1 mic to 0.5 mic

[richard12550]

I recently received a shave ready razor. It didnt pass the hanging hair test.
I have a pasted strop and began to try a few wipes on the 1 Mic. This greater improved the edge and the showing signs of passing the hair test.
So I tried the 0.5 mic side. This actually caused the edge to become worst.

Do I need to just redo this razor on the norton 4k/8k??

[Suzuki]

I would try a few more laps on the 1.0 and then try the 0.5 again.

The hanging hair test is just that - a test. The only true way to tell if a razor is shave-ready is to shave with it.

If you're getting close on the 1.0, I don't think you need to go to the Norton.

I would take it nice and slow on the pastes and watch your technique - see how this works before going to the Norton.

Other may have more advice/suggestions for you.

[mparker762]

Did you try shaving with it? That is the only true test of shave-readiness. The HHT is an imperfect proxy for this, that is used mainly because it is so quick and easy to do. Honing would be a real chore if you had to lather up and shave every time you wanted to check the progress of the edge.

IME it's not unusual for razors to do better on the HHT at coarser grits, and do progressively worse on that test as I go to finer and finer hones. But shave-testing them indicates that despite what the HHT is saying the razors really are getting sharper with the finer stones.

[Amyn]

As Chris said that hanging hair test is not always accurate and even if the razor passes the test it does not mean the razor is shave ready.

I would try a few more laps on the pasted strop, then strop again on a non pasted strop. Repeat this a few times.

For me the Thumb pad test is the best indicator (other than actually shaving) to indicate the shave readiness of a str8.

[richard12550]

Thanks for the reply, Yes I did try and shave with it!,,
Seemed that the razor was pulling on the hairs before it

I am a newbie here and right now I wouldnt know that a sharp razor is!
But, i did find out that learning to hone is part of learning to shave.

[usqview]

richard-

when i first started with straights i picked up a shave ready over at srp (thanx josh!). i stropped it, lathered up and went to town. it felt terrible on my face, it pulled and plucked and scraped. not too fun. my first guess was- 'well the razor must not be sharp enough'. i read more and tried it again after stropping it. i tried improving my strokes (starting moving the blade prior to touch my face) and holding the spine close to my face. wow- what a difference that made. after a few more shaves i was getting pretty good results and much smoother shaves.

so for what its worth- it might not be the razor. the good news is you have jumped into the straight stream! it gets better and better, just stick with it. if you cant seem to get the razor sharp again or are in doubt about the quality of the edge send it to lynn and have him hone it.

cheers,
ryan

[richard12550]

Thats what I figured. I have ordered a honed razor and when that comes in I can really see the difference. But, i will send this one out for honing.
I can see that it takes time and practice and of course the correct techquie to acheive good results.

One problem I have is "Am I shaving correctly" " why is it pulling"!!
I didnt feel much of sticking on the thumb test. It actually felt more smooth then sticky!

[Amyn]

I didnt feel much of sticking on the thumb test. It actually felt more smooth then sticky!

Tells me that the razor is not yet sharp enough to shave.

[FloppyShoes]

If all you have are a Norton 4k/8k, 1 micron paste and 0.5 micron paste, then it's time to bring it back to the hone. It should then pass the hanging hair test. Then the 1 and 0.5 micron should bring it a little further. YMMV according to skill and equipment of course.

[gglockner]

To me the HHT has some merit. Chances are after honing and stropping the razor still is not at least grabbing the hair, it probably won't shave well. I typically use boar hair for this test, which is a lot easier than my own to pass. A shave is still required for the real test.

Glen

[DwarvenChef]

I use a 4/8k norton and a tony miller two sided paddle strop with 1.0/0.5 diamond paste. These 2 items keep me in shave ready blades at the moment. However I haven not tried a HHT or thumb test sense I first started. Shaving is my only test.

When I'm honing my blades I use a magnifier to look at the bevel before I move to the next stone. When the bevel is clean and even I move to the next stone or to the pasted strop. After the 0.5 diamond pasted strop I do about 50 passes on the leather hanging strop and shave. 9 times out of 10 it's purfect. Now and again I goof a spot and have to redo part of the hone... oops....