Thread: Y/G Escher is as fine as...

... fill in the blank.

I got a heavily used big 9x2 y/g escher (escher as in with label, not a green unmarked thuri) yesterday. I paid half a mint for it (it's half used up, seems fair. Some barber somewhere liked it a lot, it wasn't abused, just well used).

I followed a two coticule routine with it last night, and it's a very smooth stone to use, but I have to be honest, I'm not that impressed with the edge it makes.

What am I missing? I have a couple of japanese hones that are much finer, including a much less expensive little barber hone that I got from Alex Gilmore.

The escher self slurries, so I can't really get around that. Even with the lightest pressure, it still will make just a bit of slurry, and I've always liked to run a stone on clear water and bring an edge to a nice polish.

So far, I'd say it seems to be just a touch finer than the purple welsh slate, but I had high expectations. It's a pretty quick stone for a fine stone, but I think I was exposed to too many things before I got it, and that set the expectations too high. My spyderco hasn't been lapped for eons, and the escher cannot come remotely close to what the spyderco does.

Should I be thinking something else? I'd normally say that I need to just use the stone a while and figure it out, but this stone will not run on clear water even with the lightest pressure, and the only way I'm going to get this stone to go much finer is to cut the water off and let it glaze some. Should I do that? It's a fast enough cutter that I think that'll work. Someone liked it enough to use half of it up.

-Down and out (of $400) and not in beverly hills.

Dave, I dont have the hone experience that you do but maybe wash it down real good and try it dry? I use my cnat dry (actually its the only way it will cut its so slow it is unreal) and it seems finer although it does glaze usually I can knock most of the steel off with a small brush. It also seems to highlight the high particles with a little clump of steel.

I rubbed a piece of carbide on one of my arkansas stones and it made it a lot finer but that is a different animal im afraid.

Im basically just subscribing here.

I was under the understanding that each stone is likely to have its own answers to this question. It is a natural stone...color and composition will vary slightly. Escher seems to be widely accepted as a very high grade of hone, but I was told even the highest grades have a learning curve all their own...I could have received bad advice....

I've always heard it ain't the arrow, it's the Indian ..... running and ducking for cover ......

IMO, Eschers are a little overrated in some respects. They are cool in that they are, at some levels, old school, so to speak, but today's synthetic hones are way more consistent in their performance and you know what to expect. I am sure you know this more me, but that is my thought, at least.

People buy Eschers with the mistaken idea that the stone will magically make them a Honemeister,mostley long before they even learn how to set a proper bevel.
Took me 6 mos to make my Blu green work.When that happend,I sold all my other finishers.

Hmm.. Escher is as fine as...a green unmarked thuri. And I get to keep my half a mint. You're the second person now to mention a spyderco...I'm getting curious. Anyways, it's just another tool in the cabinet. I think my thuringian stones are great, but I'm also a guy who routinely says I don't see any reason to go beyond 8k. So...figure that out.

I don't know the answer to the OP. I also sold my other finishers. Except for my coticules. I keep them for the history and once in awhile I like to break one out and work with it. I like the edges. It also took me awhile to figure out the Eschers. One thing was bringing a shave ready edge to it right from jump street. Sham turned me onto that. He said it should be a 12k edge before going to the Escher. All I've got now is 8k in a synthetic and the y/g certainly makes the great edge I get with a norton 8k even better.

I've yet to have hones, Eschers or coticules, that auto slurry. I've read about it but mine won't. Maybe it is my water .... my honing technique ? Dunno. My Shapton pro 15k would auto slurry but not the fore mentioned hones.

+1 to the 12k edge i go up to 16k then to my escher never fails

Natural stones vary, even Eschers. The autoslurry may add speed at the cost of that extra bit of fineness you'd get on pure water. However I suspect even the best Eschers can be topped by some Jnats.