Stone need lapping

This is what the Polish eBay advertisement stated.
Dragon's tongue. The price was (is still) very interesting. 150 mm x 50 mm x 17.
The stone arrived last Wednesday and I worked it in the evening.
In the garage I found a slab of granite that had to be an old window sill (in Italy we use the granite in this way...) and I used it as backing plate.
For this lapping I bought some sheets of 600 sandpaper.
To attach it to the granite plate I didn't use a double sided tape but simpy water. I used the suction effect that creates the capillarity of the fluid. Once wet the paper was firmly fixed on the granite.
Then with a pencil I made some "X" on the top face of the stone in order to understand when it would become flat. I realized that using the paper 600 I needed all the night to finish the work. Too fine grit. I remembered to have some new 320 sheets and I tried them. Perfect. Once I made flat the central part of the face I remount the 600 and I finished. Then I focused on the edge.
I also gave some pass to the slurry stone.
Finally I took the razor and I gave some stroke on the stone "sharp leading edge".
Some pass on the strop and I made the usual test by cutting some arm hair "on the fly". Perfect!
I tried a shave. Outstanding. It seems almost like a cut shavette!

Thanks to Fabrizio for advices.

Here below some shots of that interesting evening.









http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8...0704211816.jpg



http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/3...0704212057.jpg

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/5...0704212216.jpg



http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/3...0704213212.jpg

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/525...0704213853.jpg

http://img814.imageshack.us/img814/3...0704211700.jpg

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/9...0704220944.jpg

Welcome to the forum!

Looks like you did a great job. And that's a nice chunk of stone!

How long have you been using a straight?

Michael

Good show my friend! Just make sure you keep those edges chamfered to ensure you don't get any break-off pieces of the edge while honing. Once you get a few razors honed on it, it will actually finish a bit better...HAVE FUN!

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Originally Posted by mjsorkin

Welcome to the forum!

Looks like you did a great job. And that's a nice chunk of stone!

How long have you been using a straight?

Michael

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Hello Michael. I used a shavette for around 2 years then in April (if I remember well) I bought a Dovo with Olive scale and inox blade. The razor came absolutely not shave ready. I subscribed to one of the two Italian forum and I found a user available to hone my razor. Then, after around 2 months from the honing I noticed that strop strokes weren't enough to make the shaving like the first ones and I decided to buy a stone just for maintenance. I remembered to see on ebay something like I was looking for and I bought. That's all. Now I'm thinking about new razor. I love Dovo Bismarck, but the only thing I don't like is that its blade is shoulderless, and unfortunately I use the shoulder and the thumb to set the inclination of the blade on my skin. Anyhow, no matter, I'll found another solution.

Bye
Alessandro

Quote:

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Good show my friend! Just make sure you keep those edges chamfered to ensure you don't get any break-off pieces of the edge while honing. Once you get a few razors honed on it, it will actually finish a bit better...HAVE FUN!

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Great advice! This evening I'll chamfer the edges. I think that 2x2 mm of chamfer is enough. Right?
I'll offer myself to polish some razor blade for free before to polish the mine one another time ;)

Bye
Alessandro

Sounds like a great start. Impressive that you kept your razor going so long just with stropping. Also that you succeeded on your first honing. Good job!

Bismarck is a nice looking razor.

Michael

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mjsorkin

Sounds like a great start. Impressive that you kept your razor going so long just with stropping. Also that you succeeded on your first honing. Good job!

Bismarck is a nice looking razor.

Michael

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Hello Michael,

there is a reason why I was able to keep my razor going so long only with stropping. The secret is the shaving frequency ;)
Generally twice a week, sometime once.

Concerning Bismarck I agree with you. Nice looking razor. But it has also a 6/8 blade. I'm not sure if I need more skill since so far I shaved with a 5/8.

Bye bye
Alessandro

Did you say DT from Poland? Is it the same guy who sells Chinese hones? If your answer to those questions yes then you have great hone which is NOT DT.

yeah adrspach thats a good call, thats not a dt

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Originally Posted by eleblu05

yeah adrspach thats a good call, thats not a dt

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I have a DT from AJ on ebay and it was an old stone with the proper "DT" look to it(if you know what I mean). I have never even tried to use it as a finisher though...puts a nice edge on but a little ragged for a finisher.
Stingray

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Originally Posted by adrspach

Did you say DT from Poland? Is it the same guy who sells Chinese hones? If your answer to those questions yes then you have great hone which is NOT DT.

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Hello adrspach,

Item number is 130567763011. Probably is the stone you are speaking.

So, isn't this stone a DT? In fact on the advertisement the words "dragon" and "tongue" aren't mentioned. I though that it is a DT from description (approx 12000 grit, extremely fine stone, it is very hard, it is a slow stone, etc…).
I admit that my knowledge in stones is very limited, so an error of mine is highly probable.

Bye
Alessandro

I have the same Polish - Chinese stone. Mine was not advertised as a dragons tongue. It came perfectly flat. Not sure what it is, but use it at the finish of my sequence.
Postage was more than the stone?

Hey guys!

That is definitely a c12k and not dragons tongue (As mentioned a couple of times above) - i took a photo of mine so you can see the difference.



Attachment 100817

Still a very good stone, if not better then the Dragons Tongue IMHO

Hello Alessandro, welcome to the forum, very good post and keep it up.

Brightly, nice to see your face again in these parts. Alx

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Originally Posted by Johnus

Postage was more than the stone?

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No, postage was free!

Bye
Alessandro

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brighty83

Hey guys!

That is definitely a c12k and not dragons tongue (As mentioned a couple of times above) - i took a photo of mine so you can see the difference.

Attachment 100817

Still a very good stone, if not better then the Dragons Tongue IMHOI

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Hello Brighty.
Thanks a lot for your clarification! Now I have to correct also the post on Italian forum.

Bye
Alessandro

Just to clarify. Ypu can get DT from trusted hone vendors in UK however to my knowledge not over the bay. If you look over one of my previous discussions about origins of DT specifically about choice of material and making it would clear up quite a lot of mess which was made by bay sellers cashing in on slate sold as BIG name hones.