Thread: Help on the Cot

Okay, so with slurry, go through the progression and testing along the way on leg hair (all out of arm). Does great. Do a rinse, and am ready to finish on water only. Go through the water only and test again. It seems it got duller. What could cause this? By duller I mean it's no longer slicing through leg hair as it was. I keep on I'm going to have one leg smoother than SWMBO's.

How many strokes are you doing with water-only in the final step?

Also, sometimes a less-refined (rougher) edge seems to cut hair more easily. Not sure why, but I imagine the little jagged points catching in the scales of the hair or something. Anyhow, it might be worth it to simply try honing however you think you *should* be honing--regardless of how the blade cuts arm/leg hair--and then giving it a test shave. I've surprised myself a couple of times that way.

Try after setting the bevel in slurry to wear it cuts leg hair diluting the slurry with a drop of water every 20 srrokes. This stretches the slurry and adds keenness to the edge . After the slurry is diluted fully do about 30 water strokes.

Here's what I did, in a nutshell

Create slurry...pretty heavy...

- 50 strokes, wipe blade, add water to stone
-30 strokes, wipe blade, add water
- 25 strokes, pressure lighter each time, wipe blade, add water

check, shaves leg hair well

- 25 strokes, even lighter pressure, wipe blade, add water
- 20 strokes wipe blade. rinse coti of all slurry, wipe blade.

water only

- 50 very light strokes.

Originally the bevel was set and all using the unicot method with tape. Should I be using tape during the above or no or during some parts?

I too had wondered that about the jagged edge bit myself and thought perhaps that was the reason?

If you set the bevel with tape, you need to keep the tape on for the rest of your honing. Without the tape, you'll just be honing the back of the bevel, not the edge itself.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

If you set the bevel with tape, you need to keep the tape on for the rest of your honing. Without the tape, you'll just be honing the back of the bevel, not the edge itself.

That is what I have done. After the 50 on water I did like 10-15 without tape, very light strokes. Could this have messed anything up?

Taking the tape off to hone with just water shouldn't affect anything, but it's not going to help anything either. No reason to do it - all it does is take off a minute amount of steel from the back of the bevel.

I'd say test every time you pause your honing to try to narrow down where the dulling is occurring. Or maybe you are and I'm not quite understanding what you are doing...

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Taking the tape off to hone with just water shouldn't affect anything, but it's not going to help anything either. No reason to do it - all it does is take off a minute amount of steel from the back of the bevel.

I'd say test every time you pause your honing to try to narrow down where the dulling is occurring. Or maybe you are and I'm not quite understanding what you are doing...

I am testing via TPT every pause. I don't have the developed touch of a seasoned honemeister by any means so I can't call my TPT very accurate. Every 4th or 5th pause I am testing by shaving leg hair.

It wouldnt take a few minutes to L-n-L and see whats shaving. Thats the best way to tune a test.

if not working i would think go back with a good session in light slurry then water and maybe not so light pressure. then shave again. then if it needs more use the light pressure with water

Originally Posted by kevint

It wouldnt take a few minutes to L-n-L and see whats shaving. Thats the best way to tune a test.

if not working i would think go back with a good session in light slurry then water and maybe not so light pressure. then shave again. then if it needs more use the light pressure with water

I'm trying to figure it out here....lather n learn? That's all I got...c'mon what's L-n-L?

Okay, if you say go back with light slurry. What would your progression be? 20-30 strokes, then dilute and do this 4 or 5 times? Or just one time w/ light slurry?

Listen n Learn? Look n learn?