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Best Finishing Stone and Reliable Source: advice for newbie

I buy all my acrylic from TAP Plastics. 3/4" thick for film and balsa use, 1/8" thick for low budget scales.
Thanks! When using this for scale materials is it difficult to work with? If I get it 1/8" thick and if I decided to thin it further. How does this stuff react with powered beltsanders? Does it melt easliy when sanding? If I use a scroll saw to cut it, does this stuff chip easily?
 
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I am finding after trying a lot of different finishing stones that the Arks, Dans, Jarrod at the Superior Shave or Jon at Dota Creek can all offer stones and advice. Order the stones lapped or you will spend a lot of time trying to get it in hone ready condition. I go straight from a 12k Naniwa, JNat or Coticule to the Ark. I am really liking my new convex black translucent from Jarrod.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
Thanks! When using this for scale materials is it difficult to work with? If I get it 1/8" thick and if I decided to thin it further. How does this stuff react with powered beltsanders? Does it melt easliy when sanding? If I use a scroll saw to cut it, does this stuff chip easily?

Very easy to work. Hand tools and sandpaper is all you really need. Be carefull with belt sander. It will melt the acrylic, which will instantly load up the belt. Don't want it any thinner. Very flexible. Cut with scroll saw, sure. Or coping saw.
 
I'll echo what ACutAbove said. The Superior Shave sells hard finishing arks. And they do the work of lapping and burnishing and finishing them.

Since they are so very hard, yes, they are slow cutters. One way around that is to pay more money and have them convex it for you at TSS.

Or just enjoy honing and not care that it's slow.
 
I purchased and received a used Dan's Black Arkansas from a member and a stone off eBay that seller represented as an "Antique Large Yellow Gray Fine Thuringian Water Razor Hone." I have no idea if that's what it is.

I have a Japanese straight razor, a Parker, that was supposed to be shave ready when I bought it, but was a little dull, and a very old French straight razor, an Ad Arbenz, that was completely dull, so I went to work on both razors with the two stones, simply honing with water.

The Ad Arbenz still needs a little work, not quite there yet. But the Parker was great. What I appreciated most is that the blade seemed more comfortable, smoother, not so toothy. But I'll bet I did at least two hundred laps on the Arkansas before I shaved, followed by 100 laps on a strop.

I have been looking at that Parker wondering if it would be worth it. Do you like it? I can't find much info about it;
 
I do like my Parker, but have other razors that I prefer for different quirky reasons. Of course the best razors for me are ones that are sharp and comfortable. I go from a 12K Naniwa to my Black Arkansas. It is slow work with the Ark, lots of passes, but my razors are sharper and more comfortable than before.
 
The
I am three months into straight razor shaving. I'm comfortable sharpening knives, so when I made the jump to straight razors, I immediately purchased a Naniwa 12K. I also have an excellent Llama 90K strop. I've been using these to touch up my razors.

But recently, I bought a couple of razors that need restoration. So I purchased Naniwa 1K, 5K, and 8K to go with my 12K.

Then I started reading honing threads on this site. And I would like to buy a NATURAL stone that I could use for finishing and polishing, to give my Naniwa 12K a little nudge. I would like to purchase one very good natural stone. What would you recommend?

Then I read the thread about poor quality, falsely stamped stones. And I am that guy who would buy one the phony stone, thinking I got a great deal, always wondering why I was struggling with finishing! So it would be helpful to also know a reliable source for that BEST finishing stone.

Thank you,
Moots

The Naniwa 12k you have can be used a great finisher, you can also consider a Suehiro Gokumyo 20k
 

Eben Stone

Staff member
La lune and similars from France are great, but can peel your fave off it you are not careful. I would avoid them as a first natural stone.
What's so special about the La Lune that deserves such a strict warning? I've heard the same think mentioned about black Arks. Would my edge likely be more bitey compared to using lapping film?
 

Legion

Staff member
What's so special about the La Lune that deserves such a strict warning? I've heard the same think mentioned about black Arks. Would my edge likely be more bitey compared to using lapping film?
Nope.

Some people are not fans of the face feel of some slates when used with water. I find using them with oil often improves it.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
I’ve tried two of the modern purple ones, and the edges tend to give me tiny ‘red dots’ (blood) if I’m not careful even though the edges are smooth and non-irritating. No idea why. The edges seem aggressive compared to say, a JNat or good slate. Definitely more agressive than a coti edge, but then most everything is.
 
I’ve tried two of the modern purple ones, and the edges tend to give me tiny ‘red dots’ (blood) if I’m not careful even though the edges are smooth and non-irritating. No idea why. The edges seem aggressive compared to say, a JNat or good slate. Definitely more agressive than a coti edge, but then most everything is.
Put a knife on that stone and start shaving hardwood with it, thin as you can.
 

Legion

Staff member
I’ve tried two of the modern purple ones, and the edges tend to give me tiny ‘red dots’ (blood) if I’m not careful even though the edges are smooth and non-irritating. No idea why. The edges seem aggressive compared to say, a JNat or good slate. Definitely more agressive than a coti edge, but then most everything is.
Could the stone be causing micro serrations somehow?
 
Could the stone be causing micro serrations somehow?
My experience is that the Lalune stones have a tendency to create micro chips.
If you use slurry it just rounds the apex. With water or oil it creates allot of random chips you can't see with a loupe. This is causing the red dots.

You hear people say if you do more then 15 strokes you can set the edge back. In my opinion that is just a signs it's a bad stone.
The feedback from the stone with slurry is good. With water it's terrible. With oil it's a little less terrible.

It can be used as a post-finisher. However, there are allot of better options in this category, like Akansas stones.
 
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For anyone who have a Lalune stone. I get the best results if I use synthetics up to 12k, and do 15 to 20 strokes with lubrication on the Lalune. After 20 strokes the stone starts to degrade the edge.

Naniva 12k
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Purple Lalune after 15 strokes
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Lalune after 50 strokes
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Legion

Staff member
For anyone who have a Lalune stone. I get the best results if I use synthetics up to 12k, and do 15 to 20 strokes with lubrication on the Lalune. After 20 strokes the stone starts to degrade the edge.

Naniva 12k
View attachment 1813796

Purple Lalune after 15 strokes
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Lalune after 50 strokes
View attachment 1813799
I bet it's as simple as there are some tiny little toxic inclusions that are too small to see with the eye. The more laps you do, the more times the edge hits the inclusions.
 
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