Thread: Going Backwards?

In the beginig a loupe is the only sure fire way to ensure your bevel is perfectly formed to a perfect apex from tip to heel. Also keep your eye out for near by meets and members near by. It is seriously easier to learn hands on in person. I'm sure there must be experienced members near you, it's a small state and I think there are a lot of members in it.

Yup, don’t go by feel, look at the stria and more importantly, the edge.

I have read the fine Spyderco is about 2-4k and some say 3 microns. But how it feels does not matter, what it does to the edge matters.

First you have to look at it. If you are honing without magnification, you are honing blind. You can buy a decent loupe for as little as $2.

As said the same goes for your 4k, don’t grind off a bunch until you look at the bevel and edge it is leaving.

You can also buy a King 1k for $20 and remove all doubt.

Originally Posted by Blamo

Hang on! Are you saying that a Spydeco fine ceramic stone is around 6k grit? Everything I have seen indicates that it is around 1k to 1.2k? If what you speak is true! my stone progression should actually start with the Norton 4K, then the Spyderco fine, and then back to the Norton 8k?

That's kinda what I've been seeing reported on the web. Not exactly, but around those numbers. My 302UF is rated at 2k, nothing could be further from the truth, depending on how your rating it, stria is more equivalent to a translucent Arkansas under my scope. And what's that rated at? 20k+?

I rate my Translucent as sharp as hell.

Still need testing to see where it sits relative to my 12K. But, since my 12K is a ceramic Kuromaku, that could change depending on how that stone is surfaced. I haven't messed with it to see if polishing the 12K changes it's performance.

That's neither here nor there though. Sounds like the Spyderco hones fall into the same category Swaty type barber hones do. Coarse cutting material in a very hard binder that allows them to cut finer than the grit composition might lead one to expect at first glance. Particularly if it's well broken in.

Originally Posted by Marshal

1/4" is almost half the Norton 4K - please don't do that! lol, that's a LOT of good stone. I think that rough skin can be between 1/16 and 1/8" usually closer to the former than the latter.
...

Sorry about that - I did mean to write 1/8 not 1/4. In fact Lynn actually recommends lapping off about 1/8 if it needs it in his videos. Some might not need it. Mine definitely needed it and it still didn't come out to my liking.

Adam

I figured it was just one of those weird fractional foibles. I find myself having to revert back to that same video sometimes because I have a hard time recalling whether it's 1/4 or 1/8.

Ok. First off, thanks for all the input. I just wanted to post an update. After all of your replys and research concerning this whole confusing grit rating, I decided to re hone the razor starting off with an 800g Suehiro wet stone, 4K Norton, then on to the Spyderco fine ceramic, finishing up with an 8k Norton. 10 lapse of the green stuff and then 30 on the cloth and 50 on the strop. Dare I say BBS? My wife just told me to stop stroking my face.

Very nice results. I think the Spyderco just found its proper place in my stone lineup. In fact, I have a Spyderco Ultra Fine in the mail and plan on using that as a finisher. Oh yeah...I also have a loupe on the way. Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Marshal

I figured it was just one of those weird fractional foibles. I find myself having to revert back to that same video sometimes because I have a hard time recalling whether it's 1/4 or 1/8.

10/8 people have trouble with fractions.

Originally Posted by Marshal

I rate my Translucent as sharp as hell.

Could not agree more.