Thread: Playing with a Jnat

I wasn't sure as the Shobu seems a bit soft.
I took a razor I had recently finished on a 20K and did 2 Diamond slurry regiments. Working the last one a bit more and thin in the end. Still about the same as the others razors as if this is the most I can get.

"I feel" that the slurry breaks down after about 30 - 35 laps but this is just what I'm starting to feel. So, if I did 150 laps like in my first trials, I think I was wasting time and not getting anything from it. I have other razors to test shave tomorrow so my Jnat edges will need to wait a few days for testing. I did 5 razors on the Jnat and with a few different starting points. They all seem to be ending about the same place. It might be just enough but I won't know till the shave. If I have to I guess I will need that 20K after to bump it up. I really don't want too but if it makes the difference.

I did see a nice wide stone on JNS for about 120 bucks. Level 5. I will wait and see how things go for now. I need to quit looking at new stones! eBay has some too but I just don't trust the sellers. It's easy to get over on me without me knowing a lot about the stones.

I had my monday shave this morning. Had to test shave two razors i honed up for one of our new members but also thru in one i honed on the Jnat. It was so close. Shave waz fine just not as keen as i want.

My next weekend i will try a few more things to see if i can bump it up a little. Its been fun learning these stones. Im likeing how it works. I just need to fine tune it a little more.

You could add a drop of glycerin in the mix to squeeze some more out of it. My shubo can deliver a ridiculously keen edge. So I typically use more slurry and dilute less to get what I want out of it. I've had this stone for 6 years or so. Give it time is all I will say. Regarding other stones? You can use 20 different stones the same way and get 20 different edges. Or you can use the same stone 20 different ways and get 20 different edges. I've bought 30 plus jnats in my day. Traded or.sold a few. Most are packed up in storage. I use 4 now. And the shubo is one of them.

Honing is about the only thing I can really do now, as I'm starting to move. My Jnat like yours is on the softer side, but produces a wicked clean edge, when I do my part. Just as smooth as my Thuringian, but not quite as keen as some I've shaved with. I usually do refreshes so like 20-30 laps on Shapton 8k, then two rotations of tomo, finishing with misty slurry.
This little sucker was my very first stone, and it has been a love/hate relationship most of the time. However she has become one of my favorite stones, and I only paid $40 due to some bias layering that has since been lapped away. God willing it will not return in my lifetime of use.

You can ‘keen up’ a jnat edge several ways, thinner slurry will make a keener edge as will adding some clear water strokes at super light pressure after you’ve finished with the slurry. Wash the stone and razor well and keep plenty of water on the stone. Try about +25 on clear water. Lighter pressure also helps.

Another thing to try if you’re stropping with linen/fabric is to lose the fabric and strop leather only. Some folks say that fabric knocks down a jnat edge. The Kanoyama canvas seems to smooth the edge a bit which I like, but if you’re looking for more punch try leather only.

Originally Posted by yondermountain91

... However she has become one of my favorite stones, and I only paid $40 due to some bias layering that has since been lapped away. God willing it will not return in my lifetime of use.

You can stabilize those bias cracks unless there are a million of them all over the hone face. Use a fiberglass brush on them each time you lap the stone. Brushing them with a fiberglass brush will remove the unstable material. Afterwards I like to raise a thick slurry on them just to make sure there aren’t any strays lurking around.

I don't like the kanayama cloth! Lol. I have a Scrupleworks flax strop (clean) that does add a little more pepper. I tried more than a few vintage waxed linen. And they were all pasted with who knows what. So I don't bother anymore with those.

I think that genuine linen can kick it up a notch, but in my limited experience, it kind of removes some of the traits that I look for in a jnat edge. Tony Miller makes a good linen, and many vintage linen are good if you can find an unpasted one. If it’s white paste, that usually washes off with no effect, but buying vintage linen is a crap shoot for sure. If you get a good one, don’t ever sell it.

I use the Kanoyama canvas (washed and surface softened with a 400 Atoma, just 6 laps or so) only after initial honing, 20 passes then 35 suede/65 cordovan. After that it’s just suede and cordovan. I can maintain a decent edge on a good razor for about 50 shaves this way.

Thanks for the pointers guys. I will write this down for testing.

I agree about the linen. But in this case he's trying to get a little more out of the edge. I have a few softer finishers maruichis that need a little vigorous linen. As well as coticules. I think the linen is well worth having. But that's for every man to decide.