I think I've got information overload or something...
I've been playing around with my "junker" trying to get it shave ready, with only limited success. I'll try to describe what I've been doing, and hopefully someone can give me a little guidance.
Hones:
1/4k JP synthetic
8k JP synthetic
12k chinese natural
Spyderco M,F,UF.
I've tried playing around with each of these setups; first I tried coming up from the JP 1K through all the way to the 12K, I set the bevel, monitored the bevel development through 100x magnification, watching that the worst micro-chips were worked out, tried to ensure that the previous scratches were polished out before moving up. Haven't seen the development of a wire edge, everything looks pretty nice under 100x magnification.
Not much success with HHT, TPT feels good (AFAIK), arm hair comes off... sorta. Not shaveable.
OK, then my Syderco hones arrive; using water, I took my poor abused blade all the way through from M up to UF using the so called "pyramid". HHT: kinda, if I waved it around at the blade. TPT; felt pretty good. Shave test: pulled a bit, no comparison to my honmeister's job on my daily shaver. Went back to the UF but with lather. Seemed to get a bit sharper; enough that I attempted a first pass shave, with a bit of pulling and scraping, not good enough to even attempt a second pass with it.
Then, I read a thread on Coticule.be about Japanese Naturals and the utilization of the broken down particles of slurry to refine the edge....(http://www.coticule.be/the-cafeteria/topic/238.html) thought "OK, worth a try"; realizing that I have synthetics not JNats, but based on the premise that synthetics are imitating JNats. I monitored the edge through the ol' scope, and worked my way up again, but using the slurry in the (my understanding of) same way as mentioned on that thread. I noticed that the edge developed that "sandblasted" look that my reading leads me to believe happens with a coticule, but NO sharpness to the blade. None. Felt like trying to shave arm hairs with a ripped piece of tin. Scratch that idea!
Back to the JSynthetics, conventional approach: light slurry, diluting with water as I progressed in strokes, until there was no slurry left, lightening up on the pressure near the end of each cycle. Lot'sa strokes on the 8 & 12 K stones. Checking in the scope as I go. I could tell the difference from each stage to the next, thought I could begin to feel the difference; the blade seem to smooth out and get almost sticky, most noticably on the 12k. Under the scope though, the edge seemed to show more new micro-chips, maybe what could almost be described as flaking. I decided to try the Spyderco UF, but dry. Felt just a slick as could be, glassy and smooth. I did a bunch of strokes with the blade almost hovering over the stone, and the microscope showed even further polishing on the edge, still with a bit of flakiness though. Arm hairs will come off now, but only with a bit of pressure. Not quite what I was hoping for, at all. HHT passed but not spectacularily. Not much chance at a shave with it. If anything not as sharp as the trip up the pyramid with the Spyderco stones and water.
I've been getting a bit a practice lately so my stroke has evened out, I'm starting to maybe "feel" a bit of what's going on, really starting to get the Zen part of it all. I think I have a good grasp of the "theory" of honing (Lord knows I've sure been reading up on it!). But I just can't seem to get any kind of edge I can shave with. I've done a visual comparison (100x) against three other blades, including a commercial SE blade; my honemeister's job done with Shaptons up to 30K on an Elskituna (this one showed a very distinct compound bevel, nice fine scratches and very little edge jaggedness (for lack of a better word) very similar to the SE, not quite as fine); a mystery job on a W&B "not-quite sharp enough for me" razor showing a lot of parrallel scratches and pitting and flakiness. Under the scope, my blade seems to be right in the middle of the pack, nicer looking than the W&B, which was sharper, not as refined looking as the Elskituna. It "looks" like it should shave, but it doesn't. WTH?
Any advice? Please don't tell me I need a $300 Shaptons 30K; SWMBO would freakin' kill me! (oh yeah! she's noticed the HAD now too!)
I've been playing around with my "junker" trying to get it shave ready, with only limited success. I'll try to describe what I've been doing, and hopefully someone can give me a little guidance.
Hones:
1/4k JP synthetic
8k JP synthetic
12k chinese natural
Spyderco M,F,UF.
I've tried playing around with each of these setups; first I tried coming up from the JP 1K through all the way to the 12K, I set the bevel, monitored the bevel development through 100x magnification, watching that the worst micro-chips were worked out, tried to ensure that the previous scratches were polished out before moving up. Haven't seen the development of a wire edge, everything looks pretty nice under 100x magnification.
Not much success with HHT, TPT feels good (AFAIK), arm hair comes off... sorta. Not shaveable.
OK, then my Syderco hones arrive; using water, I took my poor abused blade all the way through from M up to UF using the so called "pyramid". HHT: kinda, if I waved it around at the blade. TPT; felt pretty good. Shave test: pulled a bit, no comparison to my honmeister's job on my daily shaver. Went back to the UF but with lather. Seemed to get a bit sharper; enough that I attempted a first pass shave, with a bit of pulling and scraping, not good enough to even attempt a second pass with it.
Then, I read a thread on Coticule.be about Japanese Naturals and the utilization of the broken down particles of slurry to refine the edge....(http://www.coticule.be/the-cafeteria/topic/238.html) thought "OK, worth a try"; realizing that I have synthetics not JNats, but based on the premise that synthetics are imitating JNats. I monitored the edge through the ol' scope, and worked my way up again, but using the slurry in the (my understanding of) same way as mentioned on that thread. I noticed that the edge developed that "sandblasted" look that my reading leads me to believe happens with a coticule, but NO sharpness to the blade. None. Felt like trying to shave arm hairs with a ripped piece of tin. Scratch that idea!
Back to the JSynthetics, conventional approach: light slurry, diluting with water as I progressed in strokes, until there was no slurry left, lightening up on the pressure near the end of each cycle. Lot'sa strokes on the 8 & 12 K stones. Checking in the scope as I go. I could tell the difference from each stage to the next, thought I could begin to feel the difference; the blade seem to smooth out and get almost sticky, most noticably on the 12k. Under the scope though, the edge seemed to show more new micro-chips, maybe what could almost be described as flaking. I decided to try the Spyderco UF, but dry. Felt just a slick as could be, glassy and smooth. I did a bunch of strokes with the blade almost hovering over the stone, and the microscope showed even further polishing on the edge, still with a bit of flakiness though. Arm hairs will come off now, but only with a bit of pressure. Not quite what I was hoping for, at all. HHT passed but not spectacularily. Not much chance at a shave with it. If anything not as sharp as the trip up the pyramid with the Spyderco stones and water.
I've been getting a bit a practice lately so my stroke has evened out, I'm starting to maybe "feel" a bit of what's going on, really starting to get the Zen part of it all. I think I have a good grasp of the "theory" of honing (Lord knows I've sure been reading up on it!). But I just can't seem to get any kind of edge I can shave with. I've done a visual comparison (100x) against three other blades, including a commercial SE blade; my honemeister's job done with Shaptons up to 30K on an Elskituna (this one showed a very distinct compound bevel, nice fine scratches and very little edge jaggedness (for lack of a better word) very similar to the SE, not quite as fine); a mystery job on a W&B "not-quite sharp enough for me" razor showing a lot of parrallel scratches and pitting and flakiness. Under the scope, my blade seems to be right in the middle of the pack, nicer looking than the W&B, which was sharper, not as refined looking as the Elskituna. It "looks" like it should shave, but it doesn't. WTH?
Any advice? Please don't tell me I need a $300 Shaptons 30K; SWMBO would freakin' kill me! (oh yeah! she's noticed the HAD now too!)