New TI 6/8, Not shave ready and uneven bevel, is this normal?
I just got my new TI 6/8 and was looking forward to my first str8 shave but discovered that it was not shave ready.
http://www.winpte.com/str8/TI68KW.jpg
Failed the arm shave test, so forget about the hanging hair test. I also noticed a few uneven parts on the edge towards the heel under the microscope.
Uneven Edge (Fresh out of the Box) (Mag. x200):
http://www.winpte.com/str8/TI68_New_1.jpg
Decided that since I can't shave with it, might as well try honing on the 4k/8k Norton. Started with the 8k, then switched to a few laps on the 4k until the edge was even, then 8k.
It will take a lot of practice, but I am going sloooow.
After honing it is somewhat sharper but still not what I would consider razor sharp. Can shave the arm hair but pulls a bit. BTW my arm hairs are softer than my beard.
This looks like a burr. How do I remove it? Do a lap on the hone in the reverse direction (away from the edge)? (Mag. x200)
http://www.winpte.com/str8/TI68KW_1stHonex200_2.jpg
Also I noticed that the width of the bevel is not even, it is noticeable to the eye. Is this normal for a new razor? (Face is the logo side of the blade. Mag. x 60):
http://www.winpte.com/str8/TI68KW_UnevenBevel.jpg
3/4 Pops Hairs, 1/4 near the heel won't.
Well, I got the 3/4 of the blade to pop hairs on my arm. I am using the pyramid honing and this is what got the 3/4 of the blade sharp. The 1/4 near the heel just won't.
I can see that the heel part does not spend as much time on the hone as the toe. I am using a 2" Norton. So I tried to reverse the X pattern to go from toe to heel. Did not seem to affect it.
It is probably the uneven pressure that I am applying during honing.
I will retry tomorrow since I am quite tired of honing tonite.