Thread: Perfectly honed (in my opinion) but abbrasive to the skin

Hello, I have a problem, after i hone the razor on my naniwa 3k/8k i use the strop with red paste and then the one with black paste and then the plain leather one. HHT is perfect arm test is flawless but the problem is that I feel the blade kind of rough against my skin and i can actually see how it exfoliates a bit of skin on the arm test. Do you have any suggestion for me please?

Try without the paste or very few laps with just one paste...

Pastes get me every time, that's why I quit using them. See how the edge feels going from the 8k straight to leather. Just because an edge cuts hair well doesn't mean that it will be a comfortable shave.

You are really not telling us enough to help, other then the advice you got already which is pretty universal that if it doesn't shave pretty darn good at the 8k level alone after plain leather stropping, then going farther is a waste of time...

The Red and Black pastes are Dovo ???
How many laps are you doing with each ???
What is the paste on ????
What type of razor is this????

The more info you give the better we can help

BTW this is the reason many of us tell people the HHT and every other "Sharpness" test is only an indicator only the shave test tells the truth...

HHT isn't a definitive test for shave ready "but it is fun to do". As for arm test if the razor can glide over my arm parallel and about 1/4 from the skin and cut the hairs I can usually shave with it comfortably. You might be applying to much pressure when shaving or have a brittle edge. Hopefully someone with more info will post. Try reading Overhoning - Straight Razor Place Wiki , New to honing, Read this - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Yes the paste is dovo
20 laps on red paste
40 laps on black paste
both pastes are on leather
The razors are: 1. blue steel holzhauer and sons troy ny made in germany
2. FW Soderen & Co Eskilstuna garanti

In abouat an hour i will perform the shave test.

My only addition is that, if the blade feels rough, it's not really perfectly honed. I've been through many instances of this while I am learning to hone. I get a blade to a point where I think I've done everything right, but it feels like I'm going at my face with a cheese grater. Then I'll have ones that are great. One of my best edges yet came from the 1k challenge. 1k, CrOx and FeOx, webbing then leather. Keep at it and be patient.

Drop the pastes out as advised above, try a shave, if it is good but needs a touch more, try just 10-15 on the Black Dovo paste...

If you want to try both pastes later as a refresh, start at 10 Red and 20 Black..

20/40 is pretty high even though Dovo pastes are very gentle cutters


Good Luck

g

This is why I never go to paste until I've shaved (after stropping) off of the hones. I see guys all the time say they honed though a progression from bevel set to finishing on a 12 or a 16k, and then hit it with chrom-ox and/or diamond spray/paste. I always want to test shave at the 8k before I go to the 12k or whatever. If that is good I go to the finisher and test shave off of that. If that is good but I want "icing on the cake" I can do the paste thing. This way I know where my edge is at the different stages of the game. No point in putting the icing on if the cake is half baked. Just IMHO.

Originally Posted by jdto

My only addition is that, if the blade feels rough, it's not really perfectly honed. I've been through many instances of this while I am learning to hone. I get a blade to a point where I think I've done everything right, but it feels like I'm going at my face with a cheese grater. Then I'll have ones that are great. One of my best edges yet came from the 1k challenge. 1k, CrOx and FeOx, webbing then leather. Keep at it and be patient.

It may be your face does not like the pastes. I cannot use the Naniwa 12K edges, feel very rough. I have been using coticule's finished on oil or JNAT progression-both excellent, very keen and smooth.

Another alternative is CBN spray, I sometimes use it after a coti on oil for some added umph. Cant go crazy only 10-15 laps.