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How to get outstanding results of the La Lune hones?

Hello Gentleman,

after reading every single thread in all known english and german speaking forums i`am still curious about the "hype" about it.

A good edge of this stone is no problem, but i don`t feel any advantage to a good thüri, jnat or coti edge!

I tryed some things:

Honed a straight up too Chosera 10k, then 10-15 turns on a La Lune : Little more natural feel but nothing outstanding, maybe less sharpness.
Honed a straight up too Ohzuku (my absolutely finest stone and i own some Jnats....) The edge was only less sharp, but still too sharp for my skin.
After Coti edge i felt no improvement at all, i tryed several times with more and less strokes...., after about 50 strokes on the LaLune the edge turned aggressive.
After Thüri the edge no really refinement, only smoothness was lost.

How do you use them?, i can preclude that the stone is not fine enough, i tryed every refinement with 4 different LaLunes, on different Razors of very good quality.

I hope a specialist here can tell me what`s the trick?

Greets Sebastian.
 
You must use oil or a mix of glycerine and water. I am revising my opinion on them as far as laps go. You can go over 20 but you have to be super light and have very good steel. This is not a water stone imo. It is not porous (I have tested all of mine, they absorb virtually no water), but there is something about the material that plays far nicer with things besides water as the buffer. Even my lesser one is capable of turning out an edge a step above my old labelled escher that was part yellow.
 
I forget to mention that i have used oil and water as lubricant.

Maybe my sharpening oil (Ballistol) is way too thin...........

What are your steps bevore using the La Lunes?

Greets Sebastian.
 
I have gone from ultra hard cotis straight to it, but I also went to it off of an escher, as well as another thuri level finisher of unkown origin. Have you been trying the purple or black ones? All my experience is with the red/purple. I never get anything less than an absolutely beautiful edge off of the thing. Try more laps.
 
Ok, for tomorrows shave i will do 20 more strokes on the purple one just too know what`s happening.

I got some purples here and a grey one.

I will report tommorow.

greets Sebastian.
 
I actually have another piece of purple coming here from europe. Try a glycerine/water mix if you have easy access to some.
 
It worked best with glycerin/water mix for me and this provided the nicest feedback. The resulting edges were spectacular, very aggressive yet smooth. The more you push the less smooth and fragile the edges become.
 
Never got a better edge off them myself. Always thought they were a step down from thuri's in all respects. Same for the special stones.
 
I've yet to try any of the alleged 'French' stones. The exception being the La P.
I always raise an eyebrow on that 'only for good razors' thing.
Someday I'll step on one though.
 
I have the red Lunes and two of the special stones and i dont get these "outstanding" results....

The stones are in their appearance and behavior very well special!! And i really like them....

I always have the feeling that the edges i can create with these stones are extreme sharp and very well polished and i only have three comparable stones with near findings....

One is a french Vosgienne (natural) the other two are a Pierre Chimique and a Fernsler Ruby Hone (Barber Hones).

I use these stones mostly to create a well formed and nearly mirror like bevel and then use a backward progression, a Thuri to smooth out the edge....

I never got overperforming edges with the stones, probably due a lack of tecnique, i dont know....
 
Today i did some laps more with oil (Ballistol) on the Ohzuku finished edge with 20laps of LaLune. So today about 30 Laps more till i got a little feedback of the stone. Just in my mind i should be done. Now its too late for a shave but tomorrow morning i will test that lovely razor, and iam looking forward....


Greets Sebastian.
 
That has to be a translation thing because I take it to mean good steel more than a razor with a good stamp on the tang. If I have a blade I knocked oxidation off of, if I plan to feed it to one of these or a vosgienne, I tend to cut a bit further in even if it looks ok with the loupe. I have had a few incredibly frustrating moments with microchipping, esp with the vosgienne if I didn't make good and sure.
 
Thank you for your input gentleman!

I think i got it!
After a well done Ohzuku (dmt Slurry) edge, i ended up with about 50 no preassure strokes on this LaLune with a thin weapon oil (Ballistol). After the edge degradet to a slightly visible effect of the LaLune stone, and i mainly felt a change while honing, i stopped, stropped and had a very very good bbs shave wtg/atg.

I would not call it outstanding but i think at least Top10 level..

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My girlfrien just called me a STERD! (stone NERD).

Greets Sebastian.
 
Last edited:

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
Sterd! I like it. I have a new Nakayama kiita arriving today I hope. Thanks for the report Sebastian. I am looking forward to seeing if you can get more out of it. I'd love to have one just as a curiosity, but have never seen one in the US. I prowl around eBay.fr but apparently not enough.

Joyeaux Noël!

Cheers, Steve
 
Thank you for your input gentleman!

I think i got it!
After a well done Ohzuku (dmt Slurry) edge, i ended up with about 50 no preassure strokes on this LaLune with a thin weapon oil (Ballistol). After the edge degradet to a slightly visible effect of the LaLune stone, and i mainly felt a change while honing, i stopped, stropped and had a very very good bbs shave wtg/atg.

I would not call it outstanding but i think at least Top10 level..

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My girlfrien just called me a STERD! (stone NERD).

Greets Sebastian.

Can you compare your Level 10 to other finishes with other stones ?
 
I would still give glycerin/water a shot. You kind of need to develop a familiarity with these to get really good with them. I have been very stubborn about finishing with these almost exclusively for awhile now and I am getting way better with it. Sadly, it is not nearly as easy to use as a thuringian. It's probably why thuris are the gold standard for finishers. Very easy to coax great edges from.
 
I would still give glycerin/water a shot. You kind of need to develop a familiarity with these to get really good with them. I have been very stubborn about finishing with these almost exclusively for awhile now and I am getting way better with it. Sadly, it is not nearly as easy to use as a thuringian. It's probably why thuris are the gold standard for finishers. Very easy to coax great edges from.

I bought a little bottle of glycerine today!, i will try this for sure!, thanks again for the input!

Greets Sebastian.
 
Can you compare your Level 10 to other finishes with other stones ?

This don`t mean that was in my Top 10 of alltime shaves.......

I just can compare the shaving feel in my face, and my "Top 10" are just edges from stones that shaved me superb. My alltime favorite is an Ohtaniyama Asagi Edge got on my favorite razor, but i never get that kind of edge again on other razors, mainly because i`am not able too, i don`t think that the razor is better than my others. Someday this special one will need an touchup and i will see if i`am able to reproduce that kind of laser edge. Another crazy good edge was created by using the Olivia frankonian, the real frankonians, the thüri troutstone, and some special cotis are in my Top 10.

I meant this shave today was as good as it was done with one of the 10 best finishers i used so far. And this is quite good.

Greets Sebastian.
 
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