Thread: The almighty Naniwa 12k

Originally Posted by outback

Been there, done that, just not for me.
Don't even bother with Cr/Ox, anymore.

From hone to lead pasted strop, then lots of leather from 3 different strops. ( heavy to fast draw ). Like shaving with a marshmallow. YMMV

Yup, more than one way to skin a cat. Each to their own as they say.

Bob

Originally Posted by outback

Like shaving with a marshmallow. YMMV

Accurate description. I will have to steal this.

Originally Posted by Steel

Accurate description. I will have to steal this.

The lead-pasted strop is the bomb. Smooth! I like leather as a medium, myself!

The Naniwia 12k Super Stone is a great finishing stone and will improve most edges, even naturals.

The problem with it, is the tendency to load up, so for the best edges, once you have the bevel you like, lap the stone to remove all the black load up and get a fresh cutting face.

To max out the stone, lightly joint the edge, strop 10 or so laps to remove the flashing, and do some lite finish laps, it should only take 15-20 laps to bring the edge back, it will be much straighter than before.

You must lap the stone to remove the swarf or you will be honing on the swarf, (bits of metal and slurry) on the stone face and preventing the bevel from touching all of the stone grit. This swarf can micro chip an edge, undoing your hard work.

To further Max out a 12k edge try adding a single layer of tape, I like Kapton tape, to create a micro bevel on a clean stone for your final laps, 2-4 only. Even a piece of scotch tape works, the shiny tape last longer than the matt transparent tape, but Kapton is best and last a long time.

I use the Polyamide, (Kapton) sold on eBay, a knock off, but only $3-5 a roll. Buy the 20mm/3/4 inch. I typically use Kapton over electrical tape for long wearing tape. The 2.5mil thickness makes a nice micro bevel.

Experiment with this stone, it has a wide range and can produce some very nice edges, micro bevels work better with some razors than others, experiment.

Here is an old post on the versatility of the 12k Super Stone. (12K Chip Removal/Bevel Setting)