Thread: Thumb nail test please explain

I've read a lot and have been honing and practicing honing a lot by actually honing different razors.. I need a quick explainantion.. if I push the razor fwd on a wet thumb nail,and it bites and doesn't slide is my bevel set? To check the entire bevel can I leave it on the same spot on my nail and check different areas of the razor? Or will the incision left on my nail gimme false readings.. I also have understood that this TNT tells u ur getting close to getting near it being set.. and u keep going until u can shave arm hair? I have had razors grab across the whole blade on my thumb nail and shave arm hair off the 1k..so now I move to the 4/8 pyramid.. then strop 10 linen 25 leather .. now let's say it shaves but its not satisfactory do I go back to the 8 k or what?

You don't "push" the blade across your thumb. Wet your thumb nail and set the blade starting at the heel, and using JUST the weight of the blade sitting on your thumb, gently slide it backwards going from heel to point. If it glides with no resistance it's still dull. If certain spots "grab" but some still slide, then it's not a complete bevel. If you can gently move the blade and it feels like it is trying to cut in to the nail or trying to dig in all along the blade, the bevel is set; I tend to go back after the tnt and do 5-6 more laps, just b/c you are dragging the blade flat across a hard surface (yes keratin is a hard substance). If after everything and it's not satisfactory, you can go 5 more on 4k, and 10 on 8k strop and test. Though after honing 10 linen and 25 leather doesn't sound like enough. As an everyday regimen that's plenty, but after honing, I go 10-15 chromeox, 50 linen, and 75 leather.

OK that's what I been doing... except my stropping.. I'm going to increase my stropping and see ..

That may smooth out the blade and put it right where you want it, best to start simple and work backwards to more complicated. let us know how it works out.