Honing every day

[bluefoxicy]

my razor's edge still seems to have visible light scratch patterns on it.

I keep taking it back to the Chinese 12k to try to buff it down and sharpen the edge. Every day or so.

Should this eventually buff to a cloudy but smooth finish? Or will there always be scratches? It's really shiny between the scratches now o.o

 

[Neurotopia]

Don't waste your time if it shaves well.

 

[holli4pirating]

The scratch pattern doesn't matter. Different hones may leave different scratch patterns, even if the shave feels exactly the same. It's because different hones cut differently.

That said, since I can't see your razor or feel what it shaves like, I can't really say if the scratches are problematic or not. If they are, and they aren't coming off on your C12k, then it means you need to use something a step down (at least) from the C12k to polish those scratches out, and then step up to the C12k to polish out the previous scratches. Consider an extreme case of jumping from a 1k to a C12k. The C12k will remove metal, but it could take days if not longer to remove the scratches from the 1k. That is the purpose of using several hones in a progression.

 

[bluefoxicy]

Consider an extreme case of jumping from a 1k to a C12k. The C12k will remove metal, but it could take days if not longer to remove the scratches from the 1k. That is the purpose of using several hones in a progression.

Right, I'm coming off an 8k.

It's never passed HHT. I'm thinking if scratches from the 8k (or 4k maybe???) are still there, then the blade is not as fine as the 12k can make it. I quest for a very sharp blade, and I've bumped my thumbpad into the blade accidentally (slipped, caught, and dragged with pressure) and not gotten cut. It does, however, give me a DFS in one pass.

Yes you read that right. It can't slit my thumb open, but it can give a DFS with little to no irritation in one pass.

It can't get me a BBS. The Gillette Fusion does better, but with far more irritation.

I should add a 10k hone to my line-up eventually....but as-is, time on the 12k won't wear down my razor unnecessarily, right? Really I want the razor to have a sharp, durable edge... not something that'll foil, but HHT sharp. The HHT is rather meaningless but I know my blade's a tad dull。

 

[charismata]

I wouldn't worry about a C12K wearing down your razor. The C12K has the reputation of being extremely slow anyway. It's not really going to "hone" anything, as in removing much metal. It is more for polishing your edge, IMO.

I think your arms will wear out before you could do much damage. I'm not putting the stone down at all. I use a C12K and like it just fine.

 

[holli4pirating]

Have you shaved off your 8k? If you can't do it comfortably, you shouldn't move off the 8k. I don't know about HHT, as I don't consider it a useful test, but my C12k gave me very sharp edges - cut much more easily than off my coticule (yes, both are naturals, so there is variation on both).

The C12k is increadibly slow - it used to take me 100 laps to get where I wanted to off my coti. I've never gone from an 8k to the C12k, but I know someone who does, and IIRC he does 100 on the C12k after the Norton 8k, and his edges are very nice indeed.

 

[Neurotopia]

The C12k is increadibly slow - it used to take me 100 laps to get where I wanted to off my coti. I've never gone from an 8k to the C12k, but I know someone who does, and IIRC he does 100 on the C12k after the Norton 8k, and his edges are very nice indeed.

+1, I do the same thing as your acquaintance.

 

[bluefoxicy]

Have you shaved off your 8k? If you can't do it comfortably, you shouldn't move off the 8k. I don't know about HHT, as I don't consider it a useful test, but my C12k gave me very sharp edges - cut much more easily than off my coticule (yes, both are naturals, so there is variation on both).

The C12k is increadibly slow - it used to take me 100 laps to get where I wanted to off my coti. I've never gone from an 8k to the C12k, but I know someone who does, and IIRC he does 100 on the C12k after the Norton 8k, and his edges are very nice indeed.

I've shaved off the 8k, it works.

I don't have a 10k, or I'd use that before the 12k. I dont think I've done 100 laps across the 12k total, maybe half that.

The shave just isn't as close as I'd like. I shaved last night around 8, and I have a DFS now and it's 7am. My face felt fuzzy though... it's part technique I'm sure. The other part is my facial hair is like iron wire or something (it even rusts if I let it grow out! ).

 

[holli4pirating]

Did it work off the 8k, or was it a good shave off the 8k?

If you get a good shave off the 8k, then do 100 on the c12k and you should be there. The C12k is very slow, and you really need to do about 100 to get the edge where it needs to go.

 

[bluefoxicy]

Did it work off the 8k, or was it a good shave off the 8k?

If you get a good shave off the 8k, then do 100 on the c12k and you should be there. The C12k is very slow, and you really need to do about 100 to get the edge where it needs to go.

It'd be a good shave if I had 6 months more experience; my shaves get better day by day even on days I don't try to make the blade even sharper.

 

[holli4pirating]

Well, it makes it a lot harder to learn to hone when you cannot properly assess your edges by shaving...

 

[professorchaos]

Best way I know to assess an edge is the modified shave test. It requires 36 hours of growth. Lather up and start with the coup de maitre. If the razor pulls, it isn't shave ready. If it doesn't, you've got a good edge.

Once you've got a good edge, don't hone it again until it starts pulling again.

 

[bluefoxicy]

Best way I know to assess an edge is the modified shave test. It requires 36 hours of growth. Lather up and start with the coup de maitre. If the razor pulls, it isn't shave ready. If it doesn't, you've got a good edge.

Once you've got a good edge, don't hone it again until it starts pulling again.

36 hours of growth later I don't think I have enough facial hair yet to do this test... I may need another 36 hours to get there. I'm pretty stubbly but that's it.

 

[professorchaos]

You don't need a ton of growth...as long as there is some stubble there the test should yield results.

 

[bluefoxicy]

Well it bites into the hair and makes a velcro sound,but... the Fusion does too, and it pulls PAINFULLY after 2 days. So it pulls less than the Fusion, but it doesn't cut as easily as a double-edge blade.

So how sharp is sharp?

 

[holli4pirating]

A sharp blade, in the hands of an experienced shaver, will cut with no resistance. A sharp blade in inexperienced hands will not. But neither will a dull blade in anyone's hands. This is why it is recommended to use a honemeister sharpened blade as a benchmark - because you know it is sharp and it gives you something to compare to.

 

[bluefoxicy]

A sharp blade, in the hands of an experienced shaver, will cut with no resistance. A sharp blade in inexperienced hands will not. But neither will a dull blade in anyone's hands.

Ah, the world is complicated and unforgiving.

 

[Seraphim]

From reading the entirety of the thread, I would venture to say the issue isn't the use of the 12k, or the 8k, but rather you need to go back to a ~1k and REALLY set the bevel, and get an edge on that thing before worrying about refineing the edge with a 8-12k.

A razor that is not cutting is not a 8-12k problem, it is a 1-4k problem.

At least that's my diagnosis...


EDIT: Just saw your post about your setup. Hitup your Norton 4k. Don't count laps, hone it until it'll easily cleave a hair off your arm mid-stalk. then go to the higher grits to refine that edge. It will make a world of difference in your shave if you do the low grit stuff right first.

Alot of attention, and sexy stuff is posted about the Whiz-bang 75000 hone from outer Mongolia, but if you don't have a sharp edge on there from the low grits to begin with, the Whiz-bang 75000 (or any high grit hone) won't do diddly.

 

[Chimensch]

From reading the entirety of the thread, I would venture to say the issue isn't the use of the 12k, or the 8k, but rather you need to go back to a ~1k and REALLY set the bevel, and get an edge on that thing before worrying about refineing the edge with a 8-12k.

A razor that is not cutting is not a 8-12k problem, it is a 1-4k problem.

At least that's my diagnosis...


EDIT: Just saw your post about your setup. Hitup your Norton 4k. Don't count laps, hone it until it'll easily cleave a hair off your arm mid-stalk. then go to the higher grits to refine that edge. It will make a world of difference in your shave if you do the low grit stuff right first.

Alot of attention, and sexy stuff is posted about the Whiz-bang 75000 hone from outer Mongolia, but if you don't have a sharp edge on there from the low grits to begin with, the Whiz-bang 75000 (or any high grit hone) won't do diddly.

This is actually what I was thinking but I'm not enough of honemeister to have the confidence to make diagnoses like that. I think Seraphim has hit the nail on the head.

 

[bluefoxicy]

EDIT: Just saw your post about your setup. Hitup your Norton 4k. Don't count laps, hone it until it'll easily cleave a hair off your arm mid-stalk. then go to the higher grits to refine that edge. It will make a world of difference in your shave if you do the low grit stuff right first.

Alot of attention, and sexy stuff is posted about the Whiz-bang 75000 hone from outer Mongolia, but if you don't have a sharp edge on there from the low grits to begin with, the Whiz-bang 75000 (or any high grit hone) won't do diddly.

This is almost exactly the advice I got from another member that helped me figure out how to make the blade even cut in the first place. I've been told repeatedly if it's not cutting I need to go back to a lower grit... guess it hasn't sunk in yet.

Mid-stalk off the 4k? I was only having it shave at the skin surface So, rather than taking it for half an hour each day trying to refine down that edge, it's time to start over and rehone the whole blade from scratch since it wasn't done right in the first place?