Thread: Wapi help!

Well i got my first Wapi today and i immediately removed those 2 ton scales!
now to honing, whats the norton progression everyone uses on these? i also have a 1000 grit stone, chinese 12k and pasted strop.

I have a few Wapi's myself. I didn't do anything special for honing these. All I did was hone it on a Norton 4k a bunch of times until the edge felt consistent when draged over my nail and thumb pad. I then moved on to the 8K and honed it about 30-40 laps. At that point I tried it on my arm hair and the hair seemed to just "wipe" off. I then turned it over to my 12K Chinese with slurry and honed it about 50 laps or so, and then another twenty or so with just water on the hone. I tested it at several points along the way to make sure it was still performing well on my arm hair. I can't do the HHT because I have no suitable hair to use until I see my GF again. However, I can tell you that after stroping on the leather, this razor is exceptionally sharp and very easy to hone to a shave ready state. It shaves ghostly quiet and pain free. Seems my beard just jumps out of its way! lol I've since put my Dovo stainless away as a result and I am considering putting it up for sale here.

Enjoy your Wapi!

Assuming you have no issues with the bevel, I copied down a formula from "Steelforge" and this worked for me on my first Wapi. This is for the Norton 4K/8K:

15/15, 10/10, 5/5, 3/5, 1/5, 1/5, & 15 or so on a Coticule or whatever you finish polishing with.

* I don't have a Norton combo, so I used this formula using a 4K Blue Belgium and an 8K Coticule. This worked really well on my first Wapi. The second required a bit more of an agressive approach in regard to establishing a good bevel.

I have since aquired a 1200 DMT and I use this exculsivly to establish a good bevel before I proceed. In fact, 90% of my honing is done with the 1200 DMT. - From there it's just a matter of progressing starting with the Blue Belgium with very light slurry, then to a Mueller Thuringen, and finishing with the Coticule, using lighter and lighter strokes throughout the proceedure - sometimes with light slurry and sometimes not. Once my bevel is established, it's just a matter of doing what's needed to polish the scratches from the bevel, even the edge, and and remove all reflective light from that bevel and the edge.

This works very, very well for me. My DMT has become my dominent workhorse!!

Good luck,

Steve

thanks guys. Ive been looking for steelforge's post but i can't find it

well guys i need to establish a new bevel, the spine doesn't look even as well what the best approach to doing this?

Probably you'll need to use your 1K stone, if you don't have a 1200 DMT. I hope you have a microscope! If not, you can get a 60x - 100x @ Radio Shack inexpensively. I use the microscope exclusivly when preparing the bevel. Using the X patter, as always, you want the edge straight and a bevel that extends from heel to tip relatively parallel to the edge. Of course it will narrow as you get close to the heel and the tip.

It's really important to lap that 1K stone first! As the bevel is being created, you will, perhaps, need to use extra pressure(keep checking the scope), where needed (heel, middle, or tip), when you begin. Once the bevel looks good, finish with your X patterns going lighter and lighter with the pressure evenly on the blade, tip to heel. Then you can move on through your progressions, i.e., 4K, 8K, and your 12K to polish that bevel and the edge.

Remember: at this stage of honing, light, light, light pressure. You've already done all the work part creating that bevel.

* I use my Coticule less and less, even though it is still a very important stone for my finished product. As I've stated before, I spend more time establishing the bevel with my DMT (the 1K in your case). Once that's done, it's really downhill from there. Now, getting that edge straight and dark (in the scope), may take some experimenting with your stones, expecially your finial polishing stone. Some blades just fall in to place and others require different methods to get you where you want that edge.

Good Luck,

Steve

thanks again!

Well i started some light work on my wapi and it turns out the spine isnt even there are definite high spots! what should i do? i thought the balde was warped but its not