Thread: Slurrying synthetic stones?

There is fun to be had playing in the mud, some pretty nice edges can be found also

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS1gk9V2FdA

In the past I only used slurry when cutting a bevel at 1k as a means to cut faster. However, as of late I have been using slurry at 8k as well. I find that when I use slurry at 8k it delivers the most super smooth and comfortable edge I've ever experienced. Last week I picked up a razor that I had more or less kicked to the side since it had never been a favorite of mine. The edges on this one were often, meh or sometimes harsh. Never were they anything special. I took it over the 8k with slurry doing circles and x strokes. I then rinsed the hone off and brought the edge back, keeping a close look at what was happening under my scope. Once I was satisfied I did about five laps on 12k, and finished it on 20k. I shaved with it Friday and was blown away at the difference. It is extremely sharp, like a squeegee wiping away my beard. But it was also extremely comfortable and left no irritation at all. And this has been my experience with so many razors I've tried this with. The results have been very consistent for me.

I usually use a light DN 1200 slurry off every stone, I lightly lap flat/clean before every session and just leave it on top, I personally think it speeds things up to some degree and maybe a tad smoother honing on it.

Jnat users know that slurry can mellow an edge very favorably.

I have one jnat, a nice deep strata Hatanaka with a little iro in it, that will give you an aggressive edge with my usual thin finishing slurry. The razor will shave as smoothly as any edge, but if you're not really careful, it likes to give you a little 'love bite' just to get your attention. A thicker slurry eliminates that and is still keen and smooth.

Cheers, Steve

Natural stones: Yes on the slurry at all levels, higher the "grit", the less slurry I use.

Synthetic stones: NO, I only use slurry on bevel setting stones of 1K or below. You are just wasting stone and time on 4k & higher.

Can synthetic slurry cause a haziness on the bevel?

Originally Posted by dshaves

Can synthetic slurry cause a haziness on the bevel?

Just like Natural stones leave different finishes so do Synthetics

The Naniwa SS most certainly can find a Hazy finish the Shapton GS not so much

ie: Just like Natural Stones are different,, so are Synthetic hones

The more you play in the mud the dirtier it gets LOL

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Just like Natural stones leave different finishes so do Synthetics

The Naniwa SS most certainly can find a Hazy finish the Shapton GS not so much

ie: Just like Natural Stones are different,, so are Synthetic hones

The more you play in the mud the dirtier it gets LOL

Aww... so I am using the Shapton pro stones at the moment when this happened, so are you saying it is possible that using synthetic slurry for an excessive amount of time could be the cause of the hazy finish?

I have never had this happen with my SG stones!