Thread: "Suction" on the stone?

Yep, that's how I do it. The alternative is to kind of sneak up on a pefect bevel with pyramids and repeated testing... Some people feel the 1K is too harsh and does damage to the steel, so be cautious with it... It's worth trying on a razor or two, anyway, to see if you like that approach.

Once I set the bevel, I average about 150 strokes between my Belgian blue and yellow coticule to get the edge in really nice shape. On a Norton, I'd say one or two conservative pyramids would be all it would take.

After the initial honing, though, I wouldn't ever go back to the 1K or even the Belgian blue. A few strokes on the coticule would be all that's required, unless I damage the edge somehow.

However you approach it, I think a perfect bevel is one of the major differences between an edge from an experienced honer and a newbie edge.

Give it a shot, anyway.

Josh

I'll definitely give it a try - I'm off tomorrow, so I've got some time to play around with it. I'll work slowly on the 1k and check the bevel regularly with the 'scope.

I'm waiting for shipping confirmation on my coticule from Howard and I have a regular strop on the way from Tony, so once those get here, I should be pretty well set.... I hope. ;o)

Well, I still need to do more work.

I have both razors at the same point - good scratch patterns all the way to the edge of the bevel and no 'bright lines' under the scope. They both take hair off the arm easily all the way along the edge, but don't take hanging hair or pass a HHT. I don't feel 'stickiness' when I touch a moistened thumb to them, but I *do* feel the 'tickle and grip' described as an alternate to the TPT.

Shave results - about the same as before, neither razor wants to cut the beard in the goatee area. They catch/pull instead of cutting cleanly. Note - this is on a couple of day's growth of beard.

I guess I'll be doing more work on the 8k....I just worry about OVERhoning and getting a wire edge. I've already had to re-flatten the 4k/8k twice... maybe I should go with the DMT 8EEE so I don't have to keep flattening? (toungue in cheek, but does anyone have any experience/opinion on them?)

I haven't tried the 8EEE, but if you're considering spending more cash on a hone, I'd recommend a coticule from www.theperfectedge.com. You can get a nice 6x2" for around the same price as the 8EEE.

My guess on the 8EEE is that you could shave with the edge, but it would be a little harsher than the edge from your Norton. Not really what you'd hope for in a hone of that price.

A coticule in my opinion makes it easier to get a really nice edge. A beginner's coticule edge is going to be much better than a beginner's Norton edge. The coticule cuts slower and is more forgiving of a little excess pressure. And when you really develop the touch with the coticule, you can get amazing results.

But I wouldn't recommend spending a lot of money on different hones right now. Most guys can shave pretty nicely off the Norton 8K, so it's probably just a matter of refining your stroke. A better investment at this point would be sending one of your razors off to a senior member for evaluation and honing. I know you're overseas, but I'd be glad to help you out for free if you pay the shipping costs. Alan's better, though, so you might be better off sending it to him.

Good luck,
Josh

More hones are not the solution

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

More hones are not the solution

Considering the new thread I just posted...

My post got lost!!

I was honestly joking around the 8EEE (but was curious as to what folks thought about it). I'm just an hour down the road from Nenad (superfly), but the problem is *getting* there, and I'm a bit reluctant to bother folks on a Sunday (my only day off).

I've got a coticule on order from Howard, I'm just waiting on it to get here, along with my hanging strop from Tony.