a couple 5/8ths

I have been having trouble with a wapi 5/8th and a dovo 5/8ths. They are cutting arm hairs the wapi pretty well, the Dovo just a little. I am still encountering problems on my 4000 side of the norton. I lap and lap and the blade sticks or jumps around on the hone. I am new at this and I am learning my stroke on the 8000 side coming around well. The wapi I took to a pasted paddle for about 10 laps on 1.0 and 20 on .5. I shaved with it but it pulled in spots and the shave I had from my freshly honed wapi that I just bought was much better. I can still feel some stubble.

At any rate my shaves have improved 10 fold over the past couple of months. Now if I could just figure out these hones.

I am tempted to dump the norton and go with some belgian blues. I don't believe they are requried to be lapped but I do not know. Does anyone else here like any stones better that the Norton, and for what reason?

You might prefer all number of stones, from barber hones to belgiums. In the end though I think you'll decide that they are all just flat stones.

Whatever you do consider for now atleast that if your cutting hair your already there with the 4K and you should be moving exclusively to 8K or even higher. At the next level of sharpness you have higher requirements for stroke quality. The 8k will get you there slowly, but it will get you there.

A 12K Chinese is a cheap way to try a new hone. I like .5 paste as well.

But remember, just like a sniper that is missing a target by an inch or two, getting a new rifle might not get you that last inch of accuracy. In fact you might be starting all over again trying to figure out how to hit the target.

I know I sound like a broken record and few need to hear it so often. But the keys at this point are:

Light touch
Many strokes
Each stroke smooth
Equal distance on each stroke
Equal angle on each side
x pattern

By the way, when you cut hair, does the hair get cut easily in both directions? Do both sides cut just as easily? Could one side of the edge be just slightly less or more sharper than the other? If any one of your previous strokes was with unequal pressure, you'll still be feeling the effects on your edge.

THe dovo is cutting a hair or two. THe wapi is doing better than that but not cutting evenly. I guess I should take them both bakc to the 8000 side of the Norton? The pyramid must not factor in here.

I am taking caution to make even strokes, but I am noticing that my first pass away from me is not always the same. I have trouble keeping the razor at the same angle and flatness once beginning to get to the toe end of the x stroke. I work at little pressure but need some to keep the razor on the hone.

Matt,

I wouldn't give up on the Norton just yet. It sounds like you're getting close, and getting more hones will be in some ways starting over. I like the Belgian hones now, but it took me a few weeks to figure out how to use them with satisfactory results.

Just to clarify, Alan's approach is more of a straight progression vs. a pyramid. He works a lot on the 8K and doesn't use the 4K much once the bevel is established.

I had good luck with his approach when I was learning to hone. There were some long threads where he coached me through some problems last fall and winter. Search this forum for my username to read the whole sorry tale. :) My honing problems almost equaled your shaving troubles...

Anyway, both approaches work once you figure things out. Some have better luck with one or the other.

I would encourage you to concentrate more on keeping the edge flat on the hone during the stroke and worry less about ultra light pressure. You do need ultra light pressure at the end of the progression to get the best results from the 8K, but you can get most of the way there with some light pressure, then finish on diamond paste.

Practice will do a lot to even your stroke out over time. Keep at it--you're doing well!

Josh

Rubbing my hand across the norton I can feel what feels like accumulated grit or particles. THe stone is definitley not smooth even after the flattening stone and apparently it is not being cleaned. What should I do now?

Lap it using some high grit wet/dry sandpaper. 600 grit for the 4K and 1000 grit for the 8k.

My question is what are you lapping the hone with? It sounds like you are using a very coarse grit to lap the hone. I finish my hones with a 1000 grit. Then the hone is less "grabby" on the razor.

Also, pay attention to what Josh says about using pressure. Some pressure is very useful but always finish with only the amount of pressure needed to keep the razor on the hone.
Use about a 50 % with pressure/50 % no pressure ratio on the strokes for each grit.

Hope this helps,:)

Thanks randy I will do that. I plan on using the 600 for the 4000 and 1000 for the 8000. And finish both with 1000. I am wondering why I bought that flatting stone from Norton. I gave this stonw a little time on the 600 the other day and I could tell it will give a smoother surface.

Just be sure to rinse the hones under running water and rub them with a brush or plastic scrub pad. This will remove any embedded grit from the sandpaper.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by randydance062449

Just be sure to rinse the hones under running water and rub them with a brush or plastic scrub pad. This will remove any embedded grit from the sandpaper.

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http://cgi.ebay.com/3-5-packs-of-Jum...QQcmdZViewItem

Will these work?

Also, How large of a plate do I need for lapping my norton? Where is a good place to find one online and which type?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by matt

Rubbing my hand across the norton I can feel what feels like accumulated grit or particles. THe stone is definitley not smooth even after the flattening stone and apparently it is not being cleaned. What should I do now?

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Because I do not use slurry a lot on my Belgiums they (expecially the yellow) will accumulate ??? grit, grime, metal,..whatever - I will clean the surface with my DMT 1200. It works better than the 3M Scotchbrite. If you don't have a DMT 1200, I suppose you could use any form of cleaning or scrubbing process. :shrug:

Regards,

Steve

Just go to the grocery or hardware store and get a couple of those pads. Mine are about 2.5"X4".

No need for a flat plate, just use your kitchen countertop, piece of marble or granite, top of a table saw, go dumpster diving behind a kitchen remodeling place and you should find plenty of flat pieces cutoff countertop.