Charnley wow...

[Joe Edson]

I've been playing around with my charnley lately to determine the best way to bring out the edge.

Previous attempts I've been starting with a slurry and doing half x-strokes for about 20 per side and diluting about 5 times till just water and going 50-60 regular x-strokes after that.

I've been getting pretty good edges this way - very similar to an escher finish.

However, I've always read that charnley edges should be super sharp and very keen as opposed to an escher that IME is super sharp, but pretty smooth (maybe not coticule smooth, but definitely my favorite finisher).

Tonight I took a Le Grelot that was honed on my previous method on the charnley that took a very good edge, but I felt it wasn't maxed out. I just went to water on the charnley and went away with x-strokes for 150-200 laps with basically no pressure.

I now understand where the keeness comments come from. Holy cow the razor ended up with the sharpest edge I've ever put on a razor, but it definitely stung me a bit. I'll be interested to see how long this shave lasts as I think I'm beyond BBS everywhere.

Based on these results I think I prefer escher edges, but am going to continue testing the charnley to dial it in. Next tests I think will be similar amounts of x-strokes on slurry to see if I get the same sharpness but with a tamer edge.

For the crazy prices these go for and the number of laps required to maximize the edge, I think you are most definitely better off buying a vintage thuringian/escher.

But, I do love having another finishing stone at my arsenal that puts on a different edge. HAD is definitely a fun thing to play around with.

 

[honed]

I've been playing around with my charnley lately to determine the best way to bring out the edge.

Previous attempts I've been starting with a slurry and doing half x-strokes for about 20 per side and diluting about 5 times till just water and going 50-60 regular x-strokes after that.

I've been getting pretty good edges this way - very similar to an escher finish.

However, I've always read that charnley edges should be super sharp and very keen as opposed to an escher that IME is super sharp, but pretty smooth (maybe not coticule smooth, but definitely my favorite finisher).

Tonight I took a Le Grelot that was honed on my previous method on the charnley that took a very good edge, but I felt it wasn't maxed out. I just went to water on the charnley and went away with x-strokes for 150-200 laps with basically no pressure.

I now understand where the keeness comments come from. Holy cow the razor ended up with the sharpest edge I've ever put on a razor, but it definitely stung me a bit. I'll be interested to see how long this shave lasts as I think I'm beyond BBS everywhere.

Based on these results I think I prefer escher edges, but am going to continue testing the charnley to dial it in. Next tests I think will be similar amounts of x-strokes on slurry to see if I get the same sharpness but with a tamer edge.

For the crazy prices these go for and the number of laps required to maximize the edge, I think you are most definitely better off buying a vintage thuringian/escher.

But, I do love having another finishing stone at my arsenal that puts on a different edge. HAD is definitely a fun thing to play around with.

Thanks for your write-up!

Your conclusion seems to be in line with what most others have found.
If you really max out on your C.F you will have an edge that is sharper then after an Escher, but not as smooth. In the end it's preference. Then it's nice to have both

 

[Disburden]

Oil and more laps brings a much finer edge, see what happens, finer than water.

 

[birnando]

Oil and more laps brings a much finer edge, see what happens.

+1 to that.
I had the same experience as the OP, when first trying out my CF.
After a while I tried oil on it instead, and that made the stone perform much more like my Escher and J-Nat.
I still prefer my Escher as a finisher, but get great edges off of all three of them.

 

[Joe Edson]

Oil and more laps brings a much finer edge, see what happens, finer than water.

I actually don't need a finer edge - I need a tamer edge. The edge off of just water is too fine for my face and I like something a little smoother. Maybe I'll try oil and the same laps on my other charnley as I spent too much time cleaning my big charnley to muck it up with oil again. And to be honest, if I have to do more than 200 laps to maximize an edge from the stone, it is just not worth it IMO when I can maximize an edge on the escher with 50-60 laps and really love that edge.

+1 to that.
I had the same experience as the OP, when first trying out my CF.
After a while I tried oil on it instead, and that made the stone perform much more like my Escher and J-Nat.
I still prefer my Escher as a finisher, but get great edges off of all three of them.

Ok, will have to give oil a shot. I was just amazed at the difference when doing a ton of laps on just water with the charnley. Definitely an edge I've never experienced before.

 

[superbleu]

Joe how do the edges off the CF compare to diamond spray if you have them?

From what I have read seems like the edges off diamond spray treated edges have similar characteristics to your edges off the CF (scary sharp, but not the smoothest)

 

[gary haywood]

could you not now just finish after cf with 30 laps on your hybrid side with water. this would tame the edge down. from what i have read the edges are sharp but crispy smooth, i find escher edge crispy smooth, thats why i prfer coti finish buttery smooth

 

[Kees]

How about some laps on a chromox strop for a smoother edge?

 

[Joe Edson]

Joe how do the edges off the CF compare to diamond spray if you have them?

From what I have read seems like the edges off diamond spray treated edges have similar characteristics to your edges off the CF (scary sharp, but not the smoothest)

I don't have diamond spray or anything like that. I have CrOx, but haven't played around with it much as I feel that if I'm going to pay big bucks for a natural finisher then I want to know what the edge off it is really like.

I do have a shapton 30K that I picked up on BST awhile back and have yet to use. Eventually I'll have to compare to this.

could you not now just finish after cf with 30 laps on your hybrid side with water. this would tame the edge down. from what i have read the edges are sharp but crispy smooth, i find escher edge crispy smooth, thats why i prfer coti finish buttery smooth

Are you talking about the hybrid side of a Les Lat? I really, really wish I had one of those. Agree on your assessment of escher and coti edges, but I slightly prefer the escher. I do have some razors finished with just a coti though and quite enjoy the edges off those as well.

How about some laps on a chromox strop for a smoother edge?

I was actually thinking about trying this and may give it a go. I just hate using pastes and powders after a finisher as I like to get a true feeling of the edges the finishers provide.


Needless to say I have a lot more testing to do. Using oil, maybe trying just water with some dish soap in it, or just doing the same number of laps on a slurry to see if that tames the edge and maintains sharpness. Fun stuff!

 

[gary haywood]

could you not now just finish after cf with 30 laps on your hybrid side with water. this would tame the edge down. from what i have read the edges are sharp but crispy smooth, i find escher edge crispy smooth, thats why i prfer coti finish buttery smooth

i read les latneusus in your sentance at the bottom. i thought you had one . the les lat is the coticule with hybrid side. any coticule will or may work .

 

[Disburden]

From what I've shaved with an oiled cf, it is an oil stone, produces an edge that's insanely sharp but not as harsh as the water edge, fyi.

Its no where coticule smooth, obviously.

 

[Joe Edson]

i read les latneusus in your sentance at the bottom. i thought you had one . the les lat is the coticule with hybrid side. any coticule will or may work .

Ahh, It is my want to buy signature line

Someday I'll get me a Les Lat, but I do have other coti's to play around with.

From what I've shaved with an oiled cf, it is an oil stone, produces an edge that's insanely sharp but not as harsh as the water edge, fyi.

Its no where coticule smooth, obviously.

Well I tried a razor out with my other charnley that I dedicated to oil. I just used some "honing oil" I bought at lowes which basically to me looks like glycerol.

I did about 150 laps with oil and the edge produced was significantly more tamed, but still very sharp. I think it was very comparable to an escher edge.

Looks like oil may be the way to go, though some people probably prefer that super sharp and keen edge that water will produce.