Thread: 4k/8k pyramid method on norton combo still not there pics included please help!

Buying a new razor to practise honing? Other than on a cheap Gold Dollar, I would not do this. Gold Dollars, however, come with their own geometry problems that will only make it harder to hone.

As gssixgun said, you probably had the bevel and shot past it a couple of times. Perhaps the following routine can help:
- Check 1, thumb pad test, thumb nail test, visual and arm hair test
- Dull the edge by very lightly running it over the corner of your Chosera 1K
- Check 2, thumb pad test, thumb nail test, visual and arm hair test
- 20-30 circles both sides with a little pressure
- Check 3, thumb pad test, thumb nail test, visual and arm hair test
- 20-30 circles both sides without pressure
- Check 4, thumb pad test, thumb nail test, visual and arm hair test
- 10-20 x strokes, no pressure
- Check 5, thumb pad test, thumb nail test, visual and arm hair test

This much shorter routine will reduce or eliminate the chance of setting a bevel and overshooting it. You should feel a significant difference between checks 1 and 2, as you're dulling it. It should fail all tests, but do take care to dull it gently!
Then, after the circles with a little pressure, you should have a tiny burr that you can feel with your thumb pad and nail. Visually, the bevel should look even and reach the edge, you could look up Magic Marker Test to aid you here.
The light circles should remove or reduce the burr, the edge should feel stickier on thumb pad and nail. Visually, scratches should look shallower.
After the x strokes, the scratches should look parallel and even along the bevel. Difference between checks 4 and 5 is probably minimal.

Note that the thumb pad test delivers different results between a wet and dry thumb. Wet, the sticky feeling is more pronounced than dry. At least, in my experience.

i have put the merx to the side for now and picked up my boker i have some pics to show you maybe you can clear things up for me.

i set the bevel i think i did the tpt and my finger stuck to the blade slightly like a magnet all the way up the blade i did this with a wet thumb.
so i got rid of all the 1k scratches with the 4k then went up to the 8k and this is what i got:



the pics are all at the same spot on the blade when i tilt the blade it looks like a mirror finish but if a tilt it another way you can still see scratches you can see thid to some degree in the pics.

its not popping hairs yet on my arm it will cut my leg hair using the hht but not my mates head hair(i dont have any).
do these pics look normal to you?
what should i be doing with the razor now?
there seems to be some bumps in the edge of the blade(i knocked it slightly a few times) how do i get these out? do i need to get these out?
it might just be small particles of skin where i wiped the blade but im not sure

Can you take another picture with the blade tilted more into the light? It's very difficult to tell anything useful with those pictures.

When you say "doesn't pop arm hair" what do you mean? Does it cut arm hair?
Different people have different definitions for "pop". I wish the term would go away.

Originally Posted by HNSB

Can you take another picture with the blade tilted more into the light? It's very difficult to tell anything useful with those pictures.

When you say "doesn't pop arm hair" what do you mean? Does it cut arm hair?
Different people have different definitions for "pop". I wish the term would go away.

by pop i mean make a pop noise when it cuts the hair half way up the hair and not at skin level it will cut hair at skin level.
when i got this razor pro honed and i got it back it would pop the hairs off my arm.

is this better:

Not sure about the pictures, but I suggest you strop it (e.g. 60 canvas, 60 leather) and try popping arm hair again. It sounds like your arm hair may be similar to mine: soft and not very willing to pop off the hones. When I strop after the Shapton 16K, though, it pops away quite easily!

Originally Posted by Laurens

Not sure about the pictures, but I suggest you strop it (e.g. 60 canvas, 60 leather) and try popping arm hair again. It sounds like your arm hair may be similar to mine: soft and not very willing to pop off the hones. When I strop after the Shapton 16K, though, it pops away quite easily!

i do have a 10k and a 12k superstone do you think i should strop and try popping again again before moving on

Your razor should shave well at the 8K level. Strop, pop arm hair and (if that works,) shave. If it doesn't shave, there's no point in going to 10K or 12K, because you'll need more work on the lower grits. If it shaves just fine, you could do 10-15 x-strokes on the 12K and strop and shave again.

If you look at your edge it is quite jagged. It should be nice clean and smooth.

Your bevel looks much better in these pictures. I agree that it's a little chippy, but I don't see rounding or a secondary bevel.
If it is cutting hair at skin level, go back to the 4k and work up from there with NO PRESSURE. You just need to smooth it out a bit...
Probably only 20-30 strokes on your 4k should smooth that out. Then a few no pressure strokes on your 8k, and then your finisher and a good stropping should do it.

comfortable shave!
i got a comfortable shave off the boker yea it tugged a bit but it is good enough for now i cut myself a few times due to lack of experience and the shave is in no means perfect but it will do.
ive been trying on and off for maybe a year trying to get a razor shave ready i went back to the 4k to smooth it out like HNSB advised did 50 x's on 4k 30 on the 8k then 30 on the 12k a few with crok paste on canvas then stropped it 50 times on a strop.
i forgot to change the tape before the finisher never mind

my face feels sore its the first time for a while though

it dont pop hairs it will cut through one or two hairs half way up on arm hair there is room for improvement and im sure you guys would not consider it shave ready compared to the keenness of you blades but its a start.
id like to thank everyone on srp who has helped me achieve this, i finally have my foot on the first rung of the ladder.