Thread: hazy vs shiny lapping

I found this on Neil's site on a description of a Lyn Idwal hone:
Lyn Idwal Welsh Hone Stone / Oilstone

"In the literature available this stone is likened to a Charnley Forest hone, but harder. It is mentioned as far back as 1798. It would have been as popular as the Charnley Forest hones at the time, but for its price - it was a more expensive stone than the Charnley Forest. This particular example is a bit softer than the other Llyn Idwal stone I have listed, and it does not give quite as refined an edge. To the naked eye the bevel it produces is quite polished, but upon magnification lots of slight scoring is apparent - just like you would see left behind by a CF stone. I have shaved off the stone and got a reasonable shave, but not in the same league as with the CF I use for comparisons. This is possibly due to the fact that it has only been lapped to 325 grit - no doubt 600 grit or higher would improve its edge (or honing a few more razors - I have honed two on it and the dull surface is now getting quite shiny: these stones are at their best when it is quite glass-like) and using a light honing oil would improve it a little more."

Originally Posted by MarkinLondon

But Stu and Jimmy, if you recall I've never been quite comfortable with the idea of lapping with such a course plate. Logic tells me that if a 325 grit scratch pattern exists on my hone, then there is less stone above the scratches left to polish my blade. Stones should be polished as shiny as possible. More stone will touch the blade, and as the slurry builds and continues to flatten and polish it, it will continue to bring more stone to the surface. So start out as shiny as possible. But that's just a theory.

Interesting theory but if you hone on an X pattern every part of the edge will touch stone irrespective of scratches. If you hone straight up & down it is also unlikely any part of the edge will miss the stone

Originally Posted by MarkinLondon

I'll do that, sortof.

As for polishing the hones with paste, we'll have a better idea if it's required after the 1200 paper test. .

Not an expert here, but pastes contain waxes and they will clog the surface.
You could use finer abrasive films and get the same effect and would not have the real possibility of clogging the surface and changing performance over time.
Even if you were using it as an oil stone the ideal oil would be a light nondrying oil to float off swarf.

I do think A shiny surface makes a difference on a finishing hone.
Case in point dovo 4 sided strop with stone. The stone on this is shiny and as a tool to keep a razor sharp it does an impressive job.
It was meant to use the stone first the red dovo paste 2nd the dovo black 3rd and clean leather last.
The stone is shiny and when used with a little shaving soap it seems to cut faster. Then clean it off with a damp cloth and dry cloth and do some more passes on the dry stone and it seems way smoother.
You could go straight to the finishing strop if you wanted to and get a really good shave.

My Chinease 12k is the same way, I lap it last with worn out 600 grit.


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