Thread: Norton kit arrived!! One question...

Sticky is pretty clear if you strop correctly. Don't forget the most likely mistake of newbieness honing. Overhoning. Roughness is a good indicator that you may have gone too far. Once you get your microscope you'll know. In the mean time don't forget the thumbnail test to ensure a smoooooth edge, then polishing to bevel on 8K to get a smooth bevel and finally sharpness via lessening pressure.

You may want to backhone on 8K just for good measure and start over again. That way you won't be shaving on a torn edge, which hurts.

Thanks, Alan - I was worried about overhoning, that's why I had originally asked about the amount of 'pull' on the thumbnail test.

To my thought, an edge that required a lot of force (for point of argument, let's say 3 times the amount of force compared to a known duller edge) to get it across the thumbnail, even though it may not feel gritty, could be a possible sign of overhoning - would you agree?

I had this exact thing happen with the Solingen - the draw went from slightly uneven to a MUCH harder pull - it didn't feel rough, though. I backhoned a couple strokes, then gave it 5 strokes to smooth out any rough spots and tried again. The unevenness was gone and it only took a little more force than a known dull edge.

I'm still thinking that I may be not quite finishing the bevel, but until the 'scope gets here, I'm not sure how I can diagnose it.

Regardless, I'll be working small pyramids on both blades tonight as per Lynn's DVD, since they *are* shaving...

I would say that overhoning feels like a rough sensation on the thumbnail. There probably is a little more pulling but I've never really noticed it so I'm not sure. I usually diagnose mild overhoning with a scope and severe overhoning with either a scope or the thumbnail test.

I agree on the rough feeling. It feels gritty, like fingernails on a chalkboard. Shudder.

If it's biting in smoothly, I'd say you're there with the bevel. If you feel it slip at any point, you need to keep working on the bevel.

Josh

Some fun and games last night... my thumb slipped while I was smoothing the tape down over the spine of the Solingen....*whack*! It finally stopped bleeding this morning. oops: Lesson learned!!

Did some work on the Solingen with no real change in feel of the edge. The edge was running smoothly across the nail with a little bit of bit but no grittiness or excessive amounts of pull required, so I figured I was pretty close.

I remembered Alan talking about taking a lot of strokes on the 8k and figured I'd try it. After about 100 light strokes, when I'd lay the edge down, I could feel it 'suck down' to the stone almost like it was magnetized. I recognized that this meant the bevel was getting pretty smooth and immediately lightened my strokes. I did another 20 strokes as light as I could, then stropped, but I'm still not feeling the 'stickyness'.

On the good news side, the 'scope arrived today, so I'll be able to look at the bevels tonight and see what I've got going and what I'm doing right (or wrong, as the case may be).

2 days without a shave...seems like a good night for a test shave!

I think your there. Once you get stickiness on the hone your arriving. Open the gate and let the shaves begin. Stickiness of the edge comes predominately from proper stropping. Honestly, I only achieve this with a firm hand on an ultra-taught strop.

You can begin shave testing very soon. Glad you tried the 8K for a while. The technique is outside the box, but works.

I think we were posting at the same time in different threads - I wanted to break off the discussion about suction against the stone and treat it separately.

The bevels looked very even through the scope. I did see a few places where there was a tiny bit of rounding, but I think I'm *JUST* that close to having it where it won't pull at all, even on the moustache/beard.

Still can't get that "sticky" feeling, though... maybe it's more difficult to achieve on a paddle strop?

Mike,

Are you wetting your thumb first? A damp--not wet, not dry--thumb is what works for me.

The stickiness might take some practice to achieve, in your honing, stropping and touch on the edge. It's not 100 percent required for a great shave, but I notice a difference on those days where I don't get it quite right.

Give yourself a pat on the back, though. It sounds like you're really getting somewhere.

Josh

No, not really. It is a little more difficult. Paddles were originally made for heavier grinds than full hollow, but few people know that, and the razors sure don't.

Its probably the rounding your seeing. Even with slight rounding you'll never get close to a sticking feeling on the strop.

Most guys say to go further then when you get a sticky feeling. Its probably not done yet, but I do think that its probably close.

Your at the point that shave testing should be your go-to test.

If you don't correct the off-balance stickiness feel free to do about 10 extra strokes on the side that is not sticking.

Thats good to open a new thread.

Thanks, guys -

I'm not *hugely* worried about the 'sticky' feeling, as long as it's shaving well - I'm more worried about having a good benchmark for knowing when I'm getting close. Hopefully it'll improve once my coticule and strop get here.

It's a bit harder for me to do the "hone-shave-hone" thing, since I live in a conex and the bathroom is a different conex.