Thread: Finding the perfect edge. Yeah right.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Tc is spot on, it really is all down to the honer.

Jerry. Try a few laps on CroOx to see if that works.

I like CroOx on a felt hanging strop "after" stropping the ell out of the blade on linen (40) and leather (100). I only go to a 12K Naniwa and it makes for a nice comfortable edge. My guess it might just do the same after a 20K hone.

Bob

You call that stropping the hell out of it Bob. Thats a standard for me. Ha. Now 400 to 500, were talking stroppin! Thanks for the replys guys. I will try some stropping olimpics and less on the 12k. Seporately of course and see what i get. And TC, your right that i havent spent enough time on the 20k yet. I was just thinking ahead. I do like a keen edge!

A few years back, I was trying a 1.2k > 6k > 13k Sigma Power progression. The resulting edge was feeling too harsh, so I would use a polished black hard Arkansas afterwards to calm it and obtain a very nice shave. At the time, I felt that the Arkansas was burnishing the edge, perhaps over-honed off the 13k, rather than advancing things. With further use of the Sigma hones, I realized that I had been leaving too much water standing on the surface with the 13k and that this was affecting things. When it was used in a dampened state, with little or no standing water, the resulting edge was quite nice with no need to turn to the Arkansas afterwards.

Synths generally being softer than natural stones, I wonder if turning to a natural finishing stone afterwards to calm things may appear to improve things in that the natural stone is harder in comparison. If so, then the Arkansas, coticule, thuri could be serving the same function (not that they are equal in hardness), sort of like stropping or steeling a knife do.