To get the keenest edge with a Jnat, do you suggest final strokes to be on water only? I have a Wakasa and will test that out.
Keenest Edge with a Jnat
- Thread starter BBS Kirk
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It depends on the stone. On my ozukus I get the keenest edge taking the slurry to the absolute limit until it has broken down and almost dried up around the edges.
I love my Wakasa. There is always more than one way to skin a cat but I finish with water after the slurry has mostly broken down and that has worked for me for the last 6 years or so. Experiment and you'll find what works best for you.
- Thread starter
- #4
It is a great stone. How many strokes do you do? Under running water?
There is no magic recipe for JNATS like X number of strokes, water only, this much or that much slurry but there is a formula that my Mentor Doc preached to me long, long ago and that is “ Hone, Shave, Repeat” and that’s the only way because even stones mined from the same vein by the same person will yield totally different results by the person using them so no two ppl will get the same result using the same stone
Well said and it holds true with any stone
I agree with JNAT CAT, there is no magic number, especially for natural stones. I don't hone under running water but do know a lot of wet shavers that do who know what they are doing. I use a spray bottle with water. As for number of strokes that depends on the blade and how fast the stone is. My Wakasa is a fairly fast cutter. So, once I get to that finisher about 20 laps with slurry and about 15 with just water. It doesn't take much. Once I realized that there is also a discipline in refining the edge with a good strop my stone work became a lot less difficult and time consuming. Once you have your stropping down you will find it takes fewer laps on a finisher to get a good shaving edge.
I had a Wakasa and there should be no need to finish under running water.
As a matter of fact mine gave a very nice edge With a touch of slurry. The edges were too sharp for a lot of razors without it. Back to running water thats generally reserved for coticules that are on the softer side and not jnats. When the earlier poster referred to using water it was likely a light spritz from a spray bottle or a finger or two dipped in water then dripped on the stone keeping it just wet enough for a bit of lubrication.
I believe @Gamma has some videos on youtube that would be of help under the user tomonagura and I would start there.
As a matter of fact mine gave a very nice edge With a touch of slurry. The edges were too sharp for a lot of razors without it. Back to running water thats generally reserved for coticules that are on the softer side and not jnats. When the earlier poster referred to using water it was likely a light spritz from a spray bottle or a finger or two dipped in water then dripped on the stone keeping it just wet enough for a bit of lubrication.
I believe @Gamma has some videos on youtube that would be of help under the user tomonagura and I would start there.
Water only can be very counterproductive if you're fairly new (or even experienced) with a hard stone. I've never been a fan of water only finished JNAT edges, the closest I get to that is trace slurry depending on the stone.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Usually finishing on clear water or under running water on jnats is a technique to ‘bump up’ the keenness from a softer stone that isn’t quite as fine but polishes well. It doesn’t work with every stone, you just have to try it.
What Will and Alfredo said, ‘hone, shave, repeat’ - that’s how you determine the best honing method for any stone, match up tomos, etc. I would add to ‘hone, shave, and repeat’ that ‘there are no shortcuts or formulas’.
What Will and Alfredo said, ‘hone, shave, repeat’ - that’s how you determine the best honing method for any stone, match up tomos, etc. I would add to ‘hone, shave, and repeat’ that ‘there are no shortcuts or formulas’.
I would never hone under running water. If I had a stone that needed that treatment, I'd dump it.
I would say yes.
The sharpest edge will be with water only BUT, the most comfortable may not be.
The sharpest edge will be with water only BUT, the most comfortable may not be.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
It’s quite common with cotis, a ‘standard’ technique.
Not in my world...
I didn't mean that to sound so harsh.. I'm sorry for that.
I just don't hone under running water. No offence to those that do..
I used to finish on water on my jnats, with alot of trial and error.
Using water only after a thin fine slurry has often created suction right away. Alot of people say that is what you want at the finishing stage, but I have had no luck that way, suction means more contact with the stone(wouldn't that be the same as using more preassure? Which kills edges). I thought I was getting good edges, but finishing on a thin fine slurry just enough to AVOID suction has yielded the best edges(sharper and smoother) by far.
To each his own, one can only experiment to know what you like.
Using water only after a thin fine slurry has often created suction right away. Alot of people say that is what you want at the finishing stage, but I have had no luck that way, suction means more contact with the stone(wouldn't that be the same as using more preassure? Which kills edges). I thought I was getting good edges, but finishing on a thin fine slurry just enough to AVOID suction has yielded the best edges(sharper and smoother) by far.
To each his own, one can only experiment to know what you like.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
No problem - but the OP asked how to get the keenest edge from a jnat and a lot of the replies answer how to get the best edge for a particular person. This isn’t always the same thing.
All my JNats are relatively hard. With a stone that doesn't autoslurry, the difference between finishing on plain water, and under running water, would be chasing ghosts... an exercise in futility. IMHO
That said, I've spent some time on JNats, but I'm not an expert. I like my coticules, but I'm not an expert there either. Now that I think of it, I'm not an expert on anything except the trade I plied for my adult lifetime... and perhaps that is open to debate also...
That said, I've spent some time on JNats, but I'm not an expert. I like my coticules, but I'm not an expert there either. Now that I think of it, I'm not an expert on anything except the trade I plied for my adult lifetime... and perhaps that is open to debate also...
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- Thread starter
- #19
Appreciate the replies Gents!
And all this is even more time on the stone if you are using a wedge. Point is even the razor and steel makes a difference on how long it takes and what technique now let's add tape to the equation.
