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New Escher Help

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IsaacRN

Well-Known Member
Well I picked up another Escher stone. I swore off anything other than Coti's after I sold my last one, but I was able to trade off a razor for this Escher. Now I am hoping some of the senior people could help me out. I took a razor that was passing HHT 4 from a vintage coticule. It shaves very nicely. I took this same razor to the Escher. Now I noticed that the Escher knocked the HHT out, as in it was no longer passing any HHT after using it. I did about 100 passes on the Escher. I do have to say that after stropping, the razor was again passing HHT 4.

I still need to shave with it to see how it goes. I am/was surprised I couldn't pass HHT coming off the stone alone. Does this mean I need to spend more time on the escher? My other question is, how can I tell what too much or too little finished on the Escher is. I did feel somewhat of a difference in how it was gliding from start to finish, but not a great deal. Overall the razor started off by "grabbing" onto the stone. Its hard to describe the way it felt, but it definitely had some nice feedback.
 
i have escher, I've never had any thing differant with these stones, and i have tryed three, one barber delight,yellow green etc. never realy worked out what what with slurry or water use. yes i have lost hht slightly and they do have a slime fel while honing on water. I also found them to crisp, also leave an edge simiar to coti's or any other natural stone. Just keep testing and playoing 100 laps will be ok, i dout you can over do it, was you using water or light slurry.
 
When you say it never really worked out, are you saying that you pretty much gave up on finishing with the stones? I'm glad you didn't say I was going overboard. I have read at SRP that the average laps were about 10-30 so I thought I was overdoing it a bit.
 
I tryed them, After working so long with coticules, i just did not feel i had the time, to work out what what with slurry etc. I still have one, and no dout i will give it a blast. The j nat i had for one week, and the differance that made compared to escher was much more notisable, i would have a j nat any day over escher, i feel i had better results quiker. I did two razors for joe, one coticule dilucot, one dilcot finished 100 laps on water on escher, Joe said he felt both razors shaved and felt the same, I thought the same , there realy is not much differance. what are you using prior?

i guess if you use 4k/8kn and come of the 8k with anice edge , 30 laps on water should mke a differance, same as 30 laps on a nice coti would do so. the escher is so slow with water it just polishers. you need to try with water only, then try 100 laps on light slurry, then try another 50 laps on water, test at each stage and compare, some say you should shave of slurry, some say slurry to water? try and see what happens, the slurry on escher does'nt dull like cots, If i was you i would try 100 laps on light slurry, I had some nice shaves of slurry alone, the i just finished with 30 on water

I found i lost hht often coti brought it backl.i would'nt worry about that because the strop brings it back. if the strop brings it back, go back to escher do aother 30 laps on water tst hht again, see what happens then strop again. I noticed with j nat you get a hht nearer the holding point and very gentle one at that, after stropping, it realy livens up, of some coticules i have notised the same, and always these shaves have been my mellowest and smoothest. so you may be surprised when you save. there is no dout the escher edge can be silky. i have had shams razor finished on escher it was silky , where as a good coti edge is buittery , i prefer buttery dull feel.

Its like coticule when they don't work people don't rate thm , maybe that s same with me and escher, as i had crispy edges more often than not, a thew nice silky edges, thats down to me not understanding escher fully.
gary
 
I have been using a vintage coticule as well as a Les Lat Hybrid lately. I have been getting great edges from them, but I have issues with to close of a shave most of the time. I can't shave daily, due to a propensity for ingrown hairs regardless of technique. I picked up the Escher to see if it might provide that elusive edge I have been looking for that will allow daily or every other day shaves.
 
have you tryed shving of a mist of slurry? the only thing i can say is shave with the grain and not against the grain, across the grain at the most?

gary

i don't think escher will cure that
 
I've tried multiple ways of honing. I get great edges off the coticules. If I shave with a minimum of 2 days worth of growth, I don't have any issues. Any less than that and I usually have issues. I do watch the grain and everything else. Just trying for that nice smooth edge to help curb issues.
 
Hi,

I use an escher and other thüringen hones sometimes with very delightful results. My hones are small 1x5 types so I have always corrected for size with increased laps. I have never understood what 10 laps were supposed to do for you, on any stone...

I don't usually use slurry. Depending on where my edge is at, I find myself doing some circles then some x-strokes. Then I use ultra light laps until the HHT is where I like it. When I say light, I mean that I use less than the weight of the blade.

"Silky" is a good description of the shaves I get, and I agree with Gary's distinctions. I have come to believe that some of the darker ones are slower, perhaps much slower. On these I have had luck with increased ultra light laps, and also found that Gary's suggestion to strop in between to help a reluctant edge.

regards,
Torolf
 
Hi Isaac. My Eshcer is one of my heritage hones. I learned to hone in the shame time on coticule and Escher. For me an Escher is not a hone that improves the edge after coticule.
The big different is :Escher slurry does not dull the edge like coticule slurry.Probably the garnets are completely different.
So you have to apply a full dolucot on the Escher on a rich slurry but not thick like mud.
You have to leave from thin slurry and never clear water.You will observe that the edge is like sandblasted and very uniform ,achieving a hht 3 ,4.
That's an Escher. After stopping you ll have a solid crispy edge that gives a smooth shave.
I can give you a guarantee for this issue.
Best regards
Emmanuel
 
Ask sham at razorandstone.com, he's the best person to help you find your escher success. I have had several edges from him, all finished on a light green escher and they were the best I've ever received from someone else.
 
I no for a fact sham finishers on escher with slurry, I think you also no thats what sham will advice. also sham uses a much differant aproach, he goes from 1k shapton, through sevral naturals tones and before escher he uses j ats rated 20 to 25 k, then he finishers on escher with light slurry. so totaly difrant. if you sing coti dilucot like me, I don't think you find escher makes that much differance, go with your own experince and try several times. I some how think its ment to be finished on escher with slurry, i shaved of j nat with light slurry, the shave was perfect, i shaved of escher with light slurry and shave fine.

gary
 
The best results I have ever had off any of my Eschers was by going from a Coticule finished blade, and using water only, I do ten laps the refresh the water, repeat 3 or times, and then do 3 lots of 3 laps refreshing the water each time, that gives me an edge as nice as the best I can achieve with a Coticule, you know when you totally nail it, and get a wonderful shave?

I have performed full dilucot style honings with them as well, and found the edges ended up slightly too crisp for my face

Best regards
Ralfson (Dr)
 
Ralfy ,after a full dilucot, i suggest to leave of the very light slurry. The edge would seem a little hazy but the shave will be smooth as coticule my friend.
I suggest this if you find the edge crisp leaving from clear water
Best regards
Emmanuel
 
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