Thread: Thumb Pad Test

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

I honed a Wapienica last night that had an edge so dull I could press it into my thumb... That's a definite "no pass" right there.

Josh

Actually, you can press a very sharp blade directly against your thumb and not cut it. This is in fact the "secret" behind the trick of climbing up a ladder of swords. I also once saw a demonstration where a master honed katana (the long Japanese sword) was tapped quite smartly several times against the owners palm and did not cut. The same sword, however, was capable of slicing clean through a two foot bundle of straw (used to simulate a human body) with a single stoke. The key is the slicing action (or lack of).

Sounds like it could be sharper.

X

Originally Posted by fccexpert

Actually, you can press a very sharp blade directly against your thumb and not cut it. This is in fact the "secret" behind the trick of climbing up a ladder of swords. I also once saw a demonstration where a master honed katana (the long Japanese sword) was tapped quite smartly several times against the owners palm and did not cut. The same sword, however, was capable of slicing clean through a two foot bundle of straw (used to simulate a human body) with a single stoke. The key is the slicing action (or lack of).

I think I'll leave that one to the experts. I must admit that I have tried using the TPT but haven't done it enough to really know what I'm looking (or feeling) for.

Honedright once suggested to me (when I was going through a "the HHT is rubbish" phase) that the HHT (and I assume the TPT) are built up and become more efficacious with experience. You correlate how the tests feel with the resultant shave, and the more times you do it the better you become at feeling what's going to give you the best shave. I've come to notice this with the HHT.

So, once you've got the mechanics of the test down and know how to do it consistently, the rest is just "test shave, correlate that with test" etc. etc. Eventually you'll end up knowing what result gives you the best shave.

Anyway, that's my approach to it and what I work towards.

Just my 2 cents (Australian, so at current exchange rates that'd be ... about 0.017USD )

James

Originally Posted by Bradford Si

Running ALONG the edge it's sticky sticy sticky...shaving...it tugs like hell?

Any thoughts?!?

Si

Do you have a "shave ready" razor to compare the feel to. If so I recommend that you compare them side by to side and see if you feel a difference.

As is said before, shaving can only tell you if the blade was RTS.
Doing test on a nano thin edge of metal will definately damage the edge and the blade will need honing. So, my advice is: never touch the blade with anything else then the skin you want to shave.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Honedright once suggested to me (when I was going through a "the HHT is rubbish" phase) that the HHT (and I assume the TPT) are built up and become more efficacious with experience. You correlate how the tests feel with the resultant shave, and the more times you do it the better you become at feeling what's going to give you the best shave. I've come to notice this with the HHT.

So, once you've got the mechanics of the test down and know how to do it consistently, the rest is just "test shave, correlate that with test" etc. etc. Eventually you'll end up knowing what result gives you the best shave.

This is important, oft forgotten aspect of all of this...time and experience. I've been trying to develop the TPT in much the same way. I'll test it with my thumb, predicting what I think the HHT will do, then do the HHT to see. The more I do both, the more confident I get in the TPT (my eventual test of choice). I like the TPT because of the link to the old-school barber instructions. If it was good enough for them, it's good enough for me...when I get good enough . And of course, the real confirmation is in the shave. Time and practice teaches.

BTW, here is a link to one of the earlier threads on the topic.

I use the TPT to determine when I'm getting close. For me, it works and the HHT doesn't.

I don't slide my thumb at all... I just touch the edge (ever so lightly) at several spots along the blade... when every spot I touch has a "sticky" feeling I give it another couple strokes on the 8K Norton and then head to the Chromium Oxide hone. For me, it works 99% of the time as a good indicator. I will say, however, it took a while before I knew exactly what that "sticky" feeling was. Have patience, grasshopper!

Originally Posted by heavydutysg135

Do you have a "shave ready" razor to compare the feel to. If so I recommend that you compare them side by to side and see if you feel a difference.

I have and I can't discern any difference... more practice needed methinks...

Used the TPT when I hone, but never tried the HHT. lol, I think I would have to borrorw someone's hair as mine is too short now in the summer.

Originally Posted by xman

Check This if you haven't already.

X

Xcellent resources thanks!!