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A new lazy stroke that seems to work

squeezyjohn

Well-Known Member
I've been trying out my new-found honing skills on the reverse side of my La Petite Blanche BBW with the Dovo which I just can't seem to get sharp at all at the moment. All the talk here about BBW honing had piqued my interest.

Firstly, I'll say BBW is messier! The thick purple slurry needed to get a bevel set gets everywhere.

Secondly - it is very slow, especially as my strokes are beginner-slow at the moment. Which is why I got frustrated - I could get it to shave arm hair at the heel and toe, but not in the middle, so I broke and just did very fast up and down strokes at the problem points - with a lot of success.

So I thought, bugger it - I'll do the lot like that, it's getting late - so I diluted the slurry and just proceeded to do very fast, short up-down strokes, starting at the heel and slowly working towards the toe with about 50 fast strokes, then turning the blade over and doing the same making a total of 100 each side. I did a single dilution with much more water than I would use for coticule and did the same. The blade then got me hairs popping or slicing in half (3-4?) without stropping. The whole process had taken about 5 minutes! I'm going to try and strop now and see if I get 5 (unfortunately I can't do a shave test for about a day and a half).

Unless anyone comes along here and says "no - don't do that under any circumstances because..." I'm going to see if I can do it again with a different razor tomorrow because although it is not elegant like the x strokes and half strokes, it is very very easy - just make sure your other half doesn't approach you from the back while you're doing it, it looks very rude.

Cheers

Squeezy
 
:)
Like this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6HMAd6Ktj0

Nothing wrong with honing a razor in separate parts. I do it often. Stropping too. Do watch the development of the bevel while honing though. With that kind of local honing strokes, you have to realize that you are steering the way both bevel sides take shape.

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
The CrO powder isn't necessary, but I didn't know that, back in 2009.

Kind regards,
Bart
 
Oh definitely not trying to show off in that post - just telling you the difference! I've already proved it was a bit of a freak event as it wouldn't work at all with my Dovo Inox today. The cheapo Dovo became a HHT4-5 (the hairs that should not be mentioned) after stropping though and I can't wait to shave with it tomorrow morning when my whiskers will have grown enough to see.

Thanks for the YouTube, Bart. It makes a lot of sense. I find honing on the BBW much much easier than coticule - it seems to be more forgiving than my La Petite Blanche which seems to be better at dulling the bevel set than refining it. My Nouvelle Veine, en revanche, seems more like the BBW and easier for me at the moment.

Cheers

Squeezy
 
There certainly is a big difference in use between a BBW and the faster Coticule layers. One of the most important factors accounting for that difference is called "slurry dulling". I guess it's the price to pay for there versatility. The slower Coticules generally also display less of that "slurry dulling" effect, which makes them much easier to use. But in your future experienced hands, all that won't matter. :thumbup:

Bart.
 
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