Thread: Edge building and arm hair test

Hi, newbie here. Been Straight shaving for 2 months using a shave ready razor from the classifieds and I'm loving it!

I think I'm getting into this hobby…..badly!

I picked up a few straight razors from my corner of SouthEastern PA and got myself some hones (Naniwas 1k, 5k, 8k and chinese 12k; my strop is a regular stop, no CrOx or diamond paste), with the hope of learning to hone my own razors. Using a lot of info from this great web site, I was able to hone my first one, a Rimmel (brand of cosmetics in Europe!!!). It's sharp enough that I can shave without too much tugging (mostly in one spot under the jawline) or irritations. I then attempted to hone a second razor but failed, no matter what I do. The first one (Rimmel) does not have much hone wear and the edge was straight line. The second one (a T.Hessen Bruch) has some hone wear. I tried using 2 then 3 layers of tape and after going thru all hones, I can shave leg hair but not as smoothly as the first one (or the one from the classified). I think I'm not setting the bevel correctly. I have a $12 radio shack 60x microscope and the edge does not look bad but I can't shave arm hair easily.
So my question is: how easily should I be able to shave arm hair after the 1k stone? At what angle (30 I'm assuming)? With a little pressure or no pressure? The hair on my arm is really blond fine. My rimmel can't sharve arm hair either but can shave leg hair easily with no pressure.

Thanks for the help.

You know for a long time and also still now the arm hair test is mostly thought to be pretty fool proof but it isn't, there are a few people that it does not work for...I actually met one at one of the meet ups...

You still have the TNT and TPT to work with and perhaps you might refine your own leg hair test....But like any test they all need to be developed they are not an automatic...

If you work on the bevel on the 1k until you pass the TNT and then a bit more trying to shave arm hair easily you'll be ready to move up once you get there IME. If you arm hair is too fine do the leg. Like Glen said, I have a friend who can't cut arm hair with a shave ready razor.

If the one with more hone wear a smiling blade ? The marker test will tell you if your stroke is working efficiently to make full contact with the hone all the way from heel to point. If it was me I wouldn't use more than one layer of tape unless it was a big old wedge or something like that. Whatever works though, all's fair in love and honing.

I really find that the TPT at the 1K level is the test I rely on most. When right at this level, I know the rest of my process will hit almost 100% of the time. That said, the real exercise at the 4K level anyway is not to cut arm hair but to shave it and I have not found any hair fine enough not to shave off the arm so far. I have seen some difficulty trying to cut fine arm hair at the 8K level by running the razor across it.

Have fun,

Lynn

I too have very blond, thin arm hair. TPT is a good one, but I can still cut hairs off my arm at 1k.

I know my razor is pretty good to shave with once I can pop arm/leg hairs easily...and by pop I mean the hairs leap away from the edge with just a very gently swipe. I do it one hair at a time, and work from the toe to heel, testing the whole edge this way. Then I shave with it to make sure.

Everyone is different really. If you want someone to take a look at your razor, I'd be glad to do so. I live in SouthCentral PA. Glad to help anyway I can

I just finished honing this razor I got during my lunch break (geneva cuttelry). I honed this one as opposed to the T. Hessen because it is immaculate, the edge was a straight line, and there was no hone wear at all.
I taped the spine and went to town.
I keep on going on the 1k using light circles and X strokes as demonstrated by Lynn in the videos and stopped when the edge felt sticky on my thump nail and I could shave my ARM hair. Yeah!
I then progressed thru the hones (5k, 8k) and kept on checking using the arm hair test. I then did 150 strokes on the 12K.
When shaving arm hair using no pressure, and going slowly, it tugs a bit. Is this normal? If I go a bit faster, it shaves without tugging.

But I gotta go to bed now and I can't take a shower, shave-test and wake up my wife as she's getting a bit (just a bit) annoyed with my newly-found hobby. :-)

I guess I'll have to wait tomorrow morning to find out.

I would have stayed at 8k until the hair essentially falls down when moving slowly.

Nop.

The shave wasn't smooth. As a matter of fact, I had to use my other shave-ready razor for the first pass.

I can shave arm hair so I think the bevel is set. I'll go back to the 8k and work it until the arm hair eventually "Falls down". I may even go back to the 5k.

I want to thank everybody who replied to me or read what I had to say.

150 strokes on a 12K is an awful lot unless you are using a Chinese 12K. Even with that stone, you can try 30-50 stroke increments and test. I think getting hung up on a lot of testing can be problematic when learning to hone. If possible, try to find one indicator that works for you and work on your process. Less strokes are usually better.

Have fun,

Lynn

+1 with Lynn Mon

Quit counting strokes do a few and test at this point if your sure the bevel is set you need to sneak up on the shaving edge..