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What did you hone today?

I had knocked this Törnblom into the sink a few days ago and my new synth progression made short work of the small chips. I think I found a place for my ILR; after experimenting this weekend, a few passes on it after the Fuji 8k seems to set things up nicely for the ark. I also surfaced the ark with 600 w/d and that, combined with WD40, seems like a sweet spot. Best HHT I've gotten to date.
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I think 600 is perfect for hard(black or translucent) arks. I've yet to try wd-40 or rem oil but I'm sure it'll be soon. I've heard great things about gun oil from old timer, not rem oil, but probably closer to old 3 in 1 or something. I'd guess it's essentially setting machine oil but I'm not sure. Hopefully someone either reaffirms or rebukes what I've said.
 
This razor has hit a bunch of rocks im surprised it isn't an ice pick yet, but it had either been baby'd on the stones or rarely honed and it was allegedly 12k+ crox(I believe but either not done well or the fact I hate synths for some reason) but I hated how it shaved and I've thrown a barrage of stones at it. It shaved very well since I got that new les latneuses 100x40 in then finished on a charnwood. Once I took it to my 5" norton hard arkansas slip stone(this one is black, don't see too many) and it finally gave up that bbs, first pass w/ minor touch up shave. I want to get an actual escher or proven thuri because the "apex water hone" I have is not razor grade but makes a decent slurry for a knife. I've heard of them being really hard like xx la lunes or or Soft like a la petite blanch coticule can be but always very fine, so I don't know what I have but I'll get a good one eventually..

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Pictured is a charnwood, norton hard slip stone, les latneuses coti+slurry stone, suspected old loss lune, and the Washita I set the bevel on.
 
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Yeah the fineness in early or later is a mix bag either way I believe. It has more to do with the hardness of the stone I think and how burnished the stone is. As the denser this type of material is the finer it usually is. Also what was considered better back in the day I believe had more to do with speed than fineness. As for the cut yes it would be a later sourced cut stone from the looks. It sounds like what I see on my screen maybe a bit off. I see a lot of the Red/purple mixed with green making a lot of the other shades you describe. Which not having in hand I can only guess from looks. I would guess it is a later CF with a high lever of the red buried in it muting the green and altering the colors. To me it just looks like a really cool odd CF and the level to which it finishes also seems to align with that. What I can say, but not sure it matters with CF. Is the saw marks differ from the saw marks I have on my labeled Marples CF and oddly enough I have similar saw marks on a older rounded based driver extracted. The saw marks or more at an angle then straight up and down as seen on yours. Both of those stones are just as hard as the others though. My finest one maybe a the tiniest bit harder than the Marples I don't know, but it has years of steel across it which has made it a bit finer.

Ooh... got a picture of your Marples one? That sounds cool! I’ve seen pics of various GRs, but not a CF. They clearly knew their stuff in terms of sourcing top quality UK stones eh!
 
Ooh... got a picture of your Marples one? That sounds cool! I’ve seen pics of various GRs, but not a CF. They clearly knew their stuff in terms of sourcing top quality UK stones eh!

It is really a nice size too. 6 1/2” x 2 3/4” x 1” + at the thickest point. I have old bad pics of it on the charnwood thread. Only other one I have ever seen is also on that thread and is even nicer with the original stamp too.

Here are pics of mine. Hard not to get reflective shine. It does appear though that some of my fractures at least on the back do look a bit like Tim’s stone.

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Interesting wee stone that I got a couple of months back... originally I thought it was a very fine Idwal, because it was grey-green with black lines and spots. And also because it's insanely hard, and Idwals tend be notably harder than Charnleys in my experience. But a little bit of cleaning and further lapping this evening revealed some more red coming through.

This little Charnley is one of the hardest and finest stones I own, easily in black and trans ark territory, with similarly naff, glassy feedback. It's going to be a very good razor stone indeed I think, though I almost certainly finished the surface too high - I got there in the end, but it's painfully slow at 1200, so will be taking it back down a bit tomorrow.

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Put this old Wade and Butcher to the hones today. Started with a 325 and then a 600 DMT. Had quite a few chips to take out had to remove quite a bit of steel to get to a decent bevel. Started with two layers of tape and finished with one.

From there the Chosera 1K to lapping film then finished on a Norton black Arkansas stone.

Most of the edge seems nice but not sure about the toe. Didn’t seem to take the edge as good as the rest. Might have to go back and do some more honing backflips.

It was a honing circus getting this one done.
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Not being completely happy with the edge I re-hone the Wade and Butcher again today. I did dull the edge and started fresh. Still went with the Chosera 1K for the bevel.

From there it was a Coe Bethesda Black > Norton Lily White > Coe Dota Creek > to finish it was the Norton Black. Darn that’s a beautiful stone. The edge looks great and is very promising.

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Not being completely happy with the edge I re-hone the Wade and Butcher again today. I did dull the edge and started fresh. Still went with the Chosera 1K for the bevel.

From there it was a Coe Bethesda Black > Norton Lily White > Coe Dota Creek > to finish it was the Norton Black. Darn that’s a beautiful stone. The edge looks great and is very promising.

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If it don't shave well off that, there's a need to slow Doreen which I doubt is the situation. I bet you'll love that shave. Novaculite is a special thing.
 
I haven’t a clue what caused me to grab this razor and refinish it with the coticules in the picture this morning, but who am I to ignore such direction?

I am actually pretty excited about the resultant edge…the HHT was that hair fleeing, spring right off the edge sort of HHT.

We’ll see how comfortable the shave is later today or tomorrow!

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Vr

Matt
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You can never use too many stones in a progression, right? :)
This is an A.F. Seeberger “Nonpareil“ (circa 1890) that I have been restoring.

Front to back:
Shapton Pro 2k
Shapton Pro 5k
Washita (Pike 1st quality) SG ~ 2.1
Washita (LWW) SG ~ 2.2
Washita SG = 2.4
Dan’s Hard Ark SG ~2.5
Dan’s True Hard Ark SG ~ 2.7

I actually jumped over the most porous Washita after only a few strokes. I think it works well coming after the 2k, but is perhaps a little rough to come after a 5k. Tree-topping nicely after the strop. I skipped the pasted balsa, but will keep that in reserve. Hope to shave with it tomorrow.

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In other honing efforts, used the 1st and 3rd Washita on a Watanabe gyuto (Blue #2). I was stunned how fast the 1st Washita restored the edge to sharpness, maybe 2 mintutes work tops. Also started a Henry Sears & Son straight, but that had enough corrosion near the edge that I decided that I will drop down a grit level to clean it up. Unfortunately my King 1200 is currently engaged - squeezing liquid out a salmon fillet that is slowly turning into gravlax. :) Should be done with that job tomorrow.
 
Some touch-up on the stone today on the Nakayama Honyama Kiita. Just a couple of slurries of Koma followed by a finish on
Double Stamped Nakayama Kiita Tomo. To the strop and then put away.

This is the first work on the JNATS in a couple of years. Probably shave with it tomorrow or Tuesday.







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