Notes From The Edge

[Seveneighth]

The edge is insane. It beats a method edge. And it's got a very dangerous French point. I have been a mostly shaving with rounds a lot and I was out of practice something more difficult.

I could mute the toe but I don't like to do that. It seems like a waste of good shaving steel.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

The edge is insane. It beats a method edge. And it's got a very dangerous French point. I have been a mostly shaving with rounds a lot and I was out of practice something more difficult.

I could mute the toe but I don't like to do that. It seems like a waste of good shaving steel.

Wonder how it was honed?

I mute my toes. I learned the lesson and have both the tee shirt and a scar to remind me how I learned.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Seveneighth]

I probably asked him before - I can reach out to him again.

 

[Seveneighth]

I think he is very very good at producing really hard steel razors. I don't ever remember refreshing them.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I probably asked him before - I can reach out to him again.

I am curious.

My grandmother would say somebody was "curious." She did not mean it as a compliment. She meant, I think, they were a curiosity. A weirdo.

I don't mean to be a pest about it, but just if you know how it was honed and such. It sounds like a great edge.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Seveneighth]

Jim,

I have looked but outlook crashed, . Will try again on another computer when I get a chance.

Kit

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Jim,

I have looked but outlook crashed, . Will try again on another computer when I get a chance.

Kit

Not an issue at all, Kit, just if you happen upon it or are yourself interested.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[dundak]

I don’t take notes. I am fickle and take a personal liking to a stone. I used to rockhound. I’ll spend a lot of time playing around with an unknown stone until I can max its performance. I have enough straights and confidence in my honing that if I need a shave ready edge I can pull a known stone out a get it done. I find the aspect of finding a cool stone in the wild and getting it to put a nice edge on a razor a lot of fun. The only metric I use is my thumb pad and the shave. I don’t get tied up in loupes, striation patterns, HHT and all that.




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[Seveneighth]

I don’t take notes. I am fickle and take a personal liking to a stone. I used to rockhound. I’ll spend a lot of time playing around with an unknown stone until I can max its performance. I have enough straights and confidence in my honing that if I need a shave ready edge I can pull a known stone out a get it done. I find the aspect of finding a cool stone in the wild and getting it to put a nice edge on a razor a lot of fun. The only metric I use is my thumb pad and the shave. I don’t get tied up in loupes, striation patterns, HHT and all that.




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Interested to hear more about some of the unknown stones.

I completely concur about the personal liking thing.

My favourite stones are ones with a wrong attribution or are clearly something unrecognisable.

I am lazy a lot of the time. I either have a stack of straights that are ready to go and I grab one of those, or I work one on a coticule. A coticule set up has become second nature and using a single stone is so straight forward and easy, it has become default. There are a few stones that I should use more.

 

[Seveneighth]

A Famex and two vintage Sheffields at the back end of this week.

My BillyJI1 strop is finally breaking in. I have been relying on it since my old Dovo gave up the ghost. This strop isn't anything special, just wide thick leather and a linen back. The leather has taken months to break in but finally I am back with a working strop and the edges off my razors are where I want them to be. This is the first wide strop I have owned. It feels odd stropping without an x stroke, but very pleasant and fun. I can strop much faster which is nice, though I am convinced that an x stroke on a narrow strop is more efficient.

 

[Seveneighth]

I should correct myself... the first decent wide hanging strop. Plenty of wide paddles in my lifetime and these are quick to use. A couple of cheap useless hanging strops that I have only used for paste.

 

[Somerled]

My BillyJI1 strop is finally breaking in. I have been relying on it since my old Dovo gave up the ghost. This strop isn't anything special, just wide thick leather and a linen back. The leather has taken months to break in but finally I am back with a working strop and the edges off my razors are where I want them to be. This is the first wide strop I have owned. It feels odd stropping without an x stroke, but very pleasant and fun. I can strop much faster which is nice, though I am convinced that an x stroke on a narrow strop is more efficient.

The strop I use was from Shaversdelight on ebay. A rather nice 3" wide premium veg tanned strop. My first strop was bought from Billy, but I cut it to pieces, being over zealous in my early days.

I've bought a few things from Shaversdelight, including the pinning kits for scales. The guy that runs it (Andrew) is very helpfull.

 

[dundak]

Interested to hear more about some of the unknown stones.

I mainly looks for shcists and slates. Schists are fun because they can be so variable containing garnets, mica, tourmalaines etc. A lot make better floor tiles then hones but since getting them cut and flattened costs me a six pack of beer at a local rock shed of a friend....no harm no foul. You can also luck out and find deposits of novaculite, hindustan or other high quartz content sedimentary stones etc. Its more or less for fun. The duds get added to the rock wall surrounding my wife's garden where I can always recover them if needed. Iv'e tapered off in my latter years but will still cart the odd one home during a hike.

 

[Seveneighth]

The strop I use was from Shaversdelight on ebay. A rather nice 3" wide premium veg tanned strop. My first strop was bought from Billy, but I cut it to pieces, being over zealous in my early days.

I've bought a few things from Shaversdelight, including the pinning kits for scales. The guy that runs it (Andrew) is very helpfull.

Is it better than the Billy stop?

 

[Seveneighth]

I mainly looks for shcists and slates. Schists are fun because they can be so variable containing garnets, mica, tourmalaines etc. A lot make better floor tiles then hones but since getting them cut and flattened costs me a six pack of beer at a local rock shed of a friend....no harm no foul. You can also luck out and find deposits of novaculite, hindustan or other high quartz content sedimentary stones etc. Its more or less for fun. The duds get added to the rock wall surrounding my wife's garden where I can always recover them if needed. Iv'e tapered off in my latter years but will still cart the odd one home during a hike.

I think it's the cutting that puts me off. I have a few rock samples but haven't yet got round to cutting them down.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

The strop I use was from Shaversdelight on ebay. A rather nice 3" wide premium veg tanned strop. My first strop was bought from Billy, but I cut it to pieces, being over zealous in my early days.

I've bought a few things from Shaversdelight, including the pinning kits for scales. The guy that runs it (Andrew) is very helpfull.

I've mostly noticed their handles (for safety razors) but see today they have their own brand of straight razors! Nice looking kit they sell.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Somerled]

I've mostly noticed their handles (for safety razors) but see today they have their own brand of straight razors! Nice looking kit they sell.

Happy shaves,

Jim

I've not paid much attention to their own brand razors. He also restores straights, my Henckel's was bought from him.
I've bought pinning kits, Premium 3" leather strop, and a double linen strop from him. As well as a few of his plastic scales. Didn't like the scales much, but everything else was top quality.

Is it better than the Billy stop?

I would say so. Billy's strop was probably made from belt stock you can buy from ebay. Not that thats a bad thing, but as you've just said, it takes forever to break in. Whereas the Windrose strop is made from a select part of the hide and is softer and more supple. Pretty much no break in required.

Have you tried using neatsfoot oil on your strop, Kit?
just a very small amount rubbed in with the heel of your palm can go a long way to supple up the leather.
Last time I used it on mine. it took a while for the oil to fully penetrate the leather. So don't apply it just before your going to use the strop. Don't take my word for it, there's plenty info on these forums.

 

[Seveneighth]

I'm out of neatsfoot. I have used dovo strop stuff but it doesn't really make much difference until the leather is worked in. No short cuts with this strop.

 

[Seveneighth]

I spent the morning honing: two vintage Sheffield - Gwespyr, 3x AJ slates and finish on a Charnley Forest. Two German blades : bevel on a 1200 grit DMT. I messed around with the latter on coticules but will hone them properly some other time over the weekend.

I am out of touch with the Welsh hones so not at all sure if they will turn out OK - shaves will tell.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I spent the morning honing: two vintage Sheffield - Gwespyr, 3x AJ slates and finish on a Charnley Forest. Two German blades : bevel on a 1200 grit DMT. I messed around with the latter on coticules but will hone them properly some other time over the weekend.

I am out of touch with the Welsh hones so not at all sure if they will turn out OK - shaves will tell.

I'm intrigued by the Welsh stones but too satisfied with my convexed Arks to buy more stones. Amazing how many great stones there are (all over the world it seems).

The shave test always tells the tale.

Happy shaves,

Jim