cleaned" after each use; and (4) Does the 12k need to be lapped prior to my next use?

Thanks in advance!

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1. No. You have no idea what kind of crud was in the sponge and even if it was brand new, you could be leaving sponge bits behind on the hone. The sponge is unnecessary. It is unlikely that you needed to do anything to the hone between the first and second razor as so few strokes were taken. If there was significant swarf, a spray and hand rub would be sufficient anyway.

2. Yes, absolutely, except for the sponge as above.

3. In general a spray and hand wipe is all the cleaning that is necessary.

4. It does seem to benefit from it, so yes, maybe. I really don't think the 12k unlike some of the lower grits, really needs to be lapped as frequently. Regardless, this lapping is more of just a surface refreshing done with just a few circles on a previously wetted hone. For this, I don't bother taking them to the sink. I just spray the hones and let the water soak in for a few minutes, re-spraying as needed, and then do just a few circles on each hone progressing down from high to low. Doing it this way, there is no need to spray, wipe, or rinse off the lapped slurry. I leave it there for the honing. Of course prior to doing this, it's important to start off with a completely clean lapping plate.

Have fun with your new toys!

Oh, and you might as well start saving now for at least the 1k and 2k!

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Originally Posted by Utopian

1. No. You have no idea what kind of crud was in the sponge and even if it was brand new, you could be leaving sponge bits behind on the hone. The sponge is unnecessary. It is unlikely that you needed to do anything to the hone between the first and second razor as so few strokes were taken. If there was significant swarf, a spray and hand rub would be sufficient anyway.

2. Yes, absolutely, except for the sponge as above.

3. In general a spray and hand wipe is all the cleaning that is necessary.

4. It does seem to benefit from it, so yes, maybe. I really don't think the 12k unlike some of the lower grits, really needs to be lapped as frequently. Regardless, this lapping is more of just a surface refreshing done with just a few circles on a previously wetted hone. For this, I don't bother taking them to the sink. I just spray the hones and let the water soak in for a few minutes, re-spraying as needed, and then do just a few circles on each hone progressing down from high to low. Doing it this way, there is no need to spray, wipe, or rinse off the lapped slurry. I leave it there for the honing. Of course prior to doing this, it's important to start off with a completely clean lapping plate.

Have fun with your new toys!

Oh, and you might as well start saving now for at least the 1k and 2k!

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Okay, I did not feel good about wiping the hone down with the sponge. The sponge was brand new out of the box, but now that I think about it, the hone probably ripped off microscopic bits of the sponge that are now embeded in the stone. Not a big deal as I will lap it prior to my next use.

You talked about a "surface refreshing" done with a few circles on a previously wetted hone. Does this mean prior to my next use I can just wet the 12k and the DMT and do a few circles to refresh rather than drawing the grid and making sure it is removed?

In my opinion, yes, a few circles are sufficient. If you are regularly refreshing the surface, then full out lapping is rarely necessary.

I didn't like the idea of the sponge but don't worry about any "embedding." I would assume water and a hand rub will remove any residual bits.

I don't grid my hones once they are in use - you can unually tell by where the black metal is removed or by a change in color; but if you can't the grid is still a good tool. IMO, the grid is like the magic marker test on a razor; usually you can see shiny, scratched metal where you are getting contact between razor and hone, but if not the marker makes it more clear.