Thread: Help Touching Up

Hi Ken,

I've had multiple razors that I could not touch up w/ just the c12k. They are generally my better razors. I had to take each wacker back to bevel and then back up.

Most recently, I've started using slurry on the c12k. It seems to help it cut faster, but more importantly, really helped with keeping the edge smooth.

As one person said - it may take a trip back to the more coarse stones to enable the c12k to perform. I DO use tape, but that really doesn't have to do w/ a stone working or not. Having honed only about 35 edges, I'm no expert, but I do love my edges now.

If I like the feel of the TPT coming off the 8k, only then do I go to the c12k. I raise a slurry (I use a 'ruby stone', but any really hard fine stone would do - as would a dmt plate) until it's the consistency of 1-2% milk in appearance. I will often walk away until the water evaporates some & thickens the slurry. I then do about 30-40 strokes and check TPT about every 15-20. Using this method, it's possible the thick slurry is actually taking away some keen-ness but the smoothness makes up for it IMO. On a good TPT, I'll refresh the existing pc of tape, add one more for a microbevel, and give 7-8 extremely light strokes and recheck TPT. Harder steel blades take about 3x as many strokes. These last strokes seem to recover the keen-ness given up to the thick slurry. All of this process could be used without tape - so go w/ your preferences. I suspect the slurry will help speed up the effect of your C12 brick. I'm curious & would love to try other stones, but its hard to justify the cost when the brick does so well.

I would only add that as Glenn reminds us - we often underestimate stropping. I've had stropping actually dull a blade, so I recheck TPT while stropping on canvas, and on the leather. After stones, I do 30-60 on canvas w/ extreme light strokes, and 100 leather - also very light.

+1 on maybe just touching up won't do it and you might need to go to a lower grit, and do a good stropping session, stropping really works miracles imo ;p