First BBW/Coticule blade done!
This particular e-blade was thrashed. Still is, really, except that now it's shave-ready and thrashed.
There were a few very small visible chips in the edge, so I had to remove about 1/16 worth of edge to get them out. I used a DMT8C for this, as well as about 25 laps for an initial bevel. I then went to the Shapton 1k to set the bevel. The blade was HHT positive after the Shapton 1k.
I then moved to the BBW side of my stone, and did about 300(!) laps with slurry. I lost the HHT after the first few strokes. Even after 300, I still wasn't getting an HHT positive result. However, the arm hair shave was much more smooth than it was off of the 1k. Interesting.
I then went to the yellow (if you could call it that. :) ) side with water for 150 laps. The HHT test is positive down the entire length, and it shaves arm hair *very* smoothly. Absolutely *no* skipping, hopping, or skittering on the arm hair shave. Very nice.
The BBW side is an enigma for me at this point. I don't know if I could have stopped after 150 laps, honestly, because there just wasn't alot of detectable change. The HHT went south, and the arm hair shaved more smooth. My microscope batteries were dead, so I didn't use it tonight at all.
The Coticule side is not an enigma at all. There was noticeable and marked progress each time I checked the blade (every 50 laps). Not only did it improve the overall sharpness, it improved the smoothness as well. I'm very tempted to go whip out another 150 laps just to see if there's anything left to be gained. I kinda doubt it... hairs are breaking their backs over the edge, and it's just soooo smooth.
The stone appears (to me, at least) to be very hard. I can't put any sort of mark in it at all with a fingernail. It was also very challenging to raise a good slurry on the blue side with a chinese 12k slurry stone.
Should be a fun shave.... :)
