Thread: Carbon Vs Stainless - Sharp questions

Originally Posted by Eco82

Is it possible that the SS gets so much sharper than the Carbon Steel? Any advice on this topic?

Cheers.

E.

No , it's more likely the edge on your SS needs more polishing or maybe some Cro paste as Jimmy mentioned.

I regularly use several Friodur razors and mine are keen but not harsh. I think that it is most likely that you have not found yet what the Dovo likes. I hone my Friodurs up to an 8K Norton, strop on 3, 1, and 0.5 um diamond paste, and strop on unpasted linen/latigo 30 and 60. Try a CrOx or diamond pasted bench or paddle strop before your unpasted daily strop. CrOx should smooth things out. When the unpasted strop starts to lose its effectiveness, I touchup again on the diamond paste.

HTH

Again, I have no pastes and only one leather strop so far...
My question was not about a numerical value as for how sharp is it but more on the visual aspect.
If I use a good magnifying glass, can I see that the edge is rolled? or how it's supposed to look?

Again, thanks everyone :-D

Cheers.

E.

Magnification can tell you a lot if you know what to look for. If not you may still be guessing.

You said your Dovo feels 'sharper' than your TI so I am assuming the SS shaves closely ?
If so the edge is not likely to be rolled.

What is the honing history of this Dovo ? Was it ever to your liking ? Did it degrade slowly /quickly ?

That's the thing Onimaru, I'm not sure he he he.

I've been using it for a couple of months, well, I would have to say for a month as I try to use the Dovo one day and the TI the next day and I started using mid November or so.

I know it was honed professionally, I bought it used from someone at the Badger & Blade forum. I was able to see the blade before buying it as he lives nearby and it was still on it's original package. Every time it pases the hanging hair test, although I feel it's a little bit better on the toe and heel than the center of the blade. Also, the TI was honed by Max in Las vegas, where I bought the blade.

I feel I get smoother and closer shaves with the TI than the Dovo, but the Dovo feels "harsher" I start feeling like it burns in the middle of the second pass or so.

So, I'm not sure if it's because it really is sharper and I need to work a little bit more on my technique to find the right angle and all... Or, if it's because I'm messing it while stropping.

Originally Posted by Eco82

So, I'm not sure if it's because it really is sharper and I need to work a little bit more on my technique to find the right angle and all... Or, if it's because I'm messing it while stropping.

Well it could be technique but I doubt you are making the edge harsh by stropping. Just going on the crystal ball here I still think the Dovo was not finished right i.e. smooth enough. Anyone that hones these will tell you they can be very comfortable to shave with but they may need some minor tweaking at the end of honing.
Your simplest bet is to send it out to someone confident at doing these & explain the sensation you're feeling when shaving. A microscope may reveal some answers too. Unless it's giving you a much closer shave than the TI the Dovo is not necessarily 'sharper'.

So... I've been looking at the edges on a magnifying glass, a thread counter actually, one of those made to see the dots in printed materials and I have to say that I couldn't see anything.
My guess is that the edge is even and it's so thin I could not notice anything weird. I did notice one tiny spot on the TI blade that seems to reflect light in a different way so it might be a little hit or dent in the edge.
Still the TI is giving me a way smoother shave than the Dovo even though the Dovo blade seems sharper on the HHT. It splits the hair right thru but when I use it it does seem harsher.
I might need to send it to hone or something.

My question for you is about shipping and such, I live in Canada (Vancouver) and the only profesional honemeister I know is Max, in Las vegas. Has anyone shipped their blades internationally? Is there an issue with that? What would be the best way?

Thank you everyone!

E.

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From my experience, the shave is in the hand of the honer....

Originally Posted by Eco82

So... I've been looking at the edges on a magnifying glass, a thread counter actually, one of those made to see the dots in printed materials and I have to say that I couldn't see anything.
My guess is that the edge is even and it's so thin I could not notice anything weird. I did notice one tiny spot on the TI blade that seems to reflect light in a different way so it might be a little hit or dent in the edge.
Still the TI is giving me a way smoother shave than the Dovo even though the Dovo blade seems sharper on the HHT. It splits the hair right thru but when I use it it does seem harsher.
I might need to send it to hone or something.

My question for you is about shipping and such, I live in Canada (Vancouver) and the only profesional honemeister I know is Max, in Las vegas. Has anyone shipped their blades internationally? Is there an issue with that? What would be the best way?

Thank you everyone!

E.

Lynn from SRD does honing also. Dunno if it'd be cheaper to send it to him. Also check the classifieds, there might be someone in Canada that hones.