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High Rockwell hardness razors vs natural stones

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
I completely abandoned the naturals and went 3-8-12. I hesitate to drop to 1k, but I may just tape and hone carefree already :smile:

My first attempt was with the Coticule, then later a nagura progression.

The more I mull this over, the more it is evident that tape and time on the hones is the solution.
 
I have went away from taping the spines on my razors, the only exceptions being my two customs from Brian. One being a Western and one a Kami, just to pretty to have hone wear!
 
Bad news:

SUperstoens ar even crappier then naturals. They are all binder & soft abrasive.
That is the reason the few "Meisters" that still insist on using them advocate a ton of pressure.

Any good synthetic handles the hardest razor with ease. And yes, so does lapping film.

Film, Chosera, Sigmas, Shapton Pro & glass for example all handles 63HRC with no problem.
But not superstones. I have no idea what they are made for, but it sure aint abrading metal...

But, since it is all you got I say slurry them a bit & have at it.

I just did my Spyderco Endura in ZDP-189. That is 67 HRC & tons of alloys. No problems on the Shaptons... Just sayin' :biggrin:
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
:Lol: no Shaptons in the future for me! But never say never?
 
more time on the stones will do the trick.
If you are using Jnats you need to have the correct prepolisher(s) to get the job done.
what is the hardness on that razor?
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
more time on the stones will do the trick.
If you are using Jnats you need to have the correct prepolisher(s) to get the job done.
what is the hardness on that razor?

Not sure, but it is harder than my vintages including a Henkotsu. Very little metal is removed.

I have 2 sets of botan/mejiro/tenjyou, and one koma. Will try again with my "white" set this time.
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Hasn't had a chance to revisit yet, but I have decided to tape the spine and take it to my Coticule for a bevel reset. I suspect I was subconsciously babying the razor.

Shave wise the edge off the synthetic was very sharp, but after 2 consecutive shaves the tell tale burn was evident. Going back to natural stones will be nice.

I have to admit the original edge Brian put on was smooth, keen, and I should have left well enough alone. But I am a hone fanatic at heart and couldn't resist putting it through the paces :smile:.
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Taped it up and took it to my Coticule then Jnat. Bevel was hit much more evenly now, but in talking with a resident honemeister my technique seems to be lacking in some areas :-0. It's about 85% where I like it...the last 15% has more to do with how the edge looks vs practical keeness IMO. But that's why we hone for fun, right?
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Well, it shaved very, very well. My honing sessions also refreshed the spike and it bit me in the jaw:smile:. More importantly the edge is as keen if not keener than off the 12k Naniwa, and much smoother.

The best indicator of the hardness of this blade was most evident on my finest Koma nagura slurry. Despite many laps, the slurry barely darkened beyond a tan color. When doing other blades I own the slurry is much darker. Another indicator for me is the finish on the bevel lacks that hazy sandblasted scratch pattern. Instead I can still see the scratches from coarser slurry/stones. On my kamisori there are virtually no scratches at all.

So, again, it still needs more time. This has been an educational experience, one that will likely improve the edges on all my razors.
 
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