How thick is your hair? HHT related

[pcb01]

I recently picked up a neat little device at an antique store. It's a precision little micrometer with a rotary dial and two metal posts and a thumbwheel. It only opens to .3 inches maximum, and reads reliably down to .0001 inch.

Anyway, I've found multiple uses for it, like measuring spine width on straights. Several varieties of human hair all mic down to .002 to .003 inches. The thicker hairs are much more easily severed on the HHT. That .001 makes a big difference!

Don't know if this interests anyone but me.

 

[wdwrx]

Sounds like a cool find.
I've spent some time learning to calibrate my hair sample with my honing. My teenage daughter gladly donated a lock of her hair to my cause, but it is so very fine that my razors seldom pass any kind of test with it off the hones. Only after stropping does her hair begin show some results. If I want a thicker hair, I have to steal 'em from SWMBO when she's not looking (I only get one chance here), or take 'em out of her brush. The difference from my wife's hair to my daughter's hair is like night and day. My wife's will pass and give me good readings at different places in the progression, where my daughter's will only pass on the very keenest of edges. I'd agree, hair thickness makes a huge difference.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I use my chest hair. Muuuuuuch thicker than my head hair. I don't think my head hair has ever passed a HHT reliably. Also chest hair is in convenient ~1.5" lengths.

 

[Bart]

It's an interesting idea to measure the hair, Phil. I'm not sure it's the only parameter that influences the "severability" of a hair, but it sure is an important one.

As with all tests one can perform while sharpening razors, the HHT only becomes valuable when you know how results correlate between a particular hone and the shave the edge will provide.

I use a strand of hair of my daughter's head (I asked, it helps to do that). It's stiff hair, but even in one strand you'll find quite a variety of different thicknesses. To probe immediately after finishing on the hone, I pick the thicker ones. For probing after the first stropping session I pick the thinnest hairs and I also aim for a much wider distance form the holding point.

I never measured the hairs, in absence of a micrometer, but the thickest hairs are easily twice and thick as the thinnest ones, if not trice.

Kind regards,
Bart.

 

[pcb01]

Bart: I think you're right. I have several samples of different folks' hair, and there are differences in thickness. However, I've found that whatlooks thicker may nor always be so.

For example, my leg hair looks a good deal thicker than my arm hair. And my hair from... well, what appears to be my thickest, densest hair -- all mics out right at the same size. Very surprising.

I'm certainly no expert at the HHT, so take this for what it's worth.

 

[gary haywood]

i use 3 differant thickness of hairs. medium of the hone to slight thin to medium. after stropping i use baby blond hair if i rest the hair on the edge with no effort and also 1 to 2 inch away from holding point, which can be acheived of coticule. I no i'm in for the best shave possible. this is what i aim for. i sent criss a sample of the hair i use this will give an idea of what to expect from the hair i use .
#
gary

 

[rawface]

I use my chest hair. Muuuuuuch thicker than my head hair. I don't think my head hair has ever passed a HHT reliably. Also chest hair is in convenient ~1.5" lengths.

'Glad to hear from someone else. I know I'm in the ballpark when it lops chesthair. Then I go nuts trying to get it to lop really fine head hair. The difference is huge.

 

[jzono1]

I actually use hairs from my cat. She has very soft, long fur, and the thinnest hairs are really hard to cleanly cut. It's barely doable with a superb edge from my nakayama kiita/karuso blend.

Hair width/strenght matters a lot for the hht. Too stiff hair and it's too easy.

 

[Legion]

I use SWMBO hair. Only because it is longer and therefor I and less likely to chop my finger doing the test. I also think her hairs are finer than mine.

I don't have enough chest hair to spare for the test.