Thread: Working With The Zulu Grey.

Originally Posted by Trimmy72

There's a rough side? how did I miss that...

I should have chosen my words better,,,,,there is an un-lapped side,,,,I call it the bottom.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

I should have chosen my words better,,,,,there is an un-lapped side,,,,I call it the bottom.

I lapped both sides, I call it I don't feel like lapping today so I'm going to flip it over

As hard as the ZG is, I can't imagine having to lap it very often especially combined with the use of light to almost no pressure. When I lapped mine (the 'clean' side) it took FOREVER and it was already almost perfect. i wouldn't dream of trying to hand lap the unfinished side.. but thats me i'd rather hone than lap!

Chris

I did lap the other side and yes it took more than one day session lapping. It's really not nessesary, if you come out of a Nani 12K or SG 16K, or anything similar. I did it to experiment! Found a more efficient way to bring an 8K edge up the Zulu having a less polished surface to start with.

I'm lapping mine with a DMT coarse, should I go to a higher grit when lapping? It seems to be what is done. I'm curious, does it make that much of a difference?
My thoughts are you can't change the grit of the stone so why go higher. But if there is a benefit I would like to understand what it is.
I would think going to a higher grit to lap would make smaller scratches on the stone making more surface area. I guess how I'm looking at is a street tire vs. a drag cars slicks.....more contact area
Did I just answer my own question?

Some guys will lap both sides, then use one side with slurry raised with a DMT and the other with just water/glycerine/soap. The water side develops a mirror finish (glazes) much as an arkansas stone will in time, becoming effectively finer and even slower.

IMO, once we get the ZG truly flat it will remain so for a very long time & we don't need to worry about hitting it with the DMT every time we use it. It seems to produce a finer, smoother edge off the mirror finish.

rs,
Tack

Originally Posted by Trimmy72

I would think going to a higher grit to lap would make smaller scratches on the stone making more surface area. I guess how I'm looking at is a street tire vs. a drag cars slicks.....more contact area
Did I just answer my own question?

The way I understand it (I could be wrong) is that the garnets (the stuff that cuts the steel) are more aggressive (more of it expose on the surface) after lapping or refreshing the stone with a courser diamond plate, like an Atoma 400 vs an Atoma 1200, making for bigger scratches on the edge (less smooth) vs the scratches that you would get after lapping/refreshing with a higher grit diamond plate.

Also there is an effect (again, I could be wrong) that the slury generated with a diamond plate don't conform to the usual round shape of the naturals garnets (round), which is what imparts the smoothness we are after with naturals, vs with a natural slury stone. I haven't found difference with the Zulu. Except that with a very light slury (generated with a fine diamond plate) the edge is a bit smoother than water only

The other factor is that when you dress the stone with another natural stone (like a turi) you are using round garnets to polish the surface, leaving the surface with round garnets for the steel to be worked on. Making for a slower cutting surface, but ones that delivers a smoother edge.

From my observations that last statement could be true. More so in courser finishers (like cotis) than with the finer Zulu and turis. Even though I think I get better edges when I dress my Zulu or turi with another natural. For example, my Zulu with the turi, however, I also leave a very light turi slury on the Zulu, that produce a smoother edge than with water only or light Zulu slury raised with the Atoma 1200.

I hope it is clear as mud! Like I said before, the more I read and learn, the more I know, I know nothing!

One thing with the Zulu, I have found that it is so hard that it doesn't want to give those garnets that easy, so after several razors, the surface becomes super slow and I have to refresh with the diamond plate to expose more garnets (at least that's what I think its going on).

Double O

Good info. DoubleO . I have a Utica that has not taken kindly to the Zulu at all. It's sharp and shaves but it's little uncomfortable. I haven't been using slurry on the Zulu simply because it's so dam hard to raise one. A fact I guess I'll have to except to get a better edge.

Does anyone think that using slurry from a Coti would work? I guess all I can do is try. I can't see what it would hurt.

To clarify: are you saying there are garnets in a Zulu? I know there are garnets in Coticules.

Originally Posted by Double0757

The way I understand it (I could be wrong) is that the garnets (the stuff that cuts the steel) are more aggressive (more of it expose on the surface) after lapping or refreshing the stone with a courser diamond plate, like an Atoma 400 vs an Atoma 1200, making for bigger scratches on the edge (less smooth) vs the scratches that you would get after lapping/refreshing with a higher grit diamond plate.

Also there is an effect (again, I could be wrong) that the slury generated with a diamond plate don't conform to the usual round shape of the naturals garnets (round), which is what imparts the smoothness we are after with naturals, vs with a natural slury stone. I haven't found difference with the Zulu. Except that with a very light slury (generated with a fine diamond plate) the edge is a bit smoother than water only

The other factor is that when you dress the stone with another natural stone (like a turi) you are using round garnets to polish the surface, leaving the surface with round garnets for the steel to be worked on. Making for a slower cutting surface, but ones that delivers a smoother edge.

From my observations that last statement could be true. More so in courser finishers (like cotis) than with the finer Zulu and turis. Even though I think I get better edges when I dress my Zulu or turi with another natural. For example, my Zulu with the turi, however, I also leave a very light turi slury on the Zulu, that produce a smoother edge than with water only or light Zulu slury raised with the Atoma 1200.

I hope it is clear as mud! Like I said before, the more I read and learn, the more I know, I know nothing!

One thing with the Zulu, I have found that it is so hard that it doesn't want to give those garnets that easy, so after several razors, the surface becomes super slow and I have to refresh with the diamond plate to expose more garnets (at least that's what I think its going on).

Double O

I think Coti would work for dressing but the slury would be courser than with the diamond plate or same stone slury