Thread: Chamfering the edges on a Coti

Originally Posted by outback

Get R done, Steve.

That's the benefit of learning to hone for yourself.

Finding what's most comfortable to your beard and skin type.

I don't mind a coti edge, and agree to its skin friendliness.
Its just that it has more resistance going thru my beard, so the Escher's keeness + comfort, punches my ticket.

Here's another thing to add to your list of..let's try this.

Produce your best coti edge, then take it to your trans Ark for 30-40. Should increase its keenness a bit.

I've also used a Thurigan rubbing stone, to produce slurry on Coties.

Thanks Mike, an Escher sounds intriguing, I may well try to get one eventually but I need to really understand my Coticule and my Arks first and squeeze everything I can out of them.

Talking of my Arks, you suggested that I could try using a trans ark after finishing with my coti to add a bit more to the edge. I assume that would be as an alternative to Chrox but a question has occurred to me, will using another stone like an ark replace that smooth coti edge with an ark edge?

You didn’t ask me but I have a little experience with what you are asking. I’ve tried my hard arks after 12k Nani finish and some razors seem to respond better than others. I have also tried the same off of my 8k Nani and 5k as well as my Chinese 12k, various barbers hones etc.

I have found not too many razors can hold a 12k naniwa edge finished with Arkansas type of edge but of the ones that do they are incredibly sharp and very smooth. Some edges seem to fall apart if you take them too far. I’ve tried the same off of my little thuringian but need more experimentation. I found the edge to be a little uncomfortable but the stone is very small for what I am used to and started over a couple of times due to bad technique. The ark stepped it up for sharpness but I feel I’m still leaving a lot on the table with that little thuri before I feel I’ve given it a proper chance.

So I can’t say whether or not you would have a similar experience but well worth giving it a try. I’ve done all sorts of different pastes and stones for finishing but have found if you don’t have a decent secondary like a cotton or flax or similar you’ll be working a lot harder than you need to. I’ve been through several strops with differing man made fibers and they all seem to effect the edge negatively as far as the comfort of a shave goes. I have a couple of strops with linen and it made an incredible change to my edges. I rarely use CrOx anymore for razors, though I have a few Sheffield’s that really respond well to a few passes on a pasted hanging strop.

All this talk has me wanting to pull out the stones and give my coti a more fair shake. Once you find your way to your edge and repeatable results it makes experimenting much easier as you know generally what to expect and how to get there.

I just went through the whole coticule progression with a Wade to & Butcher near wedge. This is the first time I used Kapton tape, so I basically had to start from scratch with the bevel reset.

Thick slurry to start followed by successive dilutions and eventually water only and then the last 10-20 on the dry stone weight of the razor only.

I followed that up with20 laps on a CrOx paddle strop, 20 laps on linen and 60 on Japanese leather that I am pretty sure is a Kanayama 70000 with a different name - smooth as glass.

Got a very nice shave. My experience is that this will improve as I strop and shave more with the razor.

Originally Posted by DZEC

I just went through the whole coticule progression with a Wade to & Butcher near wedge. This is the first time I used Kapton tape, so I basically had to start from scratch with the bevel reset.

Was the razor shaving before you added the tape?

If it was, adding a layer of tape will create a micro-bevel where the beauty is that you can skip a part of the honing progression without needing to reset the bevel or drop down to a bevel setter.

Btdubs, I also have a Kanayama that doesn't mention the name, but it was rebranded for the "German" market or something, amazing strops.

It was shaving OK, but was just starting to tug a bit.

I had just received a roll of Kapton tape, which I had never used before. I had always used 3M electrical tape. My understanding is that the Kapton is a thinner tape. I figured that would mean the secondary bevel I had from the electrical tape would be at a different angle from the one formed using Kapton, so I decided to go back to the beginning and reset the bevel using the new tape.

Originally Posted by DZEC

It was shaving OK, but was just starting to tug a bit.

I had just received a roll of Kapton tape, which I had never used before. I had always used 3M electrical tape. My understanding is that the Kapton is a thinner tape. I figured that would mean the secondary bevel I had from the electrical tape would be at a different angle from the one formed using Kapton, so I decided to go back to the beginning and reset the bevel using the new tape.

I use just a layer of Kapton Tape as well, I like to get as close to no tape honing as I can but not cause any spine wear and the Kapton is very thin but lasts well.

If I want a micro bevel I add a layer of electrical tape over the Kapton for the finish.

As Tristan said, by creating a micro bevel I can try different finishes (Dry/Running Water etc) without needing to drop back, just add the Kapton and electrical tape again and rework the micro bevel.

Yes, Kapton is a nice hardwearing tape, just be sure to apply it long enough that the back end is past or close to the stabilizer, or a bit longer than electric if using over electric tape, it can roll up on you.

It is thin and easily sticks to itself. Make your life easy and get a tape dispenser from the dollar store. It also makes it simple to hold the blade up to the dispenser, pull out the tape and measure exactly how much tape you need.

The difference in bevel wear between, Kapton and electrical tape is not that much, and a bevel will flatten out in about 20 laps. Glen has a tape no tape video where he compares honing with and without tape and how many laps it takes to effect a change. I forget the number, but it was not a lot and I think he use a 4 or 5k.

A micro bevel is less than 10 laps, about 3-5 is good, anymore you have a double bevel and more, you have changed the bevel completely, not that it matters to the edge.