Thread: C12k not restoring edge i think

I tried 50-75 laps on a C12k to refresh the edge on a razor that I think I dulled with stropping. It was professionally honed when I got it and very sharp. It pops arm hairs sometimes, depending on the hair length (won't get the short ones sometimes) and sometimes requires a little more pressure to do so (which I remember was not the case when it was shave ready).

The HHT is hit or miss, not that I really believe it anyway, but it would always pass easily when I received it...

Should I try more laps on the 12k? With or without slurry? What kind of pressure? Tape the spine? Felt w/ TI paste on it? CrOx?

Or are we looking at a need for a total bevel reset in which case I'd need to get a Norton 4/8?

Thanks

I have found that if an edge gets rolled during stropping, I need to reset the bevel. It's hard to tell what you will need, because the amount of damage you can do on a strop varies so widely.

If you're not getting there with what you are doing, take it one step more aggressive. I would recommend trying with slurry and then diluting it to just water. But don't be surprised if you need to go to a lower grit; the C12k is still slow with slurry.

12K is too high a grit to reset a bevel and resharpen a razor, the Chinese 12K is also very slow. Naniwa 1 K is the best bevel setter I have.

The Norton 4/8K can set a bevel, especially with slurry and then you can make a razor shave ready with it too.

A coticule can hone a razor from start to finish.

Either one would work.

You can try more laps on ch12.
it will be better contact with the person who honed your blade.
Ask about tape.
if it is not taped you don't have to tape now.
You can try more laps on 12. there is should be no pressure.
I absolutely agree with Nick about 4/8k stone.
it is so handy stone i bought 7 years ago and steel using it even i have couple more different stones.
Sooner or later you will need use lower grit stone then ch12. May be this is the time go for it.
hope this helps.

I hate to admit it but I agree with hi_bud_gl. Try more laps on the C12K. If the edge can be rolled by stropping then the edge was too thin in the first place and you bent over and broke off a bur. That means you need to restore the fine bevel/edge. If that finer stone doesn't work you can always go to the "coarser" Norton water stones.

When I get one that is buggered up like that I just start from scratch. 600 diamond, 1200 diamond, 4K, 8K, then what ever finishing stones I think the blade will work best with. You will be honing for a few days to reset the bevel on a 12K

As hi_bud_gl pointed out there may be a tape issue, if you're honing at a slightly different angle than it was honed with it won't get there with the Chinese stone.

It's also likely the razor was honed on a stone much finer than your Guangxi and perhaps even finished on a pasted strop. If that is the case you won't be able to get the edge as keen as before.

Thank you everyone for your replies. I appreciate all the advice. I did about 150 laps on the 12k followed by 20 laps on felt pasted with TI paste and I feel a huge difference. The razor shaves arm hair comfortably now and passes HHT sometimes. I am thinking of doing 50-100 more tomorrow, 20 more on the paste then 50 on leather then shave. I think it might actually work. Stay tuned...

I spent the afternoon working with some blades, and the GuangXi 12k was one of the stones I used. With a moderate slurry, it cuts pretty well, but slower than most would expect. I like it very much, because it's not going to take off too much metal, but it will put a fine edge on the razor when I'm done.

Either way, if you've got a lot of honing to do with a razor, best to step it back to the 4-8k range with a fast cutter. You'll spend a lot of unnecessary time on the stone if you try to use the GuangXi.

Now to your specific issue: it is easy to hide inadequate honing behind a pasted strop. If your bevel is not set properly, you'll be doing more harm than good (possibly to yourself) if you continue the way things are. From bevel-set (1-4k range) shaving arm hair should be very easy (minimal pressure). In the sharpening stage (4-10k) the HHT should be producing consistent results (bearing in mind a dry blade, moist hair of consistent type, etc.). In the final stages (10k+ up to pasted and bare leather), you should be getting a pretty nasty, mirrored edge that can cut hair with just a stern glance. As one particular user (Disburden) likes to point out, "WAY back in the day last year, people were shaving off the 8k stones and a bare strop." If your blade is being inconsistent after moderate honing with a 12k, the problem is deeper than the edge itself. It may be a good time to invest in one of those 8k stones you've been eyeballing...

Eudjinn,
There is a lot of good advice up there in this post & from some true honemeisters. One thing that TOO DANG MUCH EMPHASIS IS PUT INTO A HHT TEST. I've been seeing this for a while now. A shave is the only true way to know if a razor is really shave ready for most of us. If it doesn't shave comfortably, then it needs to go back to the "stones", not the pastes. A razor should "pop" arm hairs off of a 1K & if it doesn't, it's not ready to move up to a finer stone. I apologize if i offend you & it is not intended, but please forget all the other "tests" except the shave test for a while.