Thread: I Thik I Got Lucky!

Well, I followed all you honemeisters' advice and got proficient with my Norton combo set for the last year or so before trying a finisher, tweaking that 8k for all it was worth, and getting pretty great shaves (usually) in the bargain. Unless you count the cool little dragon's tongue I got recently from Rene/Nicknbleeding, I didn't really have a finisher. Besides, that little DT has moved into the shave den as my barber hone.

Until Ryan2022 (another Canadian Ryan!) put up his C12k PHIG on our Classifieds for $15; I had to take a chance. As I had read mixed reviews on these stones, I was prepared to be disappointed, but was instead blown out of the water by the edges I just got off this thing. Frankly, it seemed a little 'softer' than I keep reading about these ultra-hard stones. I grid-marked and re-lapped it very quickly with a well-worn fine diamond hone, and got it about as glass smooth as I could get it. It very quickly and easily raised a nice milky slurry, either with the diamond hone or the nagura, as you can see here:


As I had 4 razors that needed some tweaking, I went to work. Each one needed something a little different, particularly a recently-acquired full-singing hollow Minnesota Chief that had not wanted to smooth out for me:

This big smiling Reynolds had really given me some issues on the 4/8 Nortons. The least little bit past a certain point, and I'd lose the edge every time-extremely soft steel on this one, it seems, but an awesome shaver when I could get it dialed in.

Another smiling blade, an Improved Eagle, had really frustrated me so much that I once sent it out to Sham aka hi_bud_gl, and even he had trouble with it. (What happened to him anyway?)

Finally, a Henkels with up-curving heel and toe (I like smiles!)

This Henkels in particular needed some 4k circles on each end to bring them into line. (Thanks, Sixgun for the "pushing" advice on the One-Stone Honing video, PHIG edition).

So after watching another round of videos and reading all I could about these PHIGs, I worked up a slurry, taped each one up (hey, Glenn does it!) and did about 50 laps (I lose count), diluting the slurry as I went. Lots of rolling x-strokes were needed on these smiling blades. All got much sharper very quickly based on frequent TPT and leg-hair tests. Finishing up on about 50 or so water-only, progressively-lighter laps, I was amazed at the smooth "slisk" sound of the blades sliding down the stone, and felt I could just keep going, getting keener and keener edges without losing them as I had sometimes done on the Nortons.

Finally, with edges far sharper than anything I'd ever gotten off the 8k, I quit while I was ahead, stropped each for 10 passes on CrOx, then about 70-80 3" latigo to finish. The cool thing is, the ones I'd had the most trouble with on the Nortons (Improved Eagle and Reynolds) turned out to be the most wicked sharp!

Lastly, I shave-tested the Reynolds and the Chief, both of which slid through 4-days' stubble like butta' (aided by QCS's excellent Celestial Woods). I'm happy now to have "graduated" to a finisher in my honing journey, and look forward to even better edges off this excellent PHIG once I learn its nuances. Thanks for your services in the past, honemeisters. I don't think I'll need them anymore! Aaron

Great job and beautiful blades. It's a rarity, but some of these PHIG's are exceptional finishers. Sounds like you got a great one.

Funny you mentioned you got glass smooth like finishes..I read a few posts in the past about this..im sure you will keep this for many years to come.

I love my PHIG, thanks for sharing yours.

Thats great! you will never regret taking the time to use the norton 4k/8k, and its cool you got a one great PHIG at a wonderful price!