tell me about my edge

[trick420]

Okay, trying to understand what I have here...

Thiers issard 5/8 that was shave ready, but I felt the need for a touchup. So, I go to my vintage coti with water for 20-30 strokes to touch it up. Strop it 50 times and shave.

So I do my typical 3 pass shave. WTG and ATG are heavenly. Smooooooth and its as if the whiskers are just being wiped off.

ATG though feels harsh. Not horrible, but a little harsh. Doesn't feel close during the shave, and is almost giving me the feeling I'm shaving with a serrated edge. I still get DFS++/BBS though, but I have a little irritation around the 'stache area. I normally take my edges to glass and start fresh, but this time I wanted to try just a touch up hone. Last night I did a touch up on my Brian Brown using my Welsh Thuri with oil and it just brought it alive. Fantastic smooth and keen edge.

So, do I have a smooth edge that isn't keen enough or a sharp edge that is too keen? Or something else?

 

[smalltank]

If any edge feels "harsh"..start again on bevel setter...try some mineral oil on your coti..IMO ups the edge more in smoothness

 

[trick420]

Well, that's why I ask... It was smooth as silk for WTG and XTG. Just felt crappy ATG. Passed HHT very well too.

 

[duderdo]

Well, that's why I ask... It was smooth as silk for WTG and XTG. Just felt crappy ATG. Passed HHT very well too.

Maybe you had a wire edge? I honed a razor once that was as you described, stunning on the WTG pass and then harsh ATG. When I looked under the loupe I saw that I had a wire edge that probably lasted for most of the WTG but couldn't hold up ATG.

 

[trick420]

Definitely not a wire edge, but a good suggestion. I looked under my magnifier, and it looks great. This razor already had a good, shave ready coti edge, and I had already done 20+ shaves on it. I was just trying to see if I can improve the edge a little bit, and I did some weightless strokes on water only on my coti. I figured I couldn't make it worse. And I'm not sure it's worse - It just didn't feel great ATG.

My suspicion is that I have grown used to very smooth edges that are less keen, and I made the edge keener and didn't adjust my technique to compensate.

I don't normally shave off of the coticule. I usually do a full dilucot and then move on to my Llyn Mellynllyn and then to my Welsh Thuri with water and then oil. This razor I purchased last spring from O.C. and it came with an AMAZING coti edge on it - I have never honed it until now.

It's possible that I just degraded the edge some from that edge, but I don't really see how.

I will likely do another shave or two with it and then take it all the way back to dull and do my standard progression on it. It could very well be that I got it too keen for my tastes and I need to mellow it out a bit on CROX or something too.

 

[Doc226]

My guess it is not keen enough.

Try it with oil.

 

[paco664]

use that canvas strop i sent you.... that will cure its ailments....

 

[trick420]

use that canvas strop i sent you.... that will cure its ailments....

Yeah, I still use that canvas almost daily. I'll surely go there, but for now I'm just trying to understand and reconcile in my minds eye where this current edge stands...

Just an attempt at broadening my knowedge of honing and assessing an edge.

 

[smalltank]

I think Paco may had gotten a shipment of "magic stones"..cures all that ales your razor!....