Thread: Possible To Pass Hanging Hair Test off of Norton 8k

Has anyone been able to have a razor pass the HHT-4 (pops right off) or HHT-5 (silent slice) when the razor comes off directly from a Norton 8k or a Naniwa 8k or a Shapton 8k without going further to a finishing stone or stropping with paste or spray?

I have not personally been able to do this without a finishing stone at least..

I've been able to, as many others have, get great close comfortable shaves off the Norton 8k.

As i wear my hair 1/4 inch long (and don't have a she in house at this point in time), i never got into the lopping of hanging hairs. And more relevantly because all the old honers said "that's a silly test" that only means anything within your own set of parameters (calibrations), first being the size of the hair, and 23 other variables.

If you need something beyond the 8k to get a nice shave, then your bevel is not good. Start over. This is why many folks will test shave off the 8k before going any further or stropping with any abrasives.

8k, leather, shave. pass? fine, then continue. fail? go back to 1 or 2k and fix your bevel.

Kill it first, and bring it back (better, sharper, stronger than before) that way you don't get fooled by the substandard one you have.


Every time you speak of HHT here it screams "novice" to those who have been on the board a while.

Not trying to be snarky, just FYI. Great shaves to ya.

Originally Posted by WadePatton

Kill it first, and bring it back (better, sharper, stronger than before) that way you don't get fooled by the substandard one you have.

Probably just semantics but there's no point in killing an edge. Just kill any burrs or wire you may have created.

Originally Posted by WadePatton

I've been able to, as many others have, get great close comfortable shaves off the Norton 8k.

This is why many folks will test shave off the 8k before going any further or stropping with any abrasives.

8k, leather, shave. pass? fine, then continue. fail? go back to 1 or 2k and fix your bevel.


Every time you speak of HHT here it screams "novice" to those who have been on the board a while.

Not trying to be snarky, just FYI. Great shaves to ya.

Granted my experience is limited, but i have never seen anyone recommend test shaving at 8k before moving on.. Is this common here ? Is that what the pro-honers are typically doing?

What are the less novice approaches to easily try to determining edge quality other than shaving?

Thanks!

I have had hht off a dmt 600. I think it was a 4 based on the description.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Probably just semantics but there's no point in killing an edge. Just kill any burrs or wire you may have created.

It helped me, so therefore i recommend it. It's not a hard-kill either. across the thumbnail a few times will do it. Just so that it won't nip arm hairs. Then make it POP arm hairs.

Originally Posted by globaldev

Granted my experience is limited, but i have never seen anyone recommend test shaving at 8k before moving on.. Is this common here ?...

Yeah, we've spoken of it here quite a bit. Try some searches. Hit this one: Advanced Search, Titles only, "test". That'll keep you busy for a week.

Here's a "vintage" thread on the subject: http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...-pass-hht.html

Short version for me is that I watched every single one of Glen's videos (and plenty of others), many of them more than once. I test just about like Glen does. (Then I accumulated 30 something razors of my own from rough to ready and honed every other razor anybody will let me.) I use AHT/TNT for bevel setting. Then AHT, possibly TPT when polishing. TNT is too destructive to use after 1k. AHT will tell you lots, but you have to determine what it's telling you.

Then strop, and shave test.

I'm still working on TPT calibration, some swear by that. My hide may be too thick.


This is Glen: https://www.youtube.com/user/gssixgu...w=grid&sort=da



Also back to OP, here are 526 posts in one thread about what you can do with a 4/8k Norto.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...on-2012-a.html

Originally Posted by globaldev

Granted my experience is limited, but i have never seen anyone recommend test shaving at 8k before moving on.. Is this common here ? Is that what the pro-honers are typically doing?

What are the less novice approaches to easily try to determining edge quality other than shaving?

Thanks!

Just to clarify here, the 8k recommendation is not an every time test, but it is the recommendation that many give when the idea of spending money of finishers come up..

"If you can't get a consistent DFS off the 8k level then more money on a High Grit finisher probably won't help"

Shave testing is still the important test but as you progress each test will work itself out but every one takes time and practice to calibrate..

The problem with all the tests is that people are attempting to use them as an absolute and that isn't they way they will ever work.. Each honer needs to calibrate each test to themselves..

Just like this thread illustrates one persons HHT 4 might be another's HHT 24 these tests are not universal, it just doesn't work that way or as so many like to say "It ain't Rocket Science" which is correct it ain't ...

Originally Posted by WadePatton

It helped me, so therefore i recommend it. It's not a hard-kill either. across the thumbnail a few times will do it. Just so that it won't nip arm hairs. Then make it POP arm hairs.

Yeah, we're on the same page.

Originally Posted by WadePatton

It helped me, so therefore i recommend it.

that's very different than what i thought i heard.. which came across initially to me as most .. i understand now... good recommendation if one is thinking that polishing is gonna fix what's not sharpened well.

Yeah, we've spoken of it here quite a bit. Try some searches. Hit this one: Advanced Search, Titles only, "test". That'll keep you busy for a week.

i understand the background/implementation of AHT, TNT, TPT, HHT, shave etc.. i've read the rationale as to why it's considered a parlour trick by some, i've also seen way differing attitudes as to what constitutes an edge people want to shave with..

i just don't understand why after "several" honing/shaves and HHTs, that would still be considered a novice move after observing a pretty high correlation between the way the hair one uses personally HHT rates and the resultant shave... isn't that correlation pretty advanced if it is consistent in production.. i think of it as a validation and fun to do.. no reason to take the fun of honing&shaving is there? doesn't really take that long either..

Short version for me is that I watched every single one of Glen's videos (and plenty of others), many of them more than once. I test just about like Glen does. (Then I accumulated 30 something razors of my own from rough to ready and honed every other razor anybody will let me.) I use AHT/TNT for bevel setting. Then AHT, possibly TPT when polishing. TNT is too destructive to use after 1k. AHT will tell you lots, but you have to determine what it's telling you.

interpreting AHT vs HHT.. isn't that almost pretty much the same exact thing in the theory ! yeah? no? maybe?

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Just to clarify here, the 8k recommendation is not an every time test, but it is the recommendation that many give when the idea of spending money of finishers come up.....

"If you can't get a consistent DFS off the 8k level then more money on a High Grit finisher probably won't help"

i get that, sharp vs polish again...

Shave testing is still the important test but as you progress each test will work itself out but every one takes time and practice to calibrate..

The problem with all the tests is that people are attempting to use them as an absolute and that isn't they way they will ever work.. Each honer needs to calibrate each test to themselves..

Just like this thread illustrates one persons HHT 4 might be another's HHT 24 these tests are not universal, it just doesn't work that way or as so many like to say "It ain't Rocket Science" which is correct it ain't ...

i think i have only once gotten close to an HHT 23 damn elusive HHT 24!! back to the bevel for me??? or should i just get that gokumyo?!? .

good discussion guys, thanks, IMHO it's only through trial&error that folks learn the subtleties of honing a straight razor and the testing considerations and what they mean.

When I started on the forum in 2008 the Norton 8k was considered a "finishing hone" and that was usually followed by a pasted strop/paddle. I got perfectly fine edges that way.