Thread: That took longer than I though.

Well, I decided that I would figure out how to hone/maintain my only razor (Dovo Bismark) with nothing but my coticule that I picked up while in Italy.

I have 3 other synthetics (400, 1000 and 5000 Naniwa super stones) but I have this unexplained desire to want to master the coticule. I've tried the superstones with mediocre results, I'm sure totaly due to the terrible technique that i probably have and not having a good finisher.

So tonight, I blunted my razor (on the bottom of a glass) and started to set the bevel following the dilucot method. I spent an hour trying to shave my arm hair with little success and couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I sharpied the bevel and i was making solid contact ect. Then, just on a whim I started to dilute my slurry anyways and MAGIC happened. I could shave the hair on my arm after about 60 half strokes with a lighter slurry. After two more hours of progressing the edge, then messing it up and starting over, I finally have a blade that seems sharp. I could not get the edge to pass the HHT test off the coticule, so I gave up. I finished with 45 laps on pasted linen, and 80 laps leather. The bevel is very nice and shiny and it now finally passes the HHT test fairly well. Not perfectly, there is still a slight resistance in a few spots but after almost three hours, that's good enough for me.

Ill shave with it tomorrow morning and find out if I at least made the edge as good as it was before I started. I'll be happy just having a comfortable shave for now. I'm sure this'll get easier as I practice, if not I'm going to have to buy many more razors to practice with

I don't know how you guys mastered this type of stone without losing at least a little bit of sanity, I hope I keep enough of mine to at least remember why I thought this coticule was a good idea though.

Here's hoping.

I personally think the coticule is a great hone once the bevel is set. I haven't had much luck setting a bevel with a coti as they are slow cutters. I would suggest using the 1000 Naniwa SS to set the bevel then move on to the coti.

The coticule I first used was a select 1 5/8"x4" and tried both the dilicot and unicot method, my best results were from using the dilucot method. It took a little while to get the hang of using slurry but once I got it figured out my edges started turning out much better. I'm currently using a select coticule bout that is 3 3/4"x4 3/4" but am using the 'one stone honing' technique illustrated by gssixgun in these videos and turning out some sweet edges:

gssixgun coticule 1 stone honing part 1 wmv
gssixgun coticule 1 stone honing part 2 wmv

The technique used will largely depend on the size coticule you have. Also once you have a good bevel and figure out how to use slurry with a coticule it should take no longer that 15-20 minutes to finish the razor. Be patient and practice, practice, practice, it will come to you.

Ok,

Well that wasn't terrible.

This mornings shave went fairly well. Quick hot water prep, proraso cream and off I went.

The razor cut hair just fine, not great though. It was a comfortable shave, with just a bit of pulling on my chin.
I was happy enough with the shave, but the obsessive-compulsive me decided that I could do better.
Thanks Doughboy68, I watched those videos by gssixgun and I think I picked up a bunch of good pointers.

I went back to the coticule tonight. Started with a medium slurry and slowly worked my way down again.
This time I made sure to pay special attention to how the blade was undercutting the water/slurry on the stone
and realized that i didn't have it quite right. A bit of fiddling around and I straightened it out.

After honing, stopped 25 on my pasted linen and 100 on my leather.

Passed the HHT really well (much better than yesterday).
Ill be shaving again tomorrow morning, and I'll post the results again!!

Good times!

It's nice to start seeing results.

Success!

I'm sure the edge is nowhere near what any of the true honemeisters around here can produce, but this mornings shave was nice and smooth. No pulling, no irritation and no disappointment!

Now, if I can just manage to fight the urge to keep trying to make it better and just enjoy the fact that it's pretty good!..

Thanks for the info, im slowly sorting out my honing technique...slowly...

Originally Posted by ironsidegnr

Success!

I'm sure the edge is nowhere near what any of the true honemeisters around here can produce, but this mornings shave was nice and smooth. No pulling, no irritation and no disappointment!

Now, if I can just manage to fight the urge to keep trying to make it better and just enjoy the fact that it's pretty good!..

Thanks for the info, im slowly sorting out my honing technique...slowly...

Good is good,be happy,I spent 7 hrs on a big (15/16) Japanese smiler yesterday,for the second time,shaves to perfection.

Why did you blunt the edge of the only razor you have?

A nice combination of over-optimism and a terrible lack of foresight.

Also, if I didn't dull it first I'd never be satisfied that I was able to bring a blade back from useless.

I dulled the first two razors I honed for the same reason, to see if I could bring them back. What I learned was that sharpness can be hard to come by and dulling comes all too easy. I used more pressure with the intentionally dulled razors in the effort to "bring them back". So, I created more work for myself, then used too much pressure in the process. I've never done that again. If I have a razor that needs to be honed, I hone it. I think that intentional dulling is a sin, one which I no longer commit. There are too many sins that are much more fun. I commit those.

I agree, now that I know that I am capable of completing the entire process I won't fear it.
From now on, I will simply be maintaining my edge...until the next time I whack the faucet with the blade.

Sooner or later RAD will kick in and you'll be putting your newly acquired skills to good use.