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Touch up advice

B

Batmang

Member
Now that I've got all of four razors under my honing belt, I have another question for you guys. I have a bunch of razors that I use in a rotation all of which were honed by others. Because I haven't put a great deal of mileage on these razors I haven't felt a need to touch up the edges but someday I will. I have a couple of barber's hones but I'd like to use my coticule. I assume I'd just use water but I'm not sure how many strokes I should use. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance gentlemen.

Nathan
 
Nathan,

Start with 30, and if that's not enough, do another 30. You also want to know if your razor was honed using tape as well and match that.

Good luck.
 
I couldn't say it better my self. :thumbup:

But for now, get to know the sharpened edge, know how it feels when it's sharp, feel the stickiness of the edge with the pad of the thumb (TPT). Do the HHT on a few strands to get a feel of how easy a sharp edge will cut hair.
Then, when the edge is dull (or shaves unreliably), feel it again, so you know how it feels when it's dull.
It may feel less sticky or smooth in some places and sticky on others, it may also not reliably cut a hanging hair as it did when it was sharp (HHT).

With this knowledge, you should have a good idea IF or WHEN the blade is sharp again when you do the touch-up, and you may decide the edge has had enough or give it more strokes or before you shave with it.
 
Whether edges that are hone by someone else, will respond to a touch up on a flat hone, depends on how the razor was finished. E.g. if the edge was finished on a hanging strop with diamond spray, there will be the slightest amount of convexity in the bevel. As a result, the very edge won't be able to touch the hone any longer, and a Coticule on water is not going to straighten the bevel out. Hence a touch-up won't do much of anything, in such cases.

On razors that have been finished on a hone, or on solid paddle strop, a Coticule on water is a good hone for touching up, but only if you do it at the earliest signs of keenness decline. Actually, I recommend to do it as a no-brainer, every 6th shave or so. Even if done too early, those 30 laps don't do any harm. After sometime, you'll develop a feel for what is needed how often. Maybe on some of your razors you'll do only 15 laps every 10 shaves, and on others 20 laps every 3 shaves. If the shave after a touch-up still feels as if it could be better, simply repeat the touch-up before next shave.

It's always a good idea to also spend some extra attention stropping after a touch-up. I normally do 20 linen / 40 leather before a shave, but if the razor touched a hone, I'll do 60/60.

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
I've started doing the weekly/bi-weekly touch-up thing. I have to say, it makes a lot of sense. Just pick up the Coticule once every week or two and give it enough laps till it feels good.
 
i go with the weekly shave touch up. infact i did one hudred laps on coticule with lather for a change, the reason i did this was because i wanted to get rid of the 10 laps on ti paste d edge i did earlier. And i can say it did change the edge back to coticule feel. i did another one hundred before next shave, and the shave was still brill. no harm done at all.

this is what i'm doing is 6 to 7 shaves and atouch up. then i use a nother razor for a week and same again.
 
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