If your straight is not sharp enough would you go to a 5k, 8k, or 12k to spruce it up? I have been going to my 12 k shapton on a regular basis and then stopping. It seems like I am getting better shaves each time. I never experienced only having to strop before each use. I have been going back to the shapton 12000 after each shave. I have been scrubbing a bit to get a complete shave. The edge on my razor under magnification is good. However, I have been noticing that between the nice smooth scratch pattern, there are deeper scratches throughout. I have learned to prep my stones continuously to achieve a better scratch pattern. Constantly cleaning the build-up and using an equal grit cleaning stone. This has helped that problem but not completely.
the second question: Is it imperative to use very light passes on a finial stone? I find that in order for the blade to come in contact properly, I need to use a little downward pressure especially because it seems that my shapton pro stones are kind of sticky, to say the least. Thanks for any suggestions. I am starting to understand why natural stones are the way to go, I can sense that they would react much better. Only a guess.
the second question: Is it imperative to use very light passes on a finial stone? I find that in order for the blade to come in contact properly, I need to use a little downward pressure especially because it seems that my shapton pro stones are kind of sticky, to say the least. Thanks for any suggestions. I am starting to understand why natural stones are the way to go, I can sense that they would react much better. Only a guess.