Thread: potential polishing problem

I seem to be able to get my Friodur significantly sharper if I go straight from the D8EE to CrO. I was putting in up to 100-200 (gradually increased from 50, 75, 100, 150, 200) laps on my Chinese 12K but realized yesterday that I'd end up with a duller edge after polishing.

Having made this discovery yesterday I tried D8EE->CrO (100 laps) -> Linen (200 laps) -> Leather (200 laps). It seemed excessive with the linen but I kept checking the edge and the more I did the better it seemed.

The Frio is now sharper than it has ever been (including prehoned right out of the package).

Is my polishing technique really that bad or is there something going on that I'm completely missing? I would have it passing HHT of the DMT and then nada off the 12K. Believe me, I'm happy to cut out such a labour intensive step if it is really giving me a better edge to do so, but it really makes me .

I have no idea about your main question but that seems to be far to many laps. I don't care how slow the stone cuts. It sounds like you were refreshing a razor you had previously had shaving for you so to me it sounds like you are doing to much on the stones. My last refresh on a pretty bad razor took only abot fifty laps between all the hones I used, for me that a 5 micron a 1 micron and a barbers hone. That might be your problem when the 12000 gets into the mix.

Hopefully one of the guys who uses your exact system will chime in because I could be way off base, but I try to remember that often times less is more.

Thanks for the input.

In fact the razor was supposed to have been delivered shave ready but was entirely not up to the task of shaving my heavy beard, if anyone's. (I did not strop it before first shaving with it)

I did start at putting in 50 laps on the 12k but when results were not satisfactory, my assumption, based on the 12k's slow cutting reputation, was that I simply needed more. So I gradually increased it; 75, 100, 150, 200.

Also I lapped the 12k with a lower grit DMT using the pencil technique and doing it thrice just to be sure. And I relap it before every honing session.

I keep thinking I need to give one of those a shot. Sooner or later I'm sure I will. I tend to finish hone with a Swaty barbers hone and after coming off my 8K step I only usually need five to ten strokes on the Swaty to get all the Finishing action I need. I used to try for more but it seemed like by the time I got to twenty the edge was less sharp than at ten and I would have to use a ton of strokes to get it back or go down a step to my 8K again.

Good luck.

Thanks. I'll give a significantly reduced number of strokes on the 12k a shot and see if that helps matters.

Though it still leaves me thinking that if I'm going to finish with CrO anyways perhaps it's better to just leave the 12k out of the loop altogether. I'll have to try doing perhaps 10-20 on the 12k and no CrO to compare results.

Originally Posted by Pudu

I seem to be able to get my Friodur significantly sharper if I go straight from the D8EE to CrO. I was putting in 100-200 laps on my Chinese 12K but realized yesterday that I'd end up with a duller edge after polishing.

Having made this discovery yesterday I tried D8EE->CrO (100 laps) -> Linen (200 laps) -> Leather (200 laps). It seemed excessive with the linen but I kept checking the edge and the more I did the better it seemed.

The Frio is now sharper than it has ever been (including prehoned right out of the package).

Is my polishing technique really that bad or is there something going on that I'm completely missing? I would have it passing HHT of the DMT and then nada off the 12K. Believe me, I'm happy to cut out such a labour intensive step if it is really giving me a better edge to do so, but it really makes me .

I think you overhoned on the 12K. A blade getting duller on a polishing hone is diagnostic of overhoning unless you have a poor technique. The other problem may have been that the razor wasn't that shave-ready after all.

Is your 12K really flat? because if it isn't you'll damage the edge, rather than polish it.

100-200 laps on the 12 K is a bit much unless it is a really slooooooooow hone.

I have to agree with the too much honing, in general with hones once the bevel is set and sharp, then the old adage of "less is more" applies...
DEPENDING ON THE STONE around 20 laps is more than sufficient to polish the edge....
My theory has always been, that you are done sharpening a razor at 4000, after that you are just polishing the edge....

Great. Thanks for the help all. Over honing seems the logical reason, now.

I'm very happy to do less work whenever possible. I'll try it again on a different blade and see if limiting to around 20 laps improves things.

Would one expect a smoother or sharper edge by using the 12k prior to the CrO, rather than just skipping the 12k altogether?