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I have just got a brand new 8"x3"12K which I am informed is ready lapped. It certainly has no nicks or ridges, but I do not pretend to possess a blind man's sensitivity of touch, and would feel a lot better if you could recommend maybe the absolute ideal grade of wet-and-dry for the purpose. Left to my own devices, I am bound to go way too fine.
Also, is it true these natural stones need no presoaking?
Thanking you in advance.
I think I used 320 grit successfully on mine.
I dont presoak mine but others do I believe. IIRC the box mine came in said to soak for 30 mins before use. I'll have to try it next time.
Grant
The Polish Ebay seller does a fine job lapping his Guangxi's, if you have one of his you probably won't have to do any further lapping. If not or you just want to test it then you could start with 800 or finer and drop down if it does need more lapping. That's what I would do.
I've never presoaked mine, but I know it says to presoak it on the box. If water you put on the surface disappears quickly I would presoak it otherwise I would just skip it.
Enjoy your Guangxi.
I would agree with higher grit sandpaper for lapping; when I used to lap a C12k with a DMT325, it left scratch marks. They probably had no effect on honing and were so light I could only see them when the hone dried, but they bothered me.
I never soaked mine because the water never disappeared. Typically, soaking is for stones that absorb water, in order to ensure that enough water remains at/on/just below the surface of the hone to provide proper.... whatever the water does.
What are people's opinions of these Chinese 12K's. I've been looking at them on Ebay from the Polish seller, and wondering about them. I have a Naniwa 12k, so this is just something else to be curious about, informed about, purchase, and play with.
Thanks,
Maxi
I think the C12K is a good finisher, and incredible for it's price. It's slow, but that's a good quality in a finisher to me, especially if you're just learning. Finer than all but the very hardest coticules, and I get better results with it (in my hands) than with a Naniwa 12K or Eschers. I get better finishing results with good Japanese naturals or Charnley Forest stones, but these cost far more than the difference in the quality of edge finish would indicate.
I particularly like using the C12K laid on it's edge, used as a finisher for curved/smiling blades. They're hard to lap, so I lap one flat side and one edge, and bevel the edges and corners. I don't soak, I just spray with water. I don't use a slurry stone with them, but I understand from people who do that it speeds up their cutting considerably.
The C12Ks seem to vary in grit and color more than a few years ago. But for the price, you can't really go wrong.
The C12K is a sharp finisher. I love it.
Christopher
I used 220-400-600 wet/dry sandpaper from the hardware store. Worked really well for me.