Thread: Splitting Hairs Down the Middle

Originally Posted by jaegerhund

Jimbo and Steve, when I started this thread it was already an "off topic " just blowing wind type of discusion. You've given it new life.

Justin

P.S. I think we "know" each other well enough to know no insults are intended. But manners are good as well. From past experiences, I knew I was becoming friends with others when the friendly picking began. But don't make me put the smackdown on ya!

Cheers Justin. I agree - we know each other too well for those sort of misunderstandings. Personally, I'm very hard to offend. And the people on this forum never set out to be anything but sociable, polite and friendly.

Smackdown??!! You *do* know I wasn't joking on those other threads about crocodile and shark wrestling don't you?

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Smackdown??!! You *do* know I wasn't joking on those other threads about crocodile and shark wrestling don't you?

James.

I've seen Crocodile Dundee and The Road Warrior. I know how tough you guys are. . But this is 100% Grade A American beef here, mate. Hooroo,

Justin

Given that there are different kind of hair around, see if you can follow me in this.
There are hard kinds and soft kinds. Usually blond hairs or lighr brown are the soft ones, and also the most difficult to split. The dark and hard are the easiest. There are thought two main ways to do the test. If you observe a hair at a microscope you will see that it has thousands of microhairs pointin in the direction of the growth of the hair, so it all depends in wich direction you pass the blade on it. The easiest is to hold the single hair by its tip, since when it meets the blade it will be easier for it to pick one of the microhairs against its direction. The difficult one is when you hold the hair by its root, and possibly a long one, at least two inches or so. Now, if it passes the first and not the second it still can shave, but you are going to have to work with angle and pressure. If it passes also the second, you can be sure that you will get a really smooth and painless shave, well depending of course on the kind of razor you have.
Was it difficult? (... panting for the typing...)

Hi Violinho and (looking at your post count) allow me the honour to be the first to welcome you!

Yes, I see what you're saying. I've never thought of it in that way, but have noticed on some occasions a hair will catch one way but not the other. However, I personally wonder about the test - yes, slicing a hair means your blade is sharp, but when you shave you're cutting hair much closer to the "anchor" point than in the HHT. How the two equate I don't know. I suppose you could argue that if your razor will cut a finer hair further from the anchor point, it will perform well on a coarser hair closer to the anchor point, but is that all you need to know to determine a razor's shaveability?

James.

Hi and thanks for your welcome. Glad to be here.
Actually yes, it is much easier to cut a hair at its base, given its phisical resistance to light pressure. So the test means that if your razor can cut a soft, long hair it should sure be able to handle beard. The durability of an edge, however is established by the kind of steel and the kind of razor you have. Last but not least, the angle given during honing. It is a fact that double tempered and stainless steel have a much longer endurance then carbo steel blades. I have never tryed a stainless steel, but I do have a few Filarmonica, all double tempered and I assure you these tools are far superior then any Dovo or other carbon steel blades. The good thing with carbon steel is that it can easily reach a level of sharpness, but then too, I find that it also depends on what kind of strop you use, and how. The honing has always to happen with the back of the razor on the stone. Given that the geometries of the razor are correct, this means that the thickness of the back should never ecceed the width of the blade, divided 3.5 (and if it is less then half a millimeter from that you should consider honing with a tape on the back of the razor, for a while to reestablish the proper angle), and that the back and the sharp side, looked at from a back prospective should be perfectly parallel.
In the end the pressure and the angle that you apply when shaving should be always the absolute minimum necessary to reach the goal.
There are small tricks and tips which I have acquired in the last 19 years, and which I am going to be glad to share with this community, but I am running out of time and I am not going to be home for the next couple of days. Once again, glad to be here and looking forward to share more, both ways.

Roberto