After much testing, I have come to understand that the original Rolls Razor hone is, essentially, highly problematic. Whether or not they were better when new, I don’t know. But right now, at this point in history, they suck. At best, they read as a 5k equivalent on the JIS scale. But they tear up good edges. The main issues are as follows:
1.) They are not flat – not even close.
2.) The abrasive is seriously inconsistent.
3.) They are extremely fragile.
After much testing, lapping, and trying to recondition a few old Rolls Hones, I quit. Let’s say they are billed as a 5k stone – this is not a finisher. But the bigger issue is that even though there are 5k particles in there, there are a large number of grossly larger particles also. Those boulders cut very wide striations into the bevel, and when they terminate at the edge they are prone to chipping.
I considered my options:
1.) Not using the Rolls hone.
2.) Getting a stone cut to fit.
3.) Ritting in some lapping film.
4.) Making a hone.
I tried to get a piece of Arkansas stone cut to size, no go. I don’t like lapping film so I wanted to avoid that if possible. Not using the hone makes sense, but it’s there and in tentionally avoiding it would be annoying. So, I figured I’d try to make a hone.
The photo above shows the beginning of making the 1st prototype; the batter has just been poured into my makeshift mold.
I just started fooling with this part of the project. Thus far, I have only made this one slab, the one in the photo above. With luck, it might actually read at about 8k on the JIS grit scale. I might be off with my abrasive to binder ratio though - I did sorta wing it. Mostly, I just wanted to see if it was possible to get the form factor down. The target is a 3mm thickness, but I am starting with 5mm. So far, so good. The overall shape is ok, now I need to lap it flatter/thinner.