Thread: I'm not quite there yet.....

I get a bevel that will cut arm hair, then go to 4k/8k/16k, diamond paste then CrOx, and it will do HHT, but it pulls and does not have the smooth feel to it.

Just seems like there is something missing.

First of all dont worry about the HHT or any other test. The only one that matters is the shave test!

A harsh feeling edge can be a result of a few things:

- Too much pressure when honing resulting in a sharp but rough edge which is uncomfortable to shave with.

- Overhoning the blade so that the edge effectively collapses and results in a rough edge.

- An underhoned edge which is not shave ready.

We can probably discount the third one as you say that you had set a bevel that can shave arm hair at skin level, so its probably a combination of one and two.

New honers tend to use too much pressure (I certainly did!) and also tend to do lots of strokes on their finisher or paste to try and get a smooth edge (which I also did). Both of those things are not conducive to a good shaving edge unfortunately!

What I would do is start by going by to your 4k and do 10 very light, very perfect X strokes with literally just the weight of the blade on the stone. This should hopefully get past any micro chipping or roughness.

Then go to your 8k and do 20 very light and perfect X strokes, dont be tempted to do more, then do 10 on your 16k Shapton.

Then go to your CrOx only and do 10 X strokes, leave the diamond spray for now as its a more aggressive media.

Then go to your daily strop and do 50 canvas and 100 leather strokes. Again make sure they are perfect strokes with out excessive pressure.

See how the edge is after that and if its still not there do another 10 strokes on the CrOx.

Hope thats of some help!