Thread: Is This Over Honing

I didn't think my thumbnail could draw such a series of responses. Truth be told, and let me thank you for granting me years of experience, I've only been using a straight since July 2013 and honing/refreshing my edges since September 2014. I have a poor scientific background and an over abundance in the creative areas. I came to my dry thumbnail test because I forgot about reading it was supposed to be a wet thumbnail. I just used empirical observation based on the way it felt, then shaved and adjusted till I could say, to myself, that feels like it will shave the way it should. Believe me, I went back to the stones many, many times on a couple of razors till my memory was educated enough to know what I was feeling on my vaunted thumbnail.

Whatever works for you?

Obviously you have calibrated you TNT.

Rock on.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

I didn't think my thumbnail could draw such a series of responses. Truth be told, and let me thank you for granting me years of experience, I've only been using a straight since July 2013 and honing/refreshing my edges since September 2014.

My uncle, who is a barber and trained by an old timey barber, uses the TNT to gauge the edge of a razor. The first time I gave him a razor to inspect he licked his thumbnail and did a TNT. His quickly pronounced that the edge was not shave ready. Well, his exact word were, "It ain't right." He touched up the razor on a barber's hone and I can say that it did shave better. I use a TNT now, but still like to use 60x loupe. I guess I like to go by subjective and objective tests. Though you could argue that using a loupe is really not objective either, since every person looking at the edge under magnification might view it differently.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

I didn't think my thumbnail could draw such a series of responses. Truth be told, and let me thank you for granting me years of experience, I've only been using a straight since July 2013 and honing/refreshing my edges since September 2014. I have a poor scientific background and an over abundance in the creative areas. I came to my dry thumbnail test because I forgot about reading it was supposed to be a wet thumbnail. I just used empirical observation based on the way it felt, then shaved and adjusted till I could say, to myself, that feels like it will shave the way it should. Believe me, I went back to the stones many, many times on a couple of razors till my memory was educated enough to know what I was feeling on my vaunted thumbnail.

A can appreciate that. We both have a preference, and a level to what we want to know about the details. I want as much knowledge about the details as I can get. Probably more out of curiosity and a desire to be efficient at what I do, but the details are one of the reasons why SR's are very appealing to me. You are not as caught up on the details. I want to know what a good shave looks like on my face and on my razor. You're just as content to know the condition of the razor mostly by the quality of the shave. The point I was trying to make is that my desire for details is not a result of over worrying, but from curiosity and efficiency. Bravo to us both! Viva le Rezor.

Nothing wrong with magnification, just don’t get caught up in the grit race.

Grit size does not equal great shave. Sharp is easy, it is sharp and comfortable that makes a great shave and that, might be different for each of us.

For example at 400 X a Coticule edge looks terrible, but done by the right hands shaves wonderful.

Don’t forget to look straight down at the edge, chips and non-meeting bevels will jump out at you.