Search:

Originally the goal of this post was to experiment and test different nagura with your assortment of base stones and better understand what to look for to improve your edges. You have done that well...

The frame back looks to have been aggressively but uniformly-honed by the seller, the edge looks straight though not well refined, but a good base to start from.

Because it was not honed with tape...

Yes, looking at micrographs on a cell phone screen would be tough. I have my scope connected to a laptop and much larger screen. I also use a photo editing software to enlarge and zoom into specific...

You ended up with a nice straight edge, but I can still see 3k stria on the bevel through the kasumi Jnat finished bevel.

So, keep in mind what we are after is the edge, all that follow may not be...

Just to keep in prospective, here are photos of a Norton 8k bevel from the 2nd Try at Honing post, by PMC. There are very good reference photos of bevels at the various stages of honing at 1,4,8 and...

One can definitely shave off of an 8k, especially from some of the newer 8k’s that perform much like 12k’s if the bevel is properly set up.

It is also aggressive as witnessed by the swarf in the...

I don’t have a Gouken,Fuji 8k, I do have the Junpaku Snow White and other 8k stones.

The Junpaku is a very hard, aggressive 8k that produces a fine bright polish and super straight edge.

Folks...

There is learning to hone, then there is learning to hone other people’s razors.

You have made great progress in improving an Jnat edge using a nagura progression, but honing a single or hand full...

Steel damage goes much deeper than the bottom of the impact/chip. Add to that the steel at the edge is very thin. So, even if the damage is from striking the scale, (which must be fixed) it is impact...

Is the bevel equally narrow from heel to toe and on both sides? A very narrow bevel can be a result of a heel issue or warp in the blade. If heel, it must be corrected before honing. If a warp, the...

The Gujo nagura may be interesting, but it sounds like they can vary a bit in performance.

Being that they are low grit stones, it really should not matter all that much. They are much like a 1k...

The Heljestrand edge may be improved a bit.

With razors that I know are hard and have some edge damage, like yours I begin by jointing the edge straight.

Here I look down on the edge, any dark...

“Is it worth spending hundreds of dollars to get better results? On the contrary ... are "really" better results possible? Of course I can improve my technique, use better the slurry but... if I...

Yes, it is.

Donato is using a Tsushima in place of a Botan to remove 3k stria and as a pre-polish base level, for testing other Nagura in a Tomo Nagura progression on an assortment of base stone....

Novaculite edges are all over the map, first the stone can range in terms of fineness, and cutting ability, and depending on how the stone face was finished can affect its ability to cut or polish....

I have heard good thing from all three stones, the Gouken Fugi gets good reviews and heard good thing on the Nano hone,

The Morihei Hishiboshi #9000 looks and sounds interesting as it is both...

Tsushima can be aggressive, even more so than Botan. Depending on the slurry thickness and pressure, you can remove some steel fairly quickly.

The other day I touched up two of my razors, they...

So, remember that all Nagura are natural stones and performance can and will vary from stone to stone. from Nagura to base stone combination, and even from Nagura, base stone… and steel combination....

As I have watched your honing progress through all the slurries and problematic razor edges, I have wondered what you could do with a razor with a good grind and good steel.

The original edge,...

Yes, that is a nice 3k bevel, the edge is a bit ragged, jointing straightened it out nicely.

The Tsushima edge looks pretty good and seemed to degrade with the Ohira a bit, the bevel also appears...

That is not a bad looking 3k bevel, the edge could have been improved by jointing and honing on a clean freshly lapped stone, as your post jointing photo shows, it was mostly flashing.

A 4-inch...

Yes, as expected the Kita did refine the edge and left a nice stria pattern. The chip is small enough that it should not present a problem during shaving. But it does illustrate that the steel may...

The edge looks very straight after the Ohira nagura, even though it left some scratches on the bevel.

So, nagura are just one ingredient in the honing mix. And some razors will perform better with...

It could be the steel, there is a small pit, over the large pittng at the base of the bevel. If you watch that pit you can see how much steel is removed at the edge, as the small pit gets closer to...

The edge looks a bit rough after the Tsushima but straighten up nicely after stropping.

The Kita slurry appears to have chipped the edge, post stropping the damage is enhanced, or at least more...