Thread: the correlation between stone's surface polishing degree and the honing it offers

I prefer the feedback (or lack thereof) of a glassy smooth surface. I get that from lapping with a softer stone.
IME it doesn't make a difference to the cutting ability.

From the photos I have seen under a microscope for the escher stone specifically, the polishing it offers doesn't change weather it's used with or without slurry. From what I know, a stone without slurry gives a finer finish, so, it's use depends on how dull a razor is.
The way I'm thinking, about the polishing degree the surface of a stone has is, when the stone is been lapped with a low grit sandpaper or lapping stone, the surface of the stone appears to have "mountains and valleys" in a micro-scale. For the softer stones, I imagine that it doesn't really worsen their polishing abilities, but for the harder ones like novaculite, where quartz particles are bonded together by quartz, this type of surface might act as a different grit stone, scratching the steel. From my experience, the coarser I leave my hones (around 600grit) the faster they are. The glassy surface seems to work slower, but minimizes the chance of a scratch.
I'm not sure, Llyn Idwal and Charnley forest stones are a slate type of stone or novaculite? I have the impression they re the later.

I've used an Escher for years. For the longest time, I used it with just water, I have a few, and I did rub two of them together to create a slurry. I remember not being too impressed with the results. A few of my Escher's have instructions, some say use water to create a "Slime" and others say to use a rubbing stone. Now, the y/g I use now does benefit from a slurry. I use it, and make two dilutions, the last lap is plain water, and I always get great results. It's never disappointed me. Kind of my go to hone. Short of bevel setting, it's all I use these days.

Stones can glaze over causing a shiny surface and imparing your results. I had a J nat, a Nakayama Maruichi Asagi. (I think it has a few other titles, can't remember) oh yeah, "Nihon Kamisori" I think...TBH, these J nats drive me crazy. Anyway, it's surface had become glazed, A good lapping was all it needed to become a good finisher again. Now, I don't think that's what the op is talking about. I have a few stones w/ shiny surfaces that do fine the way they are. YMMV.

arkansas, charnley forests, and rozsutecs are examples of hones that will provide a finer edge/bevel polish when the surface is lapped smoother, or worn and broken in.

I will add another vote to "it makes a difference". I would rather burnish the surface of my stones with use than lapping with something else, but I suppose lapping with something else can get you close.

The C12, as a stone that isn't that aggressive and with a particle size that's bigger than 12k would suggest (at least in my experience with the WC version) is very sensitive to whether or not there's a slurry. Mine with a slurry is no stunner - at all - the edge is abraded and cloudy (and the shaving ability commensurately reduced). Without the slurry and with the surface able to be burnished for a while, the scratches are shallower and the edge polished and you can shave straight off of it very nicely.

Same with my japanese natural barber hone - it is finer than the C12, but with a fresh slurry on it, it is more aggressive on an edge than you'd expect.

There's a good picture on the web somewhere of a C12 with slurry and one without - I can't remember where it is. Someone brought it up on a woodworking forum a while ago.

I'm 3 months into my coti honing and feel off the DMT325 is too rough to manage polishing a razor and swarfs up quickly. After lapping it with my BBW, it becomes a slow finisher with mellow edges and loads up roughly 5 times slower.