Thread: Kamisori "Factory Edge" - Honing it with my arsenal

Originally Posted by jdto

It looks like it's never been honed.

If you have magnification, do a few light swipes on the coticule and look at the edge, you should be able to tell how much work the bevel needs.

Sounds good. I've got a 15x Loupe which gets me a pretty good view of edges. Thanks for the help, guys!

have you tried shaving with it before honing it?

Originally Posted by ezpz

have you tried shaving with it before honing it?

Nah. I like my face

It is most definitely not shave-ready.

Just because it's never been honed and needs work doesn't automatically mean the bevel has to be redone. I've had a few new kamisori's and I've never had to touch the bevel. Yes, they all needed honing to one degree or another but it's only the older vintage used stuff where I had to re set the bevel.

Before I started honing it, the steel went down to the edge without any change of angle. I have now begun to set the bevel on it, though I was interrupted in the middle of the process. The 8k wasn't cutting it, so I went to the 4k. Pressure on the forward stroke, less on the backstroke. It needs a bit more work, but it is starting to happen. I admit I've been very cautious about removing too much material, so I'm probably more hesitant than I need to be. One thing I've learned is, you can't put the steel back on.

Most Kamisori's I have seen new are very very sharp. Many have had an almost imperceptible bevel as well.

My recommendation would be that if you are set on using the thinner Coticule, that you start with a thin slurry and do 2-3 sets of very light pressure (Basically weight of the blade) 10-1 ratio X strokes and on your last set do a 10-2 set. That means 10 strokes on the flatter side of the Kamisori and 1 stroke on the more ground side. If the stone is 2 inches you will be fine with just a regular X stroke. If you are using a Bout at one inch thick, then a 45 degree angle X stroke will work well. Just remember to keep the razor flat on the stone as you push and pull across it. Following this, rinse the stone and then just use water. Do the same 2-3 sets and the razors should be ready to shave. Unless I have had to repair one of these edges, I normally have not started honing on less than an 8K stone and they usually get amazingly sharp very quick. I have not found the need to use any pressure with them unless I truly had to repair and reset a bevel or the equivalent of a bevel on one. The easiest test shave with one of these and the safest for those tentative is to shave the soul patch area under the lip or down one side of the chin where there is little room for error or digging the spike in unless you are real careless.

Have fun.

Thanks Lynn. I actually decided to start out on the Norton 4k, but found it was removing a lot of material, so I stopped. The coti I have is only 40mm, so about 1 5/8" and is just barely wide enough. I'll try what you've mentioned there and see where it gets me.

Wow, Lynn! Can you hear that popping sound? That was my arm hair. It took me a few more than 2-3 sets (more like 4-5 at both slurry and water), but that's probably where my technique is lacking. Thanks for the tips.

Now, for the next step, should I just leave it with the coti edge?

I have the following so-called finishers:
C-Nat - hard and smooth, improves upon my Norton 8k edge in terms of smoothness
Llyn Melynllyn - I haven't tested this one yet. I need to complete the lapping, but it seems to be getting great reviews.
Small vintage Thuri

Originally Posted by jdto

Wow, Lynn! Can you hear that popping sound? That was my arm hair. It took me a few more than 2-3 sets (more like 4-5 at both slurry and water), but that's probably where my technique is lacking. Thanks for the tips.

Now, for the next step, should I just leave it with the coti edge?

I have the following so-called finishers:
C-Nat - hard and smooth, improves upon my Norton 8k edge in terms of smoothness
Llyn Melynllyn - I haven't tested this one yet. I need to complete the lapping, but it seems to be getting great reviews.
Small vintage Thuri

From what I have experienced, you really should go farther than the Coti. It will shave fine, but if you want that really comfortable shave, the kamisori like a bit more of a polish