Thread: Is this a joke?

If you do the thumbpad test properly there will be no blood, no pain, and no sign of any visible cuts.

However, if you get salt/vinegar, etc on your hands later on it will sting like hell, so shallow cuts are indeed there.

Also, I have a tendency to want to do this to every knife/razor I get in my hands. I only do it to my own, or to razors/knives from known sources, like family. I'm not mysophobic, by a long shot, but best not to take any unnecessary risks.

Originally Posted by CarrieM

I have on occasion done something similar on my thumbnail, But never on my thumb pad. I am thinking this is not the safest thing to do.

Yes, I too have used my thumb nail. I may bewrong but I believe I read about it either here or on the Classic Shaving site. By the way, I learned to hone from my barber who was excited about giving me a private lesson. He also showed me how to test the sharpness on my thumbnail.

Originally Posted by zib

Read the WIKI, have you ever checked the sharpness of a knife by drawing your thumb lightly across the edge? same principal.

I guess I assumed everybody knew how to do this test on a knife, so it came as no surprise to me to have it used in evlauating a st8.

Couple of things here kinda scare me when reading them...

The thumb nail test is to check for a bad edge such as an e-bay razor or a folded edge or for checking for tiny chips, if used on a shaving sharp edge it WILL dull the edge... I never even consider a TNT after 1k

The thumb pad test is an essential test to learn when assessing your honed edges ..
You don't draw the thumb, you just kinda, lightly bounce it down the edge, it doesn't need to cut it just needs to feel sticky along the whole edge.. try a DE blade...

Also you knife guys worry me with that description of "across the knife edge" I am assuming that everyone knows not to go "across" a razor edge???

Personally I don't touch the edge with any test other then the HHT(and that's just plain for fun) after 4k on the hones, but when you are learning it is a good indicator for you to know where your at...

There are some really, really, good descriptions and I do believe pics in the Wiki....

It makes a big difference if you wet your thumb. I tried it many times dry first. never cut myself. But it was a little difficult to tell sharp from not sharp and I would actually move my thumb along the blade the tiniest bit to tell. Then I tried it with wetting my thumb. Amazing. It was like the edge had honey on it. Very distinct "sticky" feeling to it. Much easier to feel differences in sharpness. (I never noticed the "wet" part emphasized in the descriptions)

I've been using the TPT on knives since about 1958...

That idea about the DE blade sounds like a great way to train my finger. I'm pretty sure I've read about using a "damp" digit on the site somewhere (mighta' been in the honing help faqs), maybe.

Look at the barber manual at the following link: http://straightrazorpalace.com/downl...?do=file&id=67

Download the document and then scroll down to the section on honing and stropping. Everything you need to know is right there.


Scott