Thread: Naniwa Hones - Need some Help !!!

Thanks for the Link, Jimmy,

I 'll study that carefully.

Yes, I was lapping under running water, and the first time I lapped, I drew a grid. Not subsequently, though. Maybe that's not a short cut to be taking.

Good point on getting another, more expendable razor for practice.

I doubt that your problem is the lapping, given what you say you've done. It is far more likely that it is some aspect of your technique. And yes, I'm afraid I must say - as with *any* situation, that until you can confirm that you can complete the task with a different piece of equipment, you must conclude that it is user-error. The best I can give is to read as many different threads about honing as you can - no single wiki article or explanation is likely to really convey all the different aspects of the "honing" technique/task, but the more different points you plot the more you can triangulate the location.

Here is one piece of comfort: I tried a number of different hones before I tried my first Naniwa (a superstone), and it was a revelation. THey really are superior products - so, though it would be easier in some ways if the answer were different, at least you have the right tools for the job.

And one tip: Naniwas are really exceptionally soft hones, and require *very* frequent lapping. The DMT interrupted surface (with the little holes) hones (the duosharp, like the W250CXNB, which is about twice the price of the d8c, but *so* worth it if you are doing more than occasional honing) work *infinitely* better than the continuous surface hones like the D8C. You say that you have a DMT 325, so I don't know which you have, but most people start out with the continuous surface (D8C), so that's probably what you have.

'Morning fellows,

Thanks for so many helpful replies. I should formally enter a thank you reply to each of you. I'm pretty awed by how much you all know, and your generosity in helping me out here.

I'm determined to stick with this.

In response to a number of items that come up, I'm at work now, so can't recall which DMT thing I have, but it has a continuous surface. When Scott (local hone guy, and member of the forum) helped me out before he showed me he had a DMT like mine, and another one that had slots or grooves in it so as to remove material from the stone faster, iirc.

The razor is a 5/8 T-I with a smile shaped blade edge. The razor is truly a thing of beauty. It was supposed to be shave ready, according to info T-I told the vendor, but he warned me not to believe it.

I found it really pulled when I shaved with it (maybe the razor, maybe the technique?), but had Scott sharpen it for me and it was better. He said it was pretty close, but not shave ready.

So, I assumed the bevel was probably good from the start, even though it wasn't shave ready.

I'm interested and surprised to hear T-I razors can be difficult like this.

I do have an old beater of a razor bought from another member, so I think I really need to take all your advice and work with this one, because it's certainly accurate to say that I have not yet ever successfully honed a razor.