Thread: INDIA STEEL

Is there any special technique involved in making India Steel pass the Hanging Hair Test? My 6/8 IXL is not getting there.

I have been hit & miss on the HHT. Sometimes I get it but more often then not I don't. My hair is too fine so I use an old badger brush and that may be too fine as well. I can pop arm hairs easily yet not the HHT. OTOH, the razors give me a darn good shave in spite of not being HHT ready.

With the variation in steels, edges, hones, techniques and hair, the HHT is more for amusement than anything. Its the shave that means anything and everything.

I personally would not shave with a razor that will not pass a HHT with my wife's hair which is medium thickness. Everyone is different which is why there is YMMV.


Take Care,
R

I am glad to hear that the Hanging Hair Test is not the final exam for good shave. It just seems like it woud be. It is amusing to have that hair cut with only a touch of the blade. I found my old stropping leather which started out in life as a flat belt in an old factory. It is about 6 inches wide. They used flat belts back in the day of line shafts used to power machinery. They are still being used in places. Farm machinery was operated this way. I suppose leather belting can be obtained from industrial supply sources. I plan to strop some more and get the steel where I want it. My old W&B India Steel did the HHT only on portions of the smiling blade. I gave up too early on that one. Thanks

What that razor probably needs is to go back to the lower grits and reset the edge bevel.

Fine India Steel is velvety smooth, and I did not find it very difficult to hone even on a beefy W&B wedge.

Go back, reset the edge and then go to the higher grits to put ona fine finish edge. I think you'll find a very, very nice razor once honed up!

I am giving the IXL a careful, careful bevel job. I plan to take plenty of time. I am using a lower grit hone and I do not want to take away metal not causing problems. I am sure from the helpful advice that India Steel is good. It really looks good at the bevel area. This is one time I will not be rushed and impatient. It is surely heavier than my other razors. It must be very hard. Maybe the forging is different making for some dense metal indeed.

Here is something that I am finding to be more and more true, as I hone more and more different types of razors.....
Although I would absolutely agree that the HHT is a trick, and it is cool to do, and has nothing to do with how smooth the razor shaves....
It can be used to test sharpness rather well, not only, if it will pop the hair, but actually, how it pops the hair.... I always do a HHT on every razor on 5 spots on the blade from heel to toe and it better pop hairs every time, not only mine, but the wife's baby fine stuff, then I do a shave test!!!!

Keeping in mind that I do my HHT after I am done honing, polishing, and stropping, the edge, at lower grits the jaggedness of the edge can create a false positive on the HHT test, so I don't use it then..... YMMV

I took the time with a coarse hone to aggressivly re-bevel the entire blade evenly and went through the steps and ended with a long stropping. No HHT but a smooth slow shave with no pulling. I can work the HHT later if needed. So far, I am happy with the re-bevel. This is neat steel. I am liking this heavier blade better. Any good resources about how they made India Steel? All I find is information about the modern India steels for construction, etc. It must have some extra carbon or unique combinations of other elements to alloy the way it is. Is it similiar to Wootz Steel?

Still not making the HHT with the India Steel Blade. After a quiet steady re-honing and very careful stropping, I took the shave. At first I thought nothing happened. No pull. No sound. No feel. Just mucho whiskers in the lather on the blade! I think that is what this is all about. I never had a MachIII do any better! If it was that good without HHT it might just be better with HHT. Only time will tell. No harm in continuing the quest.