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Hi there. If one is on a tightly constrained budget, what are your thoughts about the following:
4k/8k Norton, then natural Chinese water-stone,
forgoing any diamond/chromium oxides paste stropping at all,
then going straight from the Chinese stone (I don't like using 12k in reference to the Chinese stone) to the dry linen then leather standard stropping, to shaving...
Any issues with doing it that way? (just assume that the technique is good, for the sake of the question above.)
Nope. This is probably a better way to learn than if you had pastes. Now you wont be "cheating" with pastes on an edge that is not quite there off the 8k.
Just like any other natural stone the Chinese one is also quite varied in it's finish...
http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...nese-hone.html
But yes if you get the right one you should be fine....
Hmmm, interesting. Well, I could only afford the one chinese stone, so I hope I luck out and get a good one. I've got some 1000 grit and some 2000 grit wet and dry and a flat sheet of thick glass for lapping them. Maybe I'll need something a bit courser at first, but I'll see how flat they are to start out with, using the pencil grid check.Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
The chinese water stone is a really hard stone. It will take a long time lapping the hone on sandpaper.
Yeah... Well I can't afford a diamond lapping plate, so I don't know what other option I have. I have ordered a Norton straightener stone, but I want to use that only on the Norton 4k/8k, not wreck it on the chinese stone.Quote:
Originally Posted by walto
Maybe I'll just get a range of grits for the chinese stone and work my way up to the finest.
Using glass as the flat surface under the sandpaper.
Hey, I might get lucky and get a Chinese stone that's more or less flat?? ;)
samgab,
Well done for the way you are approaching this :)
When I started to hone, I relied too much on the use of pastes etc.
The edges shaved extremely well, so this approach worked from a practical point of view, but I could not get a decent shave straight off the stones :(
For the last few months, I have been working hard to get this 'decent shave straight off the stones' , as I think this is the best way forward and to learn :)
Good luck !
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
I also think you are on your way to a great shave. If though, you find that you want more, try a sheet of high grit lapping film. You can use it stuck to the top of you Chinese hone (with water not adhesive). This is something I did for a very long time at the start.
In the beginning I only had a #3000 and a #5000 and the lower and higher grits were all lapping film. Not diamond lapping film but the regular stuff.
Good luck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhatMan
Thanks for all the help and positive feedback!Quote:
Originally Posted by ZethLent
I haven't heard of lapping film, and don't know how easy to come by it would be in NZ, but I'll have a look around online, and see what I find.
It might even be good to use for lapping the Chinese stone, if I find some.
I've basically stopped using pastes and sprays now, I just come off my finisher and go right to the daily strop. It works very well..! :)
I have gone about learning the wrong way. I ignored all the advice and bought what I wanted instead of what I needed. Now that I have learned more I stay with a 3k/8k naniwa combo (similar to a 4k/8k norton) and coticule. Keeping things simple and listening to advice makes life a lot easier.
samgab, lapping film is basically sandpaper only the abrasive is applied to a thin sheet/film of plastic, not paper or cloth. It comes in aluminum oxide and diamond. I have found that the edges that come off of a full progression of lapping film are stellar. I am sure you will be able to get some. I have been able to get them in A4 sized sheets and cut them into the size I need. One A4 size gave me 4 hone sized pieces. Although I now use a Japanese natural hone to finish, the lapping film was a great way to stay cheap as long as you don't use the diamond stuff.
Yeah, you'll drop $20 (easy) in w/d sandpaper and before you finish lapping it. Think about investing in a DMT. At worst, use the DMT then sell it as used for $10-20 less than what you paid. The money is the same, but you save a few days of lapping.Quote:
Originally Posted by walto
Christopher
I lap my King 1K/6K and Chinese stone with a "diamond" plate knife sharpening system I got a Harbor Freight. Cost was like 10 bucks and it has 4 different grits in it. I have even used that for setting the bevel on a wedge ( it was very ugly but worked ). I also have used W/D sandpaper and a granite tile to lap them and found the plate works a little better as well. Just use it under running water and I had to angle mine slightly to get the full surface of the stones in a single pass.
I never used pastes and shaved off the CH12K for a long time with excellent shaves. 1 - 1 1/2 pass BBS shaves. I did buy some of the CrO2 powder a while back and it smooths things up a little but I only hit that strop every few weeks if I want to delay a touchup.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stubear
Just got some 100K and 200K mesh diamond spray for my knives. I might try it on the razors some day but there is currently no motivation.