Reggy,
Without knowing your level of honing proficiency, I can tell you that the Dilucot method is not the most easy way to hone. You really need to squeeze out that last bit of keenness, or the razor will be smooth, but not all to sharp. When I started using this method about 2 years ago, I already had honed quite a few razors. Yet my initial success rate was approximately 1 out of 10 razor. On the 9 others I used a loom strop with Chromium Oxide to improve keenness. That one out of 10 edges was so good though, that I kept trying, time and time again. Later I came up with the Unicot method and used that, whenever the Dilucot left something to be desired. It took me over a year and many dozens of razors to reach a level where I can put a good Dilucot on 9 out of 10. Of course, I had to come up with almost all the tricks myself, that you can now read here on the forums.
Here are a few nice reads for you:
and last, but certainly not least:
My best recommendation for you is to try your preferred Dilucot method. When it doesn't grant the results you hoped for, just put on a layer of tape and turn it into a Unicot. There's no better home base for a Unicot edge than a slightly lacking Dilucot edge. You can easily undo the secondary bevel next time you're honing the razor and attempt a new Dilucot. One layer of tape isn't much, it takes less than a minute on slurry to be wiped out.
One other stategy is to rely on Ray's CrO Balsa strop to boost keenness before finishing on the Coticule with water (or just leave the edge finished on CrO, which ever you like best). As an alternative, a CrO
can be made, at practically zero cost.
Kind regards,
Bart.