Razor is the inexpensive Dovo 5/8 (bought with the understanding I might sacrifice it learning before I get a $ one).


I've been getting a good arm-shaving bevel off a shapton 1k, followed by 5,8,12k Naniwa Superstones, then diamond/felt, and finally leather. Pretty good shaves, fairly consistent.


So I when the edge started to tug, and it came time for a hone I thought I'd try stepping up to a coticule. I got a coticule, 40x200 #80163 from The Superior Shave not sure what layer. Watched all the vids. Figured I simply be refreshing the edge so did a few weight of blade strokes water only. No luck. Tried a few more times, seemed like the edge was getting duller!

Figured at this point I'd done something wrong.

Tried starting with thick paste on the coti rubbed out from the bout, then slowly thinning to water ala the videos. Managed to get it shaving hair on arm skin but nothing better. Hours later still the same.

Took it back to the Naniwa 8K, 40/40 circles followed by 10 X strokes. Then to the Naniwa 12k 10 X strokes. Edge beatuiful, poppin hairs half inch away from arm skin.

Stropped and shaved. Good shave. All good. Stropped again, checked edge. good. popping hairs.

But then I wanted to see if my coticule work is indeed messing it up, so I took it back to the wet coticule, no slurry, 10 of the finest, lightest, weight of blade strokes, and lo and behold, the edge seemed degraded, no popping hairs anymore.

Any ideas?