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HHT off the stone

gvt100

New Member
I never seem to get much at all in the way of a hht off the stone. After stroping i get decent to good HHT. Anyone else get a decent shave with hht0 off the stone? those who manage a hht 1-3 off the stone, what does it take?
 
Hello Gvt and welcome in here!

Well, I don't hone for a long time, and my coti is my first and only stone.

On my first experiences, I didn't checked HHT right out of the stone, and I discovered after It was a recomended test.

So in the first times, I get something like HHT3 after stropping, and could get good shaves.

Then, I decided to do unicot on a blade : I followed the procedure, and trid HHT right out of the stone : between 0 & 1... so I made more reguler strokes on water, an this untill I could get a decent HHT3... Took me some time, I don't remember, but something around 5 to 10 series of 30 strokes. Maybie that's not surprising as my technique may not be one of the best (still consider me as a beginner), and as water only is very soft on steel.

But after this, and of course a good stropping, as said in the methods, I got HHT from 3 to 4 (not for, but better than 3 as the catch effect is less important than it was before... so pop is cleaner).

And my shave really imrpoves : blade is softer, shave is closer... not perfect yet (still a beginner in straight sahving too..) but better than before.

I tried again on another razor with dilucot and the same goal : HHT3 after finishing stage : that also took time, but worked!

So, I presume beginnig takes some time to get good results that will come faster with esperience...

If you haven't done it yet, triying Unicot seems to be a good option. Not the one I prefer in theory, because tape hurts my purist mind, but I must admit that it works, and it works good!

A last advice, important for HHT out of the stone : carrefully dry the blade, to be sure there is no water remaining on it : that is, IMO, the way to get a good HHT out of the stone.
 
Interesting, did you read the HHT article here: http://www.coticule.be/hanging-hair-test.html

Good advice so far, I will just add:

If your shaves are good, I suspect the hair sample you are using is not ideal, maybe as suggested the razors edge is a little wet, or the hair has natural oil on it, of course it could be too fine as well, either way I would be lost without a reliable marker like the HHT.

Best regards
Ralfson (Dr)
 
The damn HHT is the hardest part of straight shaving (except shaving arm hair which is simply impossible :D ) but I find it invaluable in the learning process.

I have a hank of hair I got from a hairdresser that came from a single woman with medium thickness beautiful black hair, probably of Asian decent. This is my ISO standard uniform hair sample, and I think I have a life time supply. Yet I still see quite a bit of variation in the response of any one hair. So to standardize my standard when there is any doubt about the hair itself, I test it using a DE or SE blade. Coming to straights from the safety razor world I have lots of unused safety blades, so I keep a fresh one handy on a little magnet on the light above my sink.

Using a known edge to calibrate a given hair helps me interpret the variation and also to identify the odd hair that just isn't suitable, which I do find from time to time. As an aside, there is an interesting amount of variation in human hair. Some hairs will pop from either direction, most only from one unless the edge is wicked sharp. Some need to be dampened, others work fine right out of the hank. There is an interesting amount if variation in thickness and so on.

I'd love for someone to create a hair standard bank that we could use to compare hair qualities for the HHT. When people write that they used a thick hair, then switched to a fine hair I really have no clear idea what they mean in reference to my own sample. I also find that the distance the blade cuts from your holding point varies as much with how long the hair is as how sharp the edge is, just another variable in an already variable procedure.

And yet, I find the HHT very, very useful. I've never gotten a 5, my El Dorado. Some thing to motivate me on those last few critical strokes on water............
 
Yes Mate .Take a trick.However i have in mind to share a topic for that.You have to find a small elastic(rubber) bag in the dimensions of your palm.Fill by water ,half of the total volume.Put it on your palm and on this the coticule ,applying the x strokes on water as you know. The coticule will follow the blade absolutely.Do not apply any notable pressure.This will help you until learn completely the feeling of the correct touching of the blade.
Best regards
Emmanuel
 
Inspired, Emmanuel. Thank You!

I saw another trick this wk where the stone is held with the longest finger supporting the stone at the 1/2 way point, such that any pressure on the far end would tip the stone away.

Getting 3s are common w/ the occasional 4. Most common is having a 3 where the hair is not completely severed, and forms the profile of the number 7 or a crooked 'T'. Shaves are decent after stropping, but so far, rarely such that a few strokes on the jnat don't improve it. 'More time and practice will bring the consistency, I hope.
 
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