Thread: ILR hone any tips?

So, test shave complete.
First was the 12k edge with ILR. It wasn't the worst shave in the world wasn't the best. I do not believe this stone improved a 12k Naniwa edge. I believe it took it back to about 5k. I had better shaves off Norton 1/4 stones when I first got the hang of honing.
The second was 8k edge with ILR. This was not even useable. I finished with the other blade. It tugged and was not even close to acceptable.
I am not giving in yet, I am going to try and get the 12k and ILR to improve. Is that possible.... We shall see.

D'oh! Sounds like you got one about the same as the one I tried. Do you have any glycerin? I got probably the best edge from the one I tried by starting with medium and diluting to a light slurry - using a few drops of glycerin mixed in from the start. That was very close to a good edge, just very slight discomfort ATG.

Originally Posted by eKretz

D'oh! Sounds like you got one about the same as the one I tried. Do you have any glycerin? I got probably the best edge from the one I tried by starting with medium and diluting to a light slurry - using a few drops of glycerin mixed in from the start. That was very close to a good edge, just very slight discomfort ATG.

That was my next move last night, started with light slurry, added about 4 drops of glycerin. Everything looked decent the I got a blade length scratch and the mostly polished edge I had started showing scratches. I got ticked off and quit.

Ugh. Sounds like your sample has a significant smattering of coarser abrasive particles mixed in. You may be better off trying to smooth out the stone surface and use it after a 12k for just the final touch, but still try both ways.

Given the general marshmallow softness of the current market and the price these go for you're better off just buying a vintage rock off the bay and setting it up. You can get a nice hunk of coti lately for their price... or an unmarked thuri... or just random slates of unknown origin that usually end up being not terrible if someone went through the trouble of lovingly crafting a box for it.. Or a trans ark if you are willing to put some work in to get it set up.... If these are expensive and have sketchy hit rates, you are better off risking it on a charnley forest... Those are hit or miss for razors but at least they are beautiful and if it fails as a finisher it's a world beating knife hone, and if you get a hit you get a monstrous finisher... Plus if you don't want a knife stone a russian buyer will be throwing a snowball of cash at you for it... It doesn't really make sense to drop money on modern finishers in a really flat vintage market... It's like the best buyers market for razors and stones in like 5 years at least

Yea I believe it's time to move on from this stone. The amount of trouble it takes to get an ok edge is not worth the final result. I believe for now I'll go back to what I know works and as funds present themselves I'll look into a jnat or Coti. For now though this thing can pack it's crap because it is moving on.

Put a piece of film on it, problem solved.

Cheers, Steve