Duosharp X/C causing possible problems
I recently got some Naniwas in (400, 1K, 3/8 combo) & have been having issues w/ the combo--specifically it felt like the edges were being blunted despite being more polished--the shave tests confirmed that. I was (& still am) doing Lynn's exact recommendations for those, by the numbers. (I've been honing for over 2.5 years & can routinely get great edges straight off the Norton.) I thought that the scratches (gouges, actually) being left by the 220 side were the culprit & only used the 325 side, but still it felt like the edge was moving backward in sharpness. I stuck to Lynn's stroke recommendations exactly so I was pretty sure I wasn't overdoing it--plus the edge didn't feel like it; it just felt dull. (Coming off the 1K, the bevel felt great, so it had to have been later.)
Yesterday I had a bit of a brainwave--I noticed that swarf on both sides was collecting in distinct small ridges (the size of the holes in the plate:idea:), rather than all over. I went back to my trusty D8C & while it took a while (stiction & the fact that the Naniwas tend to swell a bit from being wet), I was able to remove that pattern & get a smooth edge. The draw & feedback on both sides increased dramatically & following Lynn's advice of only doing 7 strokes on the 8K side (on 1 particular razor), following the 3k, the test shave went pretty well. It was almost there. The razor also felt sharp on all of the other tests I like to do coming off the hones (armhair shaving, TPT etc.), but I only really worried about the shave test.
Seems so far like the Duosharp was the culprit--problem is it was expensive & I don't know whether I can actually return it...:mad: Anyone else had these issues & on a side note, who here has used the Naniwa lapping plate? Seems like it'd be faster than the D8C.