Well, here's where I'm at: my current progression goes something like this: DMT 1200 for about 15 or 20 laps, either my Le Dressante eau Blue or me Le Verte, regular dilucot all the way to hht 1 or 2 off the hones. From there I put about 6 or 8 drops of oil on the hone, and do about 40 to 60 very light half-strokes, and then 60 or 80 x-strokes, refreshing the oil a drop or two at a time. It's to the point where I can come off the hone with a HHT4, using my daughters extremely fine hair. After stropping, the edge is insanely sharp. Taking one of the finest hairs of a group of fine hairs, I can lay the hair across the edge any distance at all from the holding point and have it fall silently away. I've taken these edges, and, mid shave, stropped them on a TI pasted strop, and seen no improvement. Nor do i see any improvement on a coti pasted strop.
To arrive at the peculiar choice of "baby oil' I went through just about every wettish substance in my house: every oil I have in my pantry, glycerine, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, mineral oil from the drug store, castor oil, and jojoba oil, and, of course, Denny's coffee trick. (even milk.... you know?... "milky" slurry?... seemed obvious to me.... though I haven't tried yoghurt... yet...) Baby oil seems to have a good balance of viscosity with slickness. ("No-name", generic, baby oil, not so much)
BUT... and here's the caveat, for me: I'm struggling now with edges that are too sharp, and lack a certain smoothness. Very reminiscent of the unicot edge Bart had me do once, sans slurry. Sharp, and very keen, but lacking that legendary smoothness. I keep thinking of the Bart's mention of how slurry seems to "massage" the edge of a typical coti edge, and can't help but think that I've simply gone too far down the sharp road, and left the smoothness somewhere behind.
So, I don't know, maybe Ralfy's right (the cove!) and I'm simply unable to maximize the stone with water alone. I have no doubt that the effect of oil could be reproduced with skill on water alone in the right hands, but for me, the use of oil allows me to achieve that maximum.
Sorry for rambling... I've been enjoying a nip of a very fine rum that was a gift from a happy customer, and I tend to wax eloquent when I'm half pissed!
Cheers,
-Chris (the drunk canuck)
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