Red Russian Coticule Dilucot

I'm on a honing roll today. What a great way to start off the new year; hone three razors and a kitchen knife. The more I practice the better I'll be.

Dulled 1963 Red Russian 5/8" on glass
attempting Dilucote with only coticule, see how it compares to the Nakayama
Build easy thick slurry on Belgian Deep Rock Vintage Coticule. slurry stone of same coloration( creamy yellow with red stripes throughout)

5 sets of half strokes, 30 reps, check arm hair no go
5 sets of circles 30 reps, arm hair shaves but not perfect
rinse blade but not coticule
15 X strokes on slurry.
Rinse both blade and coticule; arm hair shaves easier, more keen
Raise new slurry

5 laps of 15 half strokes diluting one finger drop each lap
test arm hair. getting sharper for sure
rinse blade 15 X strokes on almost water

rinse everything


50 laps x strokes on water
25 laps VERY light push strokes on water

test leg hair- good but not amazing

35 laps on linen- definitely sharper and more pop

60 laps on leather. Now it seems sharp. Maybe what they say about NEEDING the stropping to maximize the coticule is correct. At least the one coticule dilucote.



shave report:

I guess my dilucote technique is still not there. The red russian shaved fairly well on the first pass, not missing much but definitely not the same smooth effortless glide that I had on the jnat honed brown russian the day before.
my tough areas on the chin just didn't want to go down on the first pass and I decided to bag it and finish with the brown russian( which I hadn't stropped since shaving with it yesterday)

wow, again, just like a hot knife through butter.got everything on the second pass including the mop up from the first

again, it is probably not a fair comparison as I switched slurry stones to change the grit. that's probably more comparable to switching from softer to harder coticules as I got through the stages, which is what I will do with the Red Russian today and see if I can get that sharper edge.