Thread: How to tell if it is honed enough. Razor is splitting single hair.

Hi all,

I have been working on a CV Heljestrand and I've been using a Norton Soft Arkansas Oilstone SB8. After several laps on the stone I tried the hair test. The hair was not severed on contact like some of my other razors. I lifted the hair up and down and at one point, the hair stuck on the razor and I pulled down. As I pulled down, a "peeling" effect occured where the razor seemed to make 1 strand of hair into 2 as I pulled the strand across the blade.

Has anyone seen this happen and does that mean my razor is sharp enough?

Forget the HHT, just shave with the razor and you will know if it is shave ready.

I plan on it. I've just never had that occur during a HHT. Thanks!

HHT does not tell you anything about how the razor will shave, unless you have calibrated the test to a particular type of hair.
For example if the hair is cut you do not know if the edhe will feel smooth to the skin., If the hair is not cut that also does nor mean that the edge will not cut beard hair and you still do not know if the edge will feel smooth or not.
SO shave test is best, you can learn TPT or use a scope/loupe to tell where the edge is on each stone.

Like stefan said, just shave with it. That's the only true test..

A little more about calibrating hair, and why the HHT is meaningless initially...

If you have a perfectly honed razor, my hair might be cut in two like a laser, while yours might not be cut at all. You start with a razor you know is shave ready, then apply the HHT about every 1/4 inch of the blade. Be sure you do so using more than one hair, as not all hair out of a head are the same. (Occasionally, I find a thin hair in my head that won't be cut, while most of my hair cuts easily.)

Watch the behavior of the HHT, whether it is cut, sliced, vibrates or what. And, remember, for a successful HHT, it might simply vibrate wildly, or who knows what. You HAVE to have a shave ready razor, and then calibrate... determine the exhibited behavior... of the razor.

If you'd like to educate yourself on the HHT and its usage, the WIKI has an article on it, here:

Hanging Hair Test, from trick to probing method - Straight Razor Place Wiki

When I first started honing and using hair tests that happened to me also. My hair would not get cut but it would split and the shave was not all that good. After learning more and with help my honing is much better and I now have some nice stones and on my hair test when the hair is cut without feeling any pull and the hair pops onto the blade or just falls right in front of blade it is ready for a test shave. Now I have to work on smooth but I'm getting there.
Glenn C

Here's how I made the HHT useful for myself:

1) I chose a consistent source (only the white hairs on my chest)
2) I observed how my HHT behaved on a razor I knew to shave nicely
3) I did the HHT on that razor when I got it out of the stand, then again after a preshave stropping, then again after the shave, then again after the postshave stropping. This way I could relate the subtle differences in HHT results to the wear and tear of oxidation and shaving.

It's better, IMO, to think about your OWN HHT, rather than "the" HHT. For myriad reasons, there is no One True HHT. As everyone says, the one true test is if your razor shaves your beard. Once you know it does that to your satisfaction, you can develop your own HHT to monitor the slow changes that occur with use, or the faster changes that occur during honing.

By the way, my experience is that a splitting hair indicates an edge that is not quite sharp enough to get all the way through the hair. For more hair-splitting detail, read the HHT scoring sheet at the end of http://www.coticule.be/hanging-hair-test.html

Short answer to your question is your blade is not shave ready yet.
In the other hands what has been said before me is correct too.
hairs are different.
even in different portion of the body thickness of the hair is not same and your blade will
cut them differently.
Darn Color has effect too.
now go figure it out.
hope this helps.