Thread: Coticules for Dummies

Buying a Norton 4/8k would be taking the easy way out. I like a challenge. I'm fighting the good fight

Originally Posted by eleblu05

i have three different 1k stone's and can get the razor to pop hair above skin level on any of them. i think your problem is at bevel setting. i also have 4 different coti's, an i have used them all as finishers without any of them pulling. go back to the bevel setting and dont leave that stone until you can pop arm hair above skin level.

I'm going to have to try this on a junker razor. IMO, I can hone a razor down to a nub on my 1k norton and never pop arm hair well above skin level. Sometimes I worry that I spend too much time on the stones. But if this is the source of all my problems, it's worth a shot!

Some people cannot use any "Hair" tests well, try the older tests too, use the TNT off the 1k, then watch Lynn's JaNorton video and watch and listen to his TPT it is about as perfect as it gets...

We all thought the Arm hair test was awesome right up until the 2009 NC meet up when we found a guy that could not get his arm hair to cut right even with a shave ready edge when all the rest of us could...

You can shave much better than you think with a well set 1k bevel, by 4k you should be "shaving sharp" and by 8k you should be "shave ready" (grit rating for equivalency only)

that guys arm hair must have been made of steel, lol! I'll check out that video again, thank you.

I guess I always dismissed my bevel as the problem, because after an 8k stone or coticule, I DO get every blade to shave smoothly, it just takes 5-10 swipes on diamond spray on linen to do the trick. I figured my problem lied elsewhere...

Actually, my arm hair is pretty fine, so I tend to have a bit less clear "off the skin" edge test result. The stiffer arm hair would stay put a little better and maybe give a more definitive result.

For the record, did the guy at the 2009 NC have incredibly thin/light/white arm hair, or thick black greek arm hair? In other words, what type of arm hair is likely to be easier to cut?

This is a great thread for me, since i am experiencing similar coti woes. I am currently going with the 6 day plan from the coticule.be forum and taking the patient route. I have no other hones, so I understand I am in for a battle of a learning curve. That said, like the guy who started this thread, I have been straight shaving for a year now (with professionally honed blades) so I at least understand very well what shave ready is and isn't. Also, I am only using one of my razors for this honing effort, so I am not forced to shave with it. And one final bonus, since my blades are all in good shape, it's not like I am attempting the mystical de-ebaying on a coticule alone. While I am certainly struggling, I think these are key issues that should dramatically shorten my learning process. I cannot imagine trying this from scratch as a complete beginner to straight shaving.

Originally Posted by UWPete

For the record, did the guy at the 2009 NC have incredibly thin/light/white arm hair, or thick black greek arm hair? In other words, what type of arm hair is likely to be easier to cut?

I'm not familiar with the particulars of that instance, but I'm fairly sure that thicker/coarser hair is going to be easier for the blade to "catch". My leg hair is thicker than my arm hair, and a blade will catch it well before it's sharp enough to do the same on my arm. (Talking about the above-the-skin test.)

Originally Posted by woodsmandave

that guys arm hair must have been made of steel, lol! I'll check out that video again, thank you.

I guess I always dismissed my bevel as the problem, because after an 8k stone or coticule, I DO get every blade to shave smoothly, it just takes 5-10 swipes on diamond spray on linen to do the trick. I figured my problem lied elsewhere...

how many razor's are you honing ? and what kind are they ?

I have fine hair and i cant cut hair above skin level. I have to use my daughters hair. Nice thick hair.

Originally Posted by eleblu05

how many razor's are you honing ? and what kind are they ?

In my rotation:
Joseph Rodgers wedge
WM Jackson 11/8 hollow
2 W&B wedges
dovo and dubl duck full hollow
wostenholm 4/8 and 7/8 wedges
wm greaves 7/8 wedge
john barber 7/8 half wedge

For me, the wedges are easier to hone than the full hollows. A couple - the 11/8 and the wostenholm 7/8, never need the diamond paste. the rest always do