Originally Posted by
FatboySlim
I usually do about 20 laps on the ChromeOx strop. I try to use light pressure, but a tendency to drift into using too much pressure has been a honing problem for me I have to watch.
I think this is too much. Coming off the Shapton 16K, the edge really does not need much further smoothing. I don't know if you have a way to look at the edge at magnification, but you would see that 5 laps on CrO really affects the scratch pattern a lot.
When I had my share of longevity problems, I decided to skip the CrO for a while, and see if I could improve my honing skils without it. Not doing CrO makes it so much clearer where the edge is after honing. With me, my use of CrO really masked my inability to get the edge keen enough on the hones. Improvement did not came overnight. I slowly got better on the hones, and now that I feel confident enough to go back to the CrO, I don't really feel I have the need for it anymore.
I'm not saying CrO is the single cause of you longevity issues. I am saying that, if you need to do more than a few laps on it to gain all there is to gain with it, then you're not doing full justice to that fine hone collection you have there.
I generally single-tape the spine, and keep that tape on throughout the progression, including the ChromeOx balsa stropping.
If I'm starting with one of my typical eBay "looks good for it's age" razors (haha), I start on a DMT1200 to set the bevel. I stop when I can shave arm hair, with some pressure. This can take anywhere from 60 to 200 laps, depending. I've had a few "smiling wedges" that I've gone as high as 400, because I was being inconsistent.
Sounds all very familiar. :) I do more or less the same, minus the tape. (70)
Then I move to either a King 4K water stone, or the blue side of the coticule, with slurry. I stay on this until it grabs arm hair above the skin, and ideally cuts some of it. Anywhere from 40 to 100 strokes, depending. If it takes more than that, I start over on the DMT1200.
Still steady as she goes. (90)
Next is the yellow coticle with thick slurry, about like heavy cream rather than milk. I refresh with water about every 10 to 20 strokes or so until all the slurry is washed off, and I'm finishing with plain water. I've honestly stopped counting total strokes when I use the coticule, and try to go by feel, decreasing pressure as the mix changes from slurry to plain water. When I get a nice glassy "suction drag," I stop. At this point, the razor should easily grab and pop arm hair above the skin, and pass HHT. Estimate 40 - 80 strokes. Sometimes many more. If it won't sharpen, I start over on the blue.
Here's something I wouldn't do. I have included at each honing stage, in purple, my rough estimate of a level of keennes you need to hit to succesfully complete that stage. When you do a few laps on that Coticule with creamy slurry, you're dropping down to (65) or something. As you slowly wash the slurry while honing, you need to climb all the way up again. It is very likely to stay behind during that process.