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No HHT, but nice shaves

T

Tok

Well-Known Member
Hello,

I have an Ern, that I wanted to sharpen at the weekend and it drove me crazy. I managed to get a mediocre after stropping, but that was not good enough for me. So, I followed Garys tips, made some sets of half strokes, then x-strokes. Result: No HHT at all. I made a dilucot, starting with very light slurry (without dulling, of course). Then, I finished. I watched the water carefully while finishing, and it did undercut. I can´t remember that I managed to undercut plain water before, while using the dilucot method. I used my La Veinette, by the way.
Tested: TaDAAA!! A bad HHT0 after stropping. Great.
Well, on monday, I shaved with it. It worked. It worked good. I hadn´t shaved for two days, so I thought, maybe my irritation-free skin had to do with it. On tuesday, I shaved again with it, and still, my skin felt pretty good. That weren´t the closest shaves I had, but some of the least skin-irritating and still close enough for me.

Now, I wonder what exactly happened here. I mean, I manage to get a good HHT from my razors on my La Veinette. Why not this time?

Is there a certain way of honing, that creates an edge, that doesn´t pass the HHT, but still shaves nice?

Could it have something to do with the brand of the razor?

Or is my face simply too numb?

As you can see, I´m a little confused. I know that the HHT is no evidence for a shaveable razor, but in the past, all my good shaves came from razors, that passed the HHT pretty well.

Regards,
Tok
 
It sounds as if you're experiencing a razor that lacks keenness but still has the typical skin friendly edge. The comments about the shaves being nice, but not as close as you've had tell me you've got some keenness to squeeze out yet.

BTW, with my coticules, HHT is a very good indicator of shaveability. I can shave with razors that don't perform well, but it isn't very comfortable
 
Now did you test that hair on another well shaving edge?
Finding the right hair may be an issue for me sometimes...
 
I too, like to question the hair. If even a stropped razor does not cut the hair, it sounds to me like a greasy hair. Even a less than stellar Coticule edge cuts hanging hairs after stropping.

At any rate, the HHT can be turned into a good keenness indicator for honing razors on a Coticule, but it all starts with a constant hair source. That has to be taken rather strictly. I don't know where you get your hairs, but hair you pull from a brush or from your body, will not respond the same each time. Especially the amount of natural oil will vary greatly.

Obviously, you can also just decide to not rely on the HHT. All that matters if a good shave. I can pretty much notice on how well the edge undercuts a the thinest coat of water while finishing, how my blade can be expected to pass the HHT, and eventually how well it'll shave. Also the TPT can be mastered well enough to reveal the keenness of a razor.

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
Bart said:
I too, like to question the hair. If even a stropped razor does not cut the hair, it sounds to me like a greasy hair. Even a less than stellar Coticule edge cuts hanging hairs after stropping.

At any rate, the HHT can be turned into a good keenness indicator for honing razors on a Coticule, but it all starts with a constant hair source. That has to be taken rather strictly. I don't know where you get your hairs, but hair you pull from a brush or from your body, will not respond the same each time. Especially the amount of natural oil will vary greatly.

Obviously, you can also just decide to not rely on the HHT. All that matters if a good shave. I can pretty much notice on how well the edge undercuts a the thinest coat of water while finishing, how my blade can be expected to pass the HHT, and eventually how well it'll shave. Also the TPT can be mastered well enough to reveal the keenness of a razor.

Kind regards,
Bart.
Click to expand...

The greasy hair explanation makes a lot of sense. My hair has been oilier lately (happens during the winter, it seems), and I've had more difficulty with the HHT. The results will even vary across different points along the hair. I will have to figure out some way to clean them off.
 
danjared said:
I will have to figure out some way to clean them off.
Click to expand...
Immediately after you've washed your hair, cut a small strand of hair. Even a small lock of hair holds enough individual hairs for years to come. If you cut it strategically and close against the head, it goes completely unnoticed. Trim to 60 mm length or so (shorter will work too) and store in a small box.
My box is been in use for a couple of years now, and it looks as if I still have enough for years to come. I harvested one small lock of my daughter's hair, with her -and my wife's- permission.

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
I harvested one small lock of my daughter's hair, with her -and my wife's- permission.

Kind regards,
Bart.[/quote]

How is patches doing?
 
Hello,

thanks for your help. The hair source is my head, but I tested the exact same hair on another razor and this shows me, that it should at least be good enough to deliver a HHT 3. I´m not too familiar with the TPT, although I´m practicing.

I shaved yesterday, too, and it´s still ok. I made a quick HHT and this time, it did cut. Not very good, but still…

Now, in the end, I don´t care too much. The razor is sharp, the shaves are ok… It was just a question that came in mind.

Regards,
Tok
 
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