Post Your Pictures: Japanese Razors

[heirkb]

Interesting...how exactly do you use pastes with a kamisori? Mine wasn't shave ready to my standards so I did my research and honed away. Got a very sharp razor using a 3:2 ratio. It could use a little smoothing though. Do you maintain the same ratio on the CrOx?

That sounds a lot like how I felt about mine. It was sharp and cut very well but needed to be just a bit smoother. It wasn't harsh in that it was biting, it was just that I could really tell that the blade was there against my face, which doesn't happen with my really nice edges. I don't know what ratio mine was honed at, but I touched it up at almost 7-10:1-2. I read somewhere that as you use more and more strokes, the ratio needs to get higher and higher towards the face side of the blade. Maybe I'm wrong, but I seem to remember reading it from a pretty experienced source.

Anyways, none of that was actually answering the question directly. When I used pastes, I basically used the same sort of ratio as I did in honing and did about 30 strokes total on the face (unstamped) and 4-5 on the back (stamped). The edge came out really really smooth and at times I couldn't even feel it cutting hairs. I should add that my CrOx strop has barely any CrOx on it, so if you really put a thick coat of CrOx on, you'd probably need much fewer strokes from what I've gathered through the little reading I've done. I'm no CrOx expert (this my first time using it, in fact), but the success that I had despite my inexperience is a pretty good indication to me that this might be a fairly sound method.

 

[professorchaos]

Thank you! I'll give CrOx a try.

 

[professorchaos]

My last acquisition for a while (I hope).

Stay tuned for more of these eye-candy threads....

 

[life2short1971]

You are Killing Me! Do you realize that?

 

[superbleu]

My last acquisition for a while (I hope).

Henry are you sure? Jim is having a sale on his NOS razors later this month.

 

[azmark]

There is going to be some couch sleeping for the next few weeks but well worth it.

 

[professorchaos]

Henry are you sure? Jim is having a sale on his NOS razors later this month.

It has to! It must!

 

[professorchaos]

There is going to be some couch sleeping for the next few weeks but well worth it.

That is a very cool razor.

 

[BladeRunner001]

I actually use the traditional Japanese razors almost full time, as I find they are much easier to maintain and more forgiving (less nicks and cuts) than a Western blade.

To answer the questions above, the Japanese razors are just as easy to sharpen as a Western blade, except that you are concentrating most of the attention on one side (the flat, no-writing side, or omote). You do not need to "set the bevel" in the way that you do with a Western blade, because a bevel is actually built into the geometry of the blade. And I find that the Japanese blades stay sharp for a lot longer than the typical Western blade.

About shaving with one, just USE BOTH SIDES. Really. It is painful to hear about people cutting up their throats and cheeks with a Japanese razor while contorting themselves in an effort to use only one side of the razor. I use both sides and get a fantastic, consistent, cut-free shave. Neither side produces results that are any better or worse than the other, and at the most, you might notice that you need a slightly different angle when you have the ura against your face. It's a tool, not a religious object, and you won't ruin it or anger the gods if you flip the damn razor over and hold it in a way that's comfortable for your face. Please believe me on this point!

Also, no offense intended to Henry above, but the way that these razors were "intended" to be used was for you to sit still while your servant shaves you with the razor. There's just no way that any of us can use these razors in the way that they were originally intended (my wife won't do it, and I haven't even asked my kids!), so why not use them in a way that gives an fantastic, comfortable shave AND preserves your sanity? Honestly, I think these razors would be a LOT more popular here if people had never heard about this "use one side only" business. My two cents anyway.

Hallelujah Jeff...Well said

 

[cadomniel]

I was watching Martin Nienberg's Kamisori Shave video and he uses both sides of the blade and both hands just like a Western straight.

 

[joshmpdx]

My last acquisition for a while (I hope).

Stay tuned for more of these eye-candy threads....

Booya!

Henry, looking forward to your thoughts on this one and how it compares to your other Japanese razors.

 

[joel]

My last acquisition for a while (I hope).

Stay tuned for more of these eye-candy threads....

Mighty pretty... German or Japanese Steel?

 

[professorchaos]

Mighty pretty... German or Japanese Steel?

Thanks!

No idea where the steel is from. Box says "Extra True Heart." I've seen others with "Best Special Steel Excellent Quality." Which tells us nothing...

 

[JeffE]

Ack, ok, here's some more Japanese (and a few Japanese wannabes) from my closet.

 

[cadomniel]

You had that Robert Williams hiding in the closet????

 

[mdunn]

One of mine (other with the honemeister)

 

[professorchaos]

Ack, ok, here's some more Japanese (and a few Japanese wannabes) from my closet.

Is that a Charlie Lewis I espy? Love his work.

 

[JeffE]

Yes, Charlie Lewis and Robert Williams are hidden among my shaving gear, and both are amazing blades. The Charlie Lewis fits very well with the aesthetics of other Japanese razors, with the twisted "rope" handle and the combination of rough surfaces and polished surfaces. I know that Charlie really likes Machida Tadashi's blades, and this razor is one that looks like it could have come from Tadashi himself. Of course it is a wicked sharp shaver, very easy to handle and a joy to use.

The Robert Williams is in an entirely different catagory of one -- really, really big, really thick wedge, really, really heavy and sharp enough to split atoms, or at least that's what it feels like on your skin. I haven't spent as much time using the Williams as the others, but it demands a much lighter touch than the typical Japanese blade. The jimps on the top and bottom help with the handling, but with all of the other surfaces consisting of mirror polished O1 tool steel, you need DRY hands to keep a grip on it. I've actually been thinking of wrapping the handle in waxed cotton string, like a traditional Japanese razor, just to help with the handling a bit.

I also have a few other "gems" buried in the closet (Tadashi, Livi, Tosukes), but I haven't had time to photograph them yet. Thanks for looking!

And Henry, that King Pelican is the bomb, my friend!! WOW -- the cover tang and blade etching of that razor make it almost too beautiful to use. How do you like shaving with it, and do you notice any difference in the length of the blade versus a normal Western razor? Thanks for the awesome photos.

 

[professorchaos]

Where is this magic closet and at what times is no one home?

 

[JeffE]

It's like the safe where they kept the bonds in "Die Hard." First you need to take over the building, then you need to shoot a guy for the security codes, then you need to cut the power to block, and so forth. Finally, John McClain shows up, says "Yippeekaiyay, motherf*******!" and throws you off the roof before you can even get close to any of the good razors! But by all means, feel free to give it a try.

One serious question too -- Henry, what is that cool nagura that you have the King Pelican sitting on?! I've seen it somewhere before, but my memory doesn't work as well as it used to. Do you use that for honing? If so, what do you think of it? Thanks!