Thread: Finisher after the Naniwa 12k

Originally Posted by Paul38

After the naniwa 12k I use crox on balsa followed by .25 micron diamond slurry on felt, then 14 laps on linen and finish with a hanging leather strop, 30-100 laps. Seems to work fine for me.

Paul, i think you should try the diamond spray then go to the crox!!!

After diamond spray my skin receives irritation. CrOx or crocus is necessary to you (min. 5 max. 20 laps). After Naniwa 12K, if you want that , it is use Escher or Janat. After stone CrOx or crocus. Finish - always leather strop.

I really like the 12K Nani as well. I go a bit further after by doing 25-30 laps on a paddle strop with CrOx. I leave the tape on the razor to kep the angle, when I do this it seems to really smooth the edge. After the CrOx I do 50-75 laps on felt and shave. I get a very smooth edge this way. Just my 2cents.

Lately I have stopped using a crox pasted balsa strop after the Nani 12K and gone to using a Zulu Grey.

Bob

When I went from the 12K Naniwa to Crox spray on felt to leather strop I thought I was at the pinnacle of sharp and smooth. That is until I experimented with the Zulu Grey. Now my last experiment was to go up through and including the Nani 12K without tape- ala naturale'. Then put on only ONE layer of electrical tape (for a bevel 'enhancer' and not a dedicated bonafide microbevel) and perform appx 200 laps on the Zulu with the first 65-70 using its thin milky slurry. Let me tell you, if there were a HHT-6 my blades would have passed. I can go ATG anyway I want to now. As a bonus, the edge now seems more robust as well.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

If I was using a coticule as a finisher, which I sometimes do, I would use it after my 8k. Some coticules might equal a 12k, but rarely surpass it IME. YMMV.

I agree! Lately I've found this to be a very nice sequence when using the Super-stone set: 1K-3K-5K-8K and then some laps on a very nice and very hard 'La Dressant Au Bleu' Coticule that I have before the 12K. I rate this particular coticule at about 10K+ and it produces a very smooth edge on my Sheffield blades without going to the 12k. For all others I finish on the 12k...strop and go. Very nice progression!

I just recently started refreshing my razors. Some of them were pro honed on the Nani 12k. They were awesome. I used crox to refresh until this last time. I used my nani 12k and they responded well (after two meh attempts w/o tape). Now I received my zulu grey last night and I'm going to use that AFTER my nani. Hoping it takes my razors to the next level. I'm going to try to ween myself off the crox.

After the Naniwa 12k, I use the Gokumyo 20k, but haven't conclusively determined yet whether Crox would smooth the edge a just bit further to give a more comfortable first shave afterwards.

It shouldn't be necessary, but it seems to make some difference.

I use the Crox after the Gokumyo 20k. 5-7 laps and it does feel smoother.

It depends a bit. If I've taken a razor from bevel-setting all the way up, after the Naniwa 12K I give it 7-12 strokes on a lightly sprayed (diamond) fabric strop, then my usual daily stropping: 35 strokes on fabric, 60-80 on leather, and shave.

If I'm just freshening the edge, sometimes I give it 10-15 strokes on the Naniwa 12K (almost like using it as a barber hone) and then strop normally for shaving.

This is really weird, but recently I have found one of my barber hones seems to put a "something" to the edge after the Naniwa 12K. Not sure if it's real or imagined, but I have found if this barber hone is the last hone that touches the edge, it seems the edge is nicer. Don't know why, and I'm still pondering if this is even real or just hone-fantasy.