New USB microscope

• Jun 30, 2017

• #1

C

clayglen

Well I've been honing for a bit. I'm still not as consistent as I'd like. I don't have a test I'm happy with.
So I got a USB microscope. I'm happy with my shaves on these two razors. One I honed with a coti finish. The other is a factory hone from PRC. The PRC is an awesome shaver. The W&B is like a butter knife but shaves well. Nice close shaves with little irritation.

I know a coticule doesn't leave a polish like a synthetic so... Do these look about right? Thoughts?
W&B:

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• Jun 30, 2017

• Thread starter
• #2

C

clayglen

PRC:

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• Jun 30, 2017

• #3

sfeile

I'm not an expert, but to me it looks like you are getting deep scratches left from the early parts of your progression.

The nice high polish between them is what makes me think that.

 

• Jun 30, 2017

• #4

R

RayClem

While a microscope can be a useful tool in monitoring your honing progression, the only test that matters is the shave test. The microscope examines the bevel while it is the apex of the bevel that is doing the shaving. You could have beautifully polished bevels, but if the bevels do not meet at a proper apex, you won't get a decent shave.

 

• Jul 1, 2017

• Thread starter
• #5

C

clayglen

There is no reflected light at the apex that I could see. They both shave well. PRC shave is closer. Both have little irritation.
I've posted in the past about pondering sharpness/shave quality/shave closeness. I have a Webb&Mappin that gives a rediculously close shave. I'll look at it another time.
I guess what I'm curious about at the moment is, the rough scratchy appearance normal with a coti or can it be further polished using just the coticule.
I have an unconfirmed Thuri that I'll experiment with next to see if there's and improvement.
The thing I love about the coticule is that it feels as safe as a butter knife.
With my skill and my stone, they are not crazy close, except the W&M
It's an interesting adventure.

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• Jul 1, 2017

• #6

Doc226

You can learn a lot from the scope pictures to further improve your honing but don't let the pictures rule your honing.

Some of the ugliest scratch patterns you will see come from coticules, I had the pleasure of using a @gary haywood coticule edge, shaved wonderfully but man did it look ugly under the scope.

Some of the prettiest bevels come off film but they don't feel good on my face.

So yes, use the scope and correlate that to what your face tells you

 

• Jul 1, 2017

• #7

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker

+1 ^^

@clayglen do you have a few pics of your unconfirmed thuri?

 

• Jul 1, 2017

• Thread starter
• #8

C

clayglen

Dcaddo111 said:

+1 ^^

@clayglen do you have a few pics of your unconfirmed thuri?

Click to expand...

It's hard as the back of God's head. I need a slurry stone for it. I have a coticule slurry stone and a small stone that came with a couple barber's hone.

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• Jul 1, 2017

• #9

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker

Thanks. Neat stone. My buddy @Kcnwea has (or used to have) a black labeled Escher that was crazy hard like that. Its so hard if it weren't labeled you would have a hard time convincing me that its an Escher.

 

• Jul 1, 2017

• #10

Kcnwea

Dcaddo111 said:

Thanks. Neat stone. My buddy @Kcnwea has (or used to have) a black labeled Escher that was crazy hard like that. Its so hard if it weren't labeled you would have a hard time convincing me that its an Escher.

Click to expand...

I still have it in a box somewhere back in the States. I also have that FASO (I think we decided to call it that) that looks similar.

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• Jul 1, 2017

• Thread starter
• #11

C

clayglen

Kcnwea said:

I still have it in a box somewhere back in the States. I also have that FASO (I think we decided to call it that) that looks similar.

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Click to expand...

FASO?

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• Jul 2, 2017

• #12

kelbro

Alfred Spatchcock

Looks and sounds more like Welsh slate that thuri...

 

• Jul 2, 2017

• #13

Jnatcat

I use my face as a scopeseriously I have thought over and over on getting a scope and looked and looked at them and they are not really to expensive and they will give a better view of my edge but all i have ever used has been a 20X loupe and it pretty much tells me what I need to see and the shave tells me the rest and if the shave is bad then i follow my Mentors adage

 

• Jul 2, 2017

• #14

B

buca3152

Honing and shaving a fresh edge everyday or as often as possible will teach you more than looking at an edge under a scope. I had one. And the better they looked on the scope, the more weepers I had. Jme. Use it , don't use it. It's a tool but there are many tools.

 

• Jul 2, 2017

• Thread starter
• #15

C

clayglen

Yup the shave is the golden rule. I wanted one for two reasons, to look at the apex as closely as I could and to quantify my hones from stone to stone...
I'd really like to know is if my coticule hones are as good as can be and why I can get 3 days b4 a shave and others 12hrs. It could be the razor, admittedly.
I'm confident my hones, as is, will shave comfortably. Just looking at the next level.
Cheers.

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