Thread: Why does razor pulls and scratches my face despite HHT passed ?

Sounds like microchips... You have been touching-up the razor a few times over the months, but as said before, over time touching up may not be enough to correct (or remove) microchips that slowly develop on the edge with normal use.

Maybe you have a Norton 4/8K or a single grit 8K, so you could do a few laps with the 4K with water or a few laps on the 8K with slurry... not quite "bevel setting" slurry in the 8K cuts faster enough to smooth out those small chips.

The HHT is a reliable test, but only good if you are sure the entire edge is the same sharpness because the "hanging hair" is only cut by one tiny spot on the edge... so what about the rest of the edge.

Also as suggested in previous posts, you may need to get acquainted with the other two tests... TNT and the TPT.

This is a better option than a loop IMO. A loop is difficult to get good lighting sometimes, whereas this option is illumiated.

Illuminated Microscope - RadioShack.com

Two things came to my mind, one already mentioned. Has the 8k been lapped recently? THe other being a way to look at the edge. Without some sort of magnification, there could be all kinds of things going on with the edge, and the only way to diagnose it would be to examine the edge. That little scope is worth every penny and will save you a lot of aggravation.

Thank You for all the pieces of advice. They are very usefull.
As far as hones are concerned i have 4 separate one. 1k, 4k, 8k and 12k.
They were made in Japan. I don't have any Norton one because here in Poland it's extremely difficult to get them. The only ones i saw were 300 and maybe 1000 grit. They are basically designed for honing kitchen knives.
All the hones i have were thoroughly lapped. I used 300 grit abrasive paper, 600 grit and 1000 grit to polish the surface.


At the begining i did TPT to see if there is any roughness on the blade. I felt very weak roughness on the toe of the blade; the sensation i got was very weak though. As Bart suggested, i did 10 reverse strokes on 4k and then 10 normal strokes. The roughness disappeared. Then i honed the razor on 8k and stropped until it passed HHT and also, cut the thinest arm hair. From 8k stone i moved to 12k and did 30 strokes. Now it cut arm hair with extreme ease; i used very, very light touch and it cut arm hair immediately, without any sound. I could cut almost every single hair. I realize the HHT and cutting arm hair test are not ultimate ones. Tomorrow i will shave and see the results and write about it...

It seems the problem i had with my honing ma be due to incorrect honing technique. I find it extremely difficult to use only one hand to handle the razor and slide it along the hone so that it lies perfectly flat on the hone. I just really can't do that... Instead I use two hands to prevent the blade from lifting up from the hone (i mean, the toe side which is prone to lifting up in most cases). Maybe using two hands is the main culprit of bad honing results. I have other razor which i use to learn to hone with one hand only but i haven't learned it well yet..

Let us know how the shave test turns out!
I agree with Bart, this sounds like microchipping from normal usage and also it may be that you have not rounded the edges of the hone. Sharp edges on the hone can result in microchips on the edge.
I learned that the hard way!

I believe you did well. Don't worry about the 2 handed technique. The blade doesn't know if it's pushed with one or both hands. That you don't lift the spine is the most important.
The HHT indeed is no test to predict how well an edge will shave your beard. It's a probing test that can be useful to monitor honing progress, if you learn how to read it. I think you are learning it well.
I hope your shave will confirm all the good signs tomorrow.
If not, we're all here to catch you.

Best regards,
Bart.

One thing I have noticed with two handing it is that depending on the grind, often times the blade is so thin where the bevel is that even a small amount of uneven pressure can cause the blade to be honed unevenly. Meaning you would be taking off more metal at the tip or the heel than the other. I have only honed 7 or 8 razors though so put my take on it in perspective.

Honing it with one hand on the tang will keep the same amount of pressure on the entire bevel, vs. two hands where the extra pressure from the position of your second hand can affect the bevel. I get significantly more consitent results with hollow grinds by using only one hand.

That is not to say it can't be done, I just personally don't have the muscle control to do it so do what you want with the above info, including throwing it in the recycle bin if you see fit

One last thing not directly related to your post but I think that 8k is not an optimal finishing stone. Sure it can work but in that grit range a step up to a similarly graded 12k would be a significant difference imo.

Well, i must say i had good shave No pulling, no scratching. My face is like a baby's butt
I think the razor could be honed even better but it is acceptable now.
After polishing on 8k i switched to 12k and maybe it helped to get better blade. It seems there were really some microchips on the blade.

One thing I have noticed with two handing it is that depending on the grind, often times the blade is so thin where the bevel is that even a small amount of uneven pressure can cause the blade to be honed unevenly. Meaning you would be taking off more metal at the tip or the heel than the other

I will practise to use only one hand when the razor is dull. I believe it will give better results.

I have small cheap microscope but it's not easy to see the blade through it. Maybe it needs some adjustment; i wil try to do it again.