Thread: Coticule dulling razor?

I've had good luck so far setting bevels with my DMT 1200, and then sharpening/polishing with my norton 4k/8k and chinese 12k. I've been able to get razors to easily pop hairs on my arm/leg and shave me comfortable and smooth.

I recently acquired a bbw/coticule combo (4"x2" FWIW) and tried it for the first time last night on my henckels razor. The henckels was previously shaving pretty good, but I felt like it could have been a little bit better, so I figured, hey, perfect time to give the coticular a whirl. After ensuring the coticule was lapped, I immediately went at the razor with water only for 30 laps and then felt the edge. It was duller? Or, at least, it would no longer pop any leg hairs, which has become my goto test as it is repeatable and reliable so far. It would just glide through the hair without cutting or grabbing So I did another 30, no improvement, same edge, another 30, no improvement, same thing. Looking at it under 60x, the scratch patterns didn't look that bad to me, I mean, not as smooth as after the chinese 12k but roughly similar to after the norton 8k.

It was really eluding me so I decided to go back to square one. I hit the DMT 1200 to reset the bevel figuring maybe it was never set or something else was going on. About 20 strokes there until it was super sharp. It passed the TNT with flying colors, and passed the TPT, digging into my thumb pad pretty easily, feeling very sticky. It was nearly popping leg hairs above skin level at this point, but not reliably so (typical for after setting the bevel). This is when I'll normally move on to the norton 4k/8k and do pyramids until it's easily popping leg hairs.

But at this point, I moved to the BBW with slurry for 50 passes, then another 50 adding water until it was eventually just water. That whole time it was getting sharper, similar to the 4k norton level. Great, so far so good. Then I hit the coticule with water only for 100 light passes, 30 at a time. The weird thing is that this seemed to dull the blade? After the first 30, it seems MAYBE a little sharper than coming off the BBW, but after the next 30 it was feeling duller again?! It basically stopped popping hair whatsoever at this point. Same as when I first tried the coticule with water. After another 40 strokes, it was still basically the same. It's as if the coticule is making the edge worse?

I did try shaving with it anyway, just for the heck of it, and it pulled a bit... my first shave where the razor pulled, actually - guess I've been lucky even since my first honing. I gave it 20 laps on CrOx just for giggles and it actually shaved me pretty well after that, but still could be improved.

Any thoughts on why the coticule would be dulling the edge? Something I'm not getting?

I feel your pain man. I just got a DMT 1200 too and tried to used it with my bbw and coticule.

My dovo tortoise feels somewhat sharp but not 'razor' sharp.

I don't know if I'm not spending enough time on the dmt or something but I'm not getting very good results.

I'm still trying to figure out how the thumb nail test should feel like though.

The blade glides through my nail with some resistance but not that much either.

Bart has posted more then a few times as to how the BBW with slurry will give a keen edge while the yellow with water only will polish and may take away some of the keenness. Slurry on the yellow, if bevel setting or faster cutting is desired, and water only for polishing. I think that there is a balance you have to find for using the blue for keenness and the yellow afterwards. To get the level of polish you want for smoothness while keeping the keenness. I have found going back to the blue for a few laps can bring it back.

The individual coticule plays into it too. If it is a hard yellow I imagine it wouldn't make the keenness suffer as much as a soft one. Forum member and friend The Topher bought an 8X3 natural from Howard. The Topher was used to the edges off of a 15k Shapton pro.

He tried the natural (yellow side only) and told me that he could get a razor shave ready but not as "scary sharp" as he preferred. He sold the coticule to me and I found it to be a fast cutter (both sides) and while it doesn't give me the same level of sharpness that the Shaptons do it is a more comfortable shave and plenty sharp. Bart will no doubt be along with the benefit of his experience. He knows coticules as few do.

Is it possible that the belgians don't leave as nice and sticky edge as coming off a norton 8k for example?

Originally Posted by Dups

I feel your pain man. I just got a DMT 1200 too and tried to used it with my bbw and coticule.

My dovo tortoise feels somewhat sharp but not 'razor' sharp.

I don't know if I'm not spending enough time on the dmt or something but I'm not getting very good results.

I'm still trying to figure out how the thumb nail test should feel like though.

The blade glides through my nail with some resistance but not that much either.

The way I do it is with the blade extended and I'm holding the razor between thumb and forefinger just a hair past the balance point and letting the weight of the blade ride my thumb nail. I slowly pull the razor from heel to point and if it is good I will feel a fair amount of resistance. Hard to quantify how that feels in a post but it is kind of digging in. Once at that point I look at the edge under magnification again, hit a few light x strokes on my bevel setter and then go to the higher grit. I do not use the TNT anymore on that edge but go to the TPT. Thanks to randydance for learning me that.

I understand the principle, but it's hard to really know what to look for..

I'd check you lapped the coticule correctly. Just to make sure.

I did lap it yes.

Originally Posted by English

I'd check you lapped the coticule correctly. Just to make sure.

It came to me pre-lapped, and I took it to the DMT 8C (320) anyway with a pencil grid to verify, and it was indeed flat. The edges were already beveled, but I also touched those up too.

I have found heavy slurry dulled one of my razors light slurry and you will not have any problems. when i use my 1200 and then 4k 8k i go bbw slurry and yellow water some times 12k ch i don't pass hht but as soon as my razors are stropped they pass on fine leg hair. I think the belgium hones polish that well the edge is smooth thats why the edge does'nt grab so well untill stropped try 4k 8k then yellow with water test shave or shave of blue.I get great shaves of bbw and yellow i must admit yellow with slurry i carn't work out somtimes it shaves smooth and well but grabs alittle i think thats where you have to use paste to up keeness.