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RAZOR TESTING

DJKELLY

Well-Known Member
Bart, if you have the time could you elucidate how you create a "slightly dulling" edge that you then test with a coticule to reclaim it. Direct me if you have already posted this, but I can't seem to find it. I would like to duplicate your efforts. Please feel free to expand to your complete tests with a new stone. I know most of it is experience gained with many, many stones, but it is very interesting to me. Later, Dennis
 
Interesting idea. I assume that you simply need a number shaves to slightly dull your straight. :) But I haven't ever thought of creating it on purpose - maybe a few slices through a sheet of paper will do the trick? I wonder if Bart has had any particular procedure for that :)

cheers,
Matt
 
Matt said:
Interesting idea. I assume that you simply need a number shaves to slightly dull your straight. :) But I haven't ever thought of creating it on purpose - maybe a few slices through a sheet of paper will do the trick? I wonder if Bart has had any particular procedure for that :)

cheers,
Matt
If I am not wrong Bart explains the dulling in his honing methods (also seen on some o his vids), he runs the razor on a glass.
 
I don't think downstroking on glass is "slightly" dulling, but may be wrong. I can't imagine recoving an edge from that method with 60 laps on water. Later, Dennis
 
DJKELLY said:
I don't think downstroking on glass is "slightly" dulling, but may be wrong. I can't imagine recoving an edge from that method with 60 laps on water. Later, Dennis

Thats exactly right Dennis, the down stroke on glass is used before a full honing job, you will not recover the edge with just water on a Coticule

Best regards
Ralfson (Dr)
 
When you perform the dulling, remember to use no more pressure than the weight of the blade. Hold the razor by the wedge end of the scales when doing this. If it doesn't completely dull the first time, do it again until it does.

Ray
 
DJKELLY said:
Bart, if you have the time could you elucidate how you create a "slightly dulling" edge that you then test with a coticule to reclaim it. Direct me if you have already posted this, but I can't seem to find it. I would like to duplicate your efforts. Please feel free to expand to your complete tests with a new stone. I know most of it is experience gained with many, many stones, but it is very interesting to me. Later, Dennis

I lack the time to fully elaborate on the test procedures for Coticule, right now. I have recently shared that information on Bandger&Blade:
My procedure for testing a Coticule is to hone 3 razors on it and test shave with them:

1. I hone a Double Arrow with the Unicot method. The razor is dulled by rubbing it over a glass object. During the bevel correction stage, I need to undo the double bevel of the previous Unicot. When the razor start shaving my armhair again, I estimate the keeness limit of slurry. For that I have 3 levels: +:shaves my armhair barely, ++:shaves my armhair well, +++ sufficient to shave my face (and get a decent shave out of it).After that, I take it through the taped step of Unicot. After stropping, the razor gets testshaved, usually together with another freshly honed razor, one for each half of my face. The edge is checked for anomalies under the mictroscope, before and after the test shave.

2. I hone a random razor with the Dilucot method. This is mostly a razor that was send to me for the free honing service offered on Coticule.be. All rezors I hone are predulled on glass. Next I correct the bevel, estimate the keeness limit again (note that we're talking about the same Coticule as used for razor1) and take it through dilucot. When the edge passes my standardized HHT, I strop 60linen/60leather and check under the microscope, and put it aside for testshaving.

3. Identical as 2, but with another razor.

I keep notes of all the peculiarities while honing and testshaving. Eventually, I fill in a test form for the tested Coticule, that get's published on Coticule.be

Occasionally, I do an additional a side by side comparison of 2 different Coticules' edges, by honing up two identical razors and test shave with them.
My test shaving procedure is a constant as humanly possible. I won't bore you any further with also elaborating on that.

A downstroke on glass is indeed how I "predull" an edge. After that, it doesn't shave any arm hair any longer.

Another method I have recently used to mimic a slight dulling from several shaves, without actually doing those shaves, is to slice into a sheet of paper. I use plain 80g/m² paper for offset printing. Slicing a 30cm cut into such paper, slowly draggin it through from heel to toe, mimics a couple of shaves. I used this method for testing touch-up procedures, next to real shaves dulling that obviously takes much longer, because I only have one beard.:)

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
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