Thread: Honing question

I just honed a razor yesterday, started with a Chosera 1K, and moved onto a Chosera 5K, then a kitayama 8K as a finisher. I still am unable to pass the HHT and have felt that it is not as sharp as it should be. I'm a newbie but I don't think my technique is wrong, no pressure is applied. With the 1K, I felt as though the stone cut the larger mountains and valleys as it should across the blade, and then when I went to the 5K and 8K, I felt it getting smoother, but it is not getting sharper. Do I need a higher grit finisher? It was cutting hair off my arm at 8K, but still not passing HHT. I tried a shave with it and it felt like it was pulling rather than slicing the hair. Any thoughts?

Thanks

Do not buy another hone. You'll be wasting you money...for now. That is, if you cannot shave off of the Kitayama, which some estimate to perform more like a 12k, then a higher grit hone will not help the task.

Most of the work, and most of the failing by beginners, is done on the 1k. For a beginner, I'd suggest that you go back to the 1k and work up again.

What is the razor?
Have you successfully honed any other razors?
Have you ever shaved with a razor honed by someone else who knew how to hone?

Yes, I thought about starting at the 1K again also. I read that you should be able to cut hair at that level already. I'm guessing you think I just didn't do enough at that level to set the bevel? This is the first razor I have honed, and I have felt a newly honed razor before. I have a Thiers Izzard carbon steel razor. Any suggestions as to what I should be looking for to show me I am done at the 1K level?

have you shaved with the razor?
The HHT does not indicate if the razor shaves well or not, the shave test is the best test.

I use a microscope to confirm a fully set bevel. Most others who use magnification use a loupe. Truly, a functional test such as hair cutting works just fine, but you need to reach a point in which your experience with YOUR hair will tell you if the bevel is set. As a beginning honer, you have no idea how it should cut.

You must practice, grasshopper!

I am a fan of the thumb pad test, but this also is a skill that you must develop and calibrate for yourself. Basically, you are looking for a uniform stickiness along the entire length of the blade. If it is not uniform, then some parts of the bevel are not set as well as others.

You can also use reflected light and good eyesight. When the bevel is fully set, if you were to look along the length of the blade, you are converting a "U" shaped edge into a perfectly "V" shaped edge. Such an edge (the apex of the "V") will not reflect any light when looking straight down on the edge. If you look at the side of the blade, the bevel should be shiny and highly reflective of light. The shiny region should extend all the way to the very edge along the full length of the blade.

I will invest in a microscope, and take your other suggestions to test tonight.
Thanks for your help!

I certainly was not recommending that you buy a scope. If you want one, it will help, but you really don't need one. Lots of people get by just fine with just functional tests. They just take time to learn.

If you do want to move forward with the scope, you might want to check to see what has worked for others on this forum. I use a stereomicroscope because it is so easy and quick to use by virtue of being able to focus simply by moving the blade. Others like the newer digital microscopes. Though some happily use them, I'm not a fan of standard transmission microscopes. The light source is under the stage and the focal range is limited.

If you are going to invest in a scope, you can get a cheap but very useful one from radioshack for around 13$. They magnify up to 100x and will let you know what is happening to the edge wether it is an uneven bevel, micro chipping and so on. A damn handy tool to have for the money!

I must agree with Utopians first post...more work on the 1k before moving forward...after that point yes, you are basically polishing and not so much sharpening. I personally think we should abolish the HHT..it's a cool trick when it works or if you have the right hair but theres just too many variables to consider.

On the back side of the tang on this TI is there a "U" a "Z" or nothing at all ?????