Thread: Jnat Finishing Routines--what are yours?

On my stone, sticking is not too bad so long as very light pressure is used, the razor is ready to be finished and the surface of the stone is not glazed. Maybe I'm the odd one on this, but I hadn't lapped my stone since I got it, the surface was like a mirror, I was getting lots of chattering no matter how little water/pressure I used, it was very slow & increasingly tricky to achieve the final edge--exactly like before I first lapped it.

I did a few figure-8s w/ my well-worn DMT 325 & just for fun, played w/ a blade that needed a touchup. As I predicted, 325 is still a little coarse for that stone, so no final edge, even allowing for longer slurry breakdown. THe surface still was somewhat reflective, though. I smoothed it back out w/ my coticule slurry stone (3 slurries each side; BBW & cot) & a heavy slurry w/ my tomonagura. Surface was slightly shinier from an angle, but looked "cleaner" from above if that makes sense.

Touched up another razor & it came out great--feedback was good, responded well to dilution & if I felt any resistance after a dilution I just did a few circles & checked again that it was gone--then a few x-strokes & that same pattern to water. Palm stropped, more water-only strokes, stropped & popped hairs well. Need to shave-test, but I'm almost wondering if my stone sort of has a "sweet spot" for surface smoothness: too rough & it releases bigger particles; too smooth & it glazes easily & turns almost into a burnishing plate w/ very little abrasion. "Just right" allows for the final edge. Not sure.

UPDATE: Sure enough, the DMT slurry did not give the final edge, while the tomonagura slurry did. Touched up both & actually slightly overdid it on both--too much time on water only I think. I then tried a trick I heard So recommends for that: 5 strokes dry followed by stropping.

Haven't shave tested yet, but has anyone else tried dry strokes to fix the very beginning of overhoning on these stones?