Thread: escher for maintenance honing.

I may have been exaggerating when I said 300 strokes on an Escher will do the same thing as a barber's hone but it depends on the color of the Escher and the barber's hones we're mentioning as well. The Dark blue Escher I once had was extremely slow and took a lot of slurried strokes (70 or more) to do what my YG would do in 20 strokes.
I only use my Eschers as an absolute finish polisher in my honing progression, sometimes after the 8K, Coticule, Jnat Oozuku Asagi combination that I've been using for a few months now. Coticules, to me, aren't fine enough to finish a razor alone but I like how they progress and lean my razors into my natural finishing progression which is why I use them. Some people may say that's nonsense...
When I use the Y/G Escher as a final polishing stone, I use about 40 strokes with slurry, I never really make less than that. I know for a lot of people I am someone that "uber finishes" their razors and that can be considered a waste of time, which is fine but I find I like the edges better when I progress through multiple finishing hones at the end of my Synthetic honing. The same thing can be said on how I recommend to use a barber's hone first to touch up the edge and then smooth it out on the Escher with slurry. I just think it's faster to use a barber's hone first and less prone to wearing the Escher stone that cost you $700.00 that is also a collectors item. It's true these stones were sold for a few dollars when they first came out and were intended to be used until gone but things change that mindset when there is a lot of money involved and as things become antique and collectible through popularity. I also doubt the creator of these hones knew they'd be used in a Naniwa 1K, Norton 4/8K, coticule, Jnat, Escher finish progression for a razor either...


Whatever works for you guys is fine by me!

20 laps on the Y/G Escher without slurry is all it takes to get a pulling razor back in business. Unless you are a professional honer you'll never wear your Escher out unless you tend to use a very thick slurry and wash it off after every razor you touched up. Besides. what's the point of sparing an Escher? It will survive you, your son and grandson.

Tools were and are made to be used.

Exactly. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WEAR THE ESCHER WITH 'NORMAL' USE!

Another point I thought I'd mention - the HHT means very little, but do any of you find that it is harder to pass such test using an Escher, particularly with slurry? An 8K will pass it, a Charnley or coti usually does, but surprisingly not often with an Escher.

Originally Posted by Scipio

Exactly. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WEAR THE ESCHER WITH 'NORMAL' USE!

Another point I thought I'd mention - the HHT means very little, but do any of you find that it is harder to pass such test using an Escher, particularly with slurry? An 8K will pass it, a Charnley or coti usually does, but surprisingly not often with an Escher.

i found just that hht of escher reduced, if i went back to coti/water it improved.

I remain curious.

I assume some, if not most, of you guys are using one piece of tape when doing your honing on the 1-3-8 hones and you probably keep the tape on when you go to your finisher.

Now my question…..when you later return to the finisher for a touch-up, in my case it would be a dark Escher, can I give it 20 or 30 laps without tape….or do I have to add tape for only the touch-up?

After all, I never strop with tape.

Thanks for your insights.

Freehand

If you use tape to hone then you need to use tape to hone, finish, touch up, etc. Even if you got to a pasted surface for polishing you should keep the tape on. Only remove the tape for normal linen and leather stropping.

ANY time you revisit the stones you will need tape unless you reset the bevel without tape.