Trying to trouble shoot my edge

I've been doing unicot for a few weeks trying to tweak the edge. I can get a HHT-3 off the hone, but stropping doesn't improve the edge as I've read it should. Stropping isn't degrading the edge so I think I have confidence in my stropping abilities.

What I'm doing is setting the bevel on a 1k.
Make a light slurry-30 x strokes.
Tape razor dilute slurry with a couple of drops from the finger. 30 x strokes.
Rinse razor and stone. do 60 x strokes. Re wetting stone under water every 20 strokes or so. Stroke is up and back.

I've experimented with slurry thicknness going from thicker to thinner in subsequent honing sessions.
I've gone as high as 240 strokes on plain water, and not getting better results.

One thing I've noticed is I don't get the same sound on the plane water when I'm honing away from myself. I get what I would call a good sound honing toward ,but hardly any sound away.

So would you suspect anything in the honing regimen or the stropping to be the problem?

Thanks

Sounds to me you're not spending enough time on the hone before the tape.

How does it shave? Does your hht correlate in any way with shave quality? For me if I have less than hht4, the shave usually isn't great, but hht4 or 5 and it might be good, but it's not a sure thing. But that's with my hair in my hands. Doesn't mean yours will correlate the same for you.

Chaloney said:

How does it shave? Does your hht correlate in any way with shave quality? For me if I have less than hht4, the shave usually isn't great, but hht4 or 5 and it might be good, but it's not a sure thing. But that's with my hair in my hands. Doesn't mean yours will correlate the same for you.

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The shave is not uncomfortable, but it is not close. It shaves cheeks ok, but around the chin I always have stubble left.

I figure I need an HHT-4 with the hair I'm using (hair extensions) I've tested this hair with GEM SE blades and get HHT-4 with them. I get good shaves with those blades and a GEM junior.

Wid said:

Sounds to me you're not spending enough time on the hone before the tape.

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I've been following the coticule.be instructions for Unicot. My stone is 1-5/8" x 7"(40mm x 175mm) They base their recommended strokes on a 150 x 40 hone. My stone maybe slower I'll try doubling the strokes before tape and see. That's why I was playing around with slurry thickness: to see if the thicker slurry might not have been a keen edge. More strokes before tape maybe another path to keener edge.
Thanks

I've never tried i, but I could see se/de blade hht testing and shave results correlating differently than a straight. They are made and sharpened very differently.

How are you testing the bevel off the 1k stone? Is it possible the bevel is close but not quite there? (I speak from a lot of experience on this ). If you're not sure, try doc's cherry tomato test-- a set bevel should cut the skin of a tomato all along the edge with no pressure. He has it in one of his youtube videos (docshaver is his YouTube name).

Chaloney said:

I've never tried i, but I could see se/de blade hht testing and shave results correlating differently than a straight. They are made and sharpened very differently.

How are you testing the bevel off the 1k stone? Is it possible the bevel is close but not quite there? (I speak from a lot of experience on this ). If you're not sure, try doc's cherry tomato test-- a set bevel should cut the skin of a tomato all along the edge with no pressure. He has it in one of his youtube videos (docshaver is his YouTube name).

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I do use the tomato test for bevel sharpness. I'll try again with Wid's suggestion to stay on the slurry a little longer.
Thanks.

It sounds like you are shaving with a.... coticule edge. I`ve owned 5, tested 2 others, and had 2 other people hone razors on Cotis for me to try and I get the same experience you are having. For me they just aren`t what I want. Are the shaves good enough? Absolutely. Are they as close as I personally like? Not a chance.

Of the 6 cotis I have 3 produce consistently, 2 do but it takes a loooong time to get the edge and I is horribly slow. The most obvious difference among them is speed. If you have a slow coti, you may have to stay on it a long time to get what your looking for. Ive done it but dont anymore. 100 water only laps or more under trickle of water isnt appealing to me.

Unicot if performed correct will shave as close as any edge that can be achieved with naniwas. J nats etc, or even pasted strop.

the problem could. Be the electrical tape your using to form double bevel is,nt thick enough.

basicly you set bevel with 1 k hone until you can shave arm hair.

then make a medium slurry on your coticule hone until 1 k scratch pattern has been replaced.

Then thin slurry and perform 30 x strokes.

add one layer , I use scotch 88 heavy duty tape. If you have thinner tape add two layers to the razor spine.

perform 20 x strokes with very misty slurry. Rinse hone clean and perform 50 light x strokes with running water. Then strop 60/60 linen leather you should have a very nice hht test shave.

Gary

Thanks Gary, I'll try the honing on medium slurry until the 1k pattern is gone.
Sounds like what Rick was suggesting.
Should I use half strokes for that?