Thread: A few basic questions

Is there anything special I should do or bear in mind before initial use of my new Chinese water stone? Any particular maintenance tips? This one came with the slurry stone also.Any special techniques for utilizing that?

It'll need lapping before use, theres an article on that in the wiki which is linked in my sig line.

I don't own one myself so I can't give specific advice, but try using it with water only at first and see how you like it. Then start adding slurry later to see how things change.

Good luck and keep us posted!

I quite like the finish of the C12K with water only. I get nice feedback from the stone, both aurally and tactile.

Normally, They're not sold with slurry stones, So, I assume it was a private sale, You got it off a member? If so, It may be lapped already. Look to see if the edges are chamfered and the corners...If not, Stu's correct. You need to lapp it...

The Chinese 12k is slow, but a good finisher...It's pretty much impossible to over hone on it. With just water, 100 lapps is the norm, It sounds like a lot, but it isn't really...You can generate a slurry and that will more or less reduce the number of lapps to about 50. Dilute as you go, I usually hone by the sink with it full of water, so I'll dip the blade in the water, and let a few drops drip on the hone....

I got mine off ebay. It was lapped and has a slurry stone (open_razor). I ran it over some 800 wet/dry on a piece of glass anyway to be sure. It was pretty flat. Slurry it up and dilute by dipping the razor in water every 20 laps or so. I add a drop of liquid soap to a cup of water. After a bunch of strokes the slurry dilutes to water. I have at that point tried stopping on water, or continuing until the stone dried. I get good results both ways, but not sure which I prefer yet.