Cartridge to R41 to Cut-Throat

[Jakebullet]

Shave 132 and 3 on the Turner.
Using the R41 yesterday really gave me an appreciation of how good the straight razor is and how much I like using it.
I lathered up with Proraso Green soap and got to work.
It was good to compare to yesterday’s DE shave. I’ve got the blade on my straight really sharp. Almost the equal of the R41 I’d say, but not quite. Maybe 85-90%
Using the straight today felt much free-er and this longer open blade allowed me to do more of my face at a time. Plus it’s lighter and more nimble than the heavy but brilliant R41, and it feels great xtg whispering like a rattlesnake over my cheeks and jaw. Atg the straight was sharper and smoother over my chin and top lip than the R41. This was a surprise as I remember the R41 being king in that area. Well not anymore. A touch up and a cold rinse and what a great smooth shave. One of the best I’ve done in a while. I think it took a day with the safety razor to remind me what a brilliant shave can be achieved with the right technique and a straight razor. I’m glad I did it.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 133 and 4.
I used the soon to be extinct Palmolive shave stick today.
Had an ok shave, close and smooth but I just had the feeling that I was having to work a bit harder for it. Plus my face is a bit red afterwards.
I usually shave in the morning and to save time I strop the razor later on in the day when I have 5 mins. The problem with doing this is what happened today. I think I forgot to strop it yesterday and this is the reason for a less keen edge today and a blotchy face. I should really strop it before each shave so I know it’s been done.
I’d say lesson learned but I’ve just been back to the bathroom to give it an extra long stropping, so not lesson learned.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 134 and 5
I lathered with Proraso Red Sandalwood which, like the green, makes a great lather.
My Turner was better today after the stropping but not as smooth as I had it right after honing. I’m hoping a few more uses and strops will restore the order.
13 years ago I decided to take up the cello. I bought an instrument, hired a teacher and daily for 3 years practised and played and learned the thing. I got to where I could play grade 5 pieces but it was such a challenge to even get a sweet note out of it. I play guitar and piano to very average standard but the cello I found 100 times more technical and 100 times more challenging, I think that’s why I liked it so much. There are no keys and no frets to help, there is just you and the bare ebony cello neck and hitting the mark just a 1/4 millimetre out at high speed will reward you with a bum note or a horrible intonation as will any lack of pressure or technique in the bowing. The development of the left hand is so vital to cello playing. The grip must be fast and sure and accurate and powerful like an eagle’s grip yet also delicate. After 3 years of playing my left hand was like Robocop’s. I could probably have crushed a full tin of beans
Anyway I got busy with work and the cello went into storage and I haven’t played it once in 10 years. But lately I’ve been thinking about it. Why? I’m not sure but since taking up the straight razor and re-training my left hand to come alive again and learn new things, it seems to have made a parallel psychologically with me. Last week I found myself digging out my old cello and sending it to a luthier to have it restrung, checked, and the bow re-haired. I rang my former cello teacher who was surprised to hear from me after a 10 year gap (she probably thinks I’ve been in jail) and I arranged a lesson. I’ll pick my restored cello up tomorrow and have my first lesson in 10 years the following day.
All of this has coincided with me starting to learn the intricacies of the straight razor and especially the left hand part which seems to have lit a parallel in my brain. Coincidence? Who knows but I feel that one is influencing the other somehow.

 

[Jakebullet]

Four days ago I used my Muhle R41 for a change. I usually get 2-3 uses from a blade so today I thought I’d use it once more before binning the blade and putting the razor away again.
I lathered with Hawkins and Brimble shave cream which smells good and is nice and slick. Using the straight these months has improved my shaving skills no end. Also my ‘feel’ for the blade has improved too. So much so that today on the 2nd use of the 7 o’clock yellow I could tell immediately that it wasn’t quite as good as it had been on Sunday. It just wasn’t as smooth. I did the shave and got a pretty much all over bbs but the post shave, while fine, wasn’t brilliant.
Every time I use a DE it makes me appreciate the straight razor more. I know nothing of steels and what goes into the manufacture of DE blades and straight blades, but my face tells me that the edge on the straight is just so much more suited to me. So much more comfortable, the straight really feels really nice on the face and luxurious.
Now I can’t wait to get back to my straight in the morning. My advice to anyone exclusively straight razor shaving as I do, would be to try a DE shave now and again to remind yourself of what a brilliant thing the old fashioned straight razor really is.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 136 and 7 on the Turner & Co.
Proraso Green soap, Omega 40033 stiff boar brush. Great brush I use it every single day.
I was in a bit of a rush and had a bit of a hangover too. I really like the first pass wtg. It feels safe and nice and the razor makes a great whispering soft rasping sound as it cuts through the morning stubble. The chin area is negotiated smoothly and carefully as is the neck. The goal is beard reduction. Is bbs with one pass possible? We can dream.
Pass 2 xtg. I stretch the face taut. The rasping sound is louder, more metallic, like metal on metal. It’s music to my ears. I find it easier to stretch the skin on this pass than the others. My method seems to allow me to stretch the skin on the right areas at the right times in the right way without the lather hindering traction. I really like pass 2 although today I gave myself a nick.
Pass 3 atg. Now the razor sings a quieter but deadlier tune as it seriously deals with everything that’s left. Up close, personal, short strokes, upward heavy cutting. Individual areas and even hairs are targeted. I use a fair bit of pressure of my chin to cut the stubble to bbs. One slip and I really would lose part of my face. I take the utmost care here and on my top lip too. I’m careful on my cheeks as I both stretch and fill them with air to get the shave as close as humanly possible, but without giving myself a ton of shaving rash. It’s a very fine line I walk every morning.
Touch up pass, different hands different directions. I go in whatever direction is needed for smoothness. Like a Viking warrior going back into the field after the battle with a short sword in his hand to slay any wounded survivors.
I rinse and today I use the alum which tingles and burns everywhere it touches.
A splash of Speick as my Proraso aftershave has all gone.
I feel good!
There’s just something about a proper shave. It takes much longer than a cartridge shave for me. But the two just don’t compare, it’s not even close. Plus it’s such quality time.
I feel my face an hour or two later, I’ve done closer. Does the blade need a touch up? I think so but I’ll give it another go tomorrow and see how that feels.

 

[Limekiln]

I'm not as far into the transition from R41, but having got my straight technique well enough developed to the point of confidently knowing I won't draw blood, it still comes nowhere near the R41 in BBS performance. I even can take close to 40 minutes touching up and fine tuning after using the straight. Yet R41 still wins hands down.
Interesting couple of points you make. First, that R41 is great to get all the neck stubble due to its size, without so much as thinking about it. But also, that using the straight teaches you how to get a better shave with R41. I wouldn't have expected that.
I'm now at a crossroads. I certainly enjoy shaving itself more with the straight. But that's a 30-40 minute hit. I've to live with the outcome for hours...and here the R41 is the master.
I'll try a honing service one more time though (having already tried one that improved things, but not markedly), just to be sure I'm not missing a trick. I really want the straight to deliver.

 

[Jakebullet]

I'm not as far into the transition from R41, but having got my straight technique well enough developed to the point of confidently knowing I won't draw blood, it still comes nowhere near the R41 in BBS performance. I even can take close to 40 minutes touching up and fine tuning after using the straight. Yet R41 still wins hands down.
Interesting couple of points you make. First, that R41 is great to get all the neck stubble due to its size, without so much as thinking about it. But also, that using the straight teaches you how to get a better shave with R41. I wouldn't have expected that.
I'm now at a crossroads. I certainly enjoy shaving itself more with the straight. But that's a 30-40 minute hit. I've to live with the outcome for hours...and here the R41 is the master.
I'll try a honing service one more time though (having already tried one that improved things, but not markedly), just to be sure I'm not missing a trick. I really want the straight to deliver.

Yeah that R41 is a brilliant thing, and like you I’m quicker with it and bbs is consistent and effortless. Whoever designed this thing got it perfect, at least for me.
But as I said earlier I prefer the feel of the straight on my face although the R41 is also smooth and comfortable. Post shave, sometimes I get a brillliant post shave feel with the R41, but with the straight I get that pretty much every shave.
And there are areas of my neck which I just can’t seem to get done right with the straight. But I love using the straight, I can use both hands and get a beautiful smooth shave and can hit every area on my face with it. Hope the straight works out for you as I can tell that you have a sense of it’s true potential, it’s just unlocking it that’s the tricky part.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 137 and 8 on the Turner.
Yesterday I felt a little of the sharpness taper off and so I kept a close eye on it today.
Lathered with Tabac, great soap.
I did 3 and a half passes and again noticed a diminishing sharpness to the edge. I still got a comfortable close shave but I had to work a little harder at it.
So I’m wondering.
I hear of people getting 30-60 shaves between refreshes.
I’m getting 8-10.
I have a coarse beard hence my previous daily use of an R41 so maybe that’s why I get so few shaves from an edge. A DE blade is finished after 2 shaves on me and a feather blade is finished after 1. Or maybe it’s my fledgling honing skills which are unable yet to make a longer lasting edge. Or maybe it’s my stropping which is dulling the edge rather than maintaining it.
Or maybe a combination of all three. Does anyone else need to refresh the razor at a similar rate?

 

[Jakebullet]

I spoke to the guy whose been kindly helping me on my journey with advice here and there and who has even sent me a couple of shave ready gold dollars honed on different stones to try.
He has a tough beard too and he does a refresh on the stones every 7 or so shaves so it seems that this isn’t out of the ordinary.
With that, I decided to hone my Thomas Turner & Co which has had 8 uses since I last honed it and my Henckels Friodur which has had 5 or 6.

I gave them each 20 laps on 1 micron lapping film and 20 on 0.3 micron. Then I stropped them 50 laps apiece on linen and 50 on leather. I tried the HHT with both and they sliced through the hair very nicely all along the edge so I’m looking forward to trying the Turner in the morning.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 138 and number 1 on the Turner since honing.
Last time I honed this I was smiling through the first pass as I could just tell by it’s sharpness and smoothness that I’d done a good job.
But this time on pass one I didn’t get that same feeling. The razor was sharp no question but not the same as last time.
I did my full shave but my face is red and the thing just didn’t feel as good as last time. I’ll try it again tomorrow after some more stropping.

 

[Namkcakram]

Shave 130 and 1 on the Thomas Turner & Co after honing.
I was very interested to see how I did after yesterday’s attempt at honing.
I used some very refreshing and cooling Proraso Green Preshave then lathered up with Proraso Green soap. As soon as the razor touched my face I started to smile. The edge just cleared pretty much everything off my cheeks on the down pass, and more than that the razor felt smooth again. Really smooth. And I’m getting the blade a little sharper and smoother each time I do it.
The real test for sharpness and smoothness for me is atg on my chin and upper lip and it sailed through those areas.
So it looks like I’m approaching learning what works for me up to now. 20 laps on 1u and 20 on the .3u every 10 shaves or so. I use damp notepaper under the film and reduce the pressure as I go through the laps. I finish with 50 on linen then the same on leather. Without wanting to speak too soon, I’m glad that it seems I’ve learned how to maintain my own edge and get it how I like it. At least with this razor.

I haven’t caught up in a while but this was really good to read!

You might need to tweak laps up a bit for the Friodur because a wider hollow ground will have the center of gravity more towards the spine, and the steel is likely more abrasive resistant. If you take each blade individually as sharp as you can you’ll likely get both to where you only tell a difference in edge quality ATG on your lip or something.

 

[Namkcakram]

Shave 137 and 8 on the Turner.
Yesterday I felt a little of the sharpness taper off and so I kept a close eye on it today.
Lathered with Tabac, great soap.
I did 3 and a half passes and again noticed a diminishing sharpness to the edge. I still got a comfortable close shave but I had to work a little harder at it.
So I’m wondering.
I hear of people getting 30-60 shaves between refreshes.
I’m getting 8-10.
I have a coarse beard hence my previous daily use of an R41 so maybe that’s why I get so few shaves from an edge. A DE blade is finished after 2 shaves on me and a feather blade is finished after 1. Or maybe it’s my fledgling honing skills which are unable yet to make a longer lasting edge. Or maybe it’s my stropping which is dulling the edge rather than maintaining it.
Or maybe a combination of all three. Does anyone else need to refresh the razor at a similar rate?

I find there is such a thing as too many laps on the linen... I love the linen for first stropping off an artificial abrasive, but off a natural stone I do maybe 6 laps linen to be extra sure the edge is clean and then straight to leather. It’s possible that .3mu is fine enough to go lighter on linen and lean more on leather? I still haven’t tested any razors on my experimental .3 film yet.

From that point on I’ll do maybe 6-12 linen and about 40-50 leather per shave.

I once used one straight for 9 months on a professional honing, I used almost just leather the entire time... I didn’t totally know what I was doing and my beard was probably softer then.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 139 and 2 on the Turner.
I like to stick to one razor for a while as it helps give me something consistent to measure my results by, whether it’s shaving techniques or improvements in honing.
I tried the Proraso preshave this morning and the Proraso Green soap and made a nice full lather.
Yesterday the razor had felt just a little harsh and not quite as keen, but I wanted to try it again today to see if it had calmed down. Today’s shave went a little better. It was sharp and smooth like before and gave me a fine old shave but my face still feels a little raw.
I wondered if this might be a cue to try the natural Welsh Slate stone which id bought a few months ago on the advice of my friend. I’d tried it back then on my Gold Dollar but the stone is quite a lot smaller than my acrylic block and I ended up blunting the blade with my poor technique. But I wasn’t scared to try it with my Turner and Co as I’d gotten the Gold Dollar back to sharpness last time so I knew a route home if things went wrong.

Anyway, with the promise of a natural smooth edge, I got the stone out, lapped it on some sandpaper, wet it and tried about 30 x strokes on my Thomas Turner & Co. I tried the HHT and found only the last inch of the toe was sharp. So I did more laps focussing on the middle and the heel. No change. So I thought I’d give the slurry stone a try as I’d never used it before. I gave it a little circular rub for 30 seconds and made a grey slurry. I started to hone with this . It was strangely enjoyable watching the undercut and listening to the great soft sound of steel on wet stone. Anyway after a while I tried the HHT to find the toe now failed to cut the hair too, so I’d succeeded in blunting the entire razor. I thought the slurry might have something to do with it so I washed it off and did more laps just on the stone with water. Although I was headed in the wrong direction as far as sharpness went I was enjoying myself! This didn’t help either so I eventually admitted defeat and broke out the lapping films. But it took about 60 or so laps on the 1 micron film plus a linen strop to get back to slicing hairs, then another 30 or so on the .3 micron and another strop on linen and leather and now it nails the HHT all along the edge. I’m looking forward to trying it in the morning to see how I did. I’ve got the press coming in to do some video interviews etc tomorrow so here’s hoping I don’t butcher my face too badly.

 

[Jakebullet]

I find there is such a thing as too many laps on the linen... I love the linen for first stropping off an artificial abrasive, but off a natural stone I do maybe 6 laps linen to be extra sure the edge is clean and then straight to leather. It’s possible that .3mu is fine enough to go lighter on linen and lean more on leather? I still haven’t tested any razors on my experimental .3 film yet.

From that point on I’ll do maybe 6-12 linen and about 40-50 leather per shave.

I once used one straight for 9 months on a professional honing, I used almost just leather the entire time... I didn’t totally know what I was doing and my beard was probably softer then.

Thanks for the input and some great advice as always. I’m going to take on board your thoughts on over using the linen, and thanks for the tips on the Friodur. There are so many variables aren’t there? I feel like I’m groping in the dark at times, input like yours and the rest of the guys is really appreciated and helps to light the way.

 

[Namkcakram]

Thanks for the input and some great advice as always. I’m going to take on board your thoughts on over using the linen, and thanks for the tips on the Friodur. There are so many variables aren’t there? I feel like I’m groping in the dark at times, input like yours and the rest of the guys is really appreciated and helps to light the way.

Anytime man! It’s fun watching someone who’s willing to experiment no matter where they are in experimenting. I don’t offer advice if someone’s too afraid to try or jumped straight into the deep end with a razor I’d be afraid to mess up myself!

I’ve never tried a welsh slate so I have no advice there... I can tell you for sure that if you get a good Charnley Forrest novaculite, you’ll be one small notch up in finish from a good Arkansas stone, and maybe 1.5 small notches slower acting. You are in England right?

 

[Jakebullet]

Yeah I’m in England

 

[Namkcakram]

Then a Charnley Forrest was probably the traditional razor stone for you, but I’ve only seen old ones so there’s no real knowing what they are until you test them for yourself. Arkansas stones are the currently mined novaculite option, and I’d really say for a lot of steel types a dense novaculite hone can put you keener than a coti edge and probably beyond alot of JNAT finishers floating around out there.

The coti edge can be great in its own unique way too, and may be relatively cheap from where you are in the world. The coti has the same advantage as Arkansas stones in that they are currently mined and the miners seem to know which are good razor hones. I don’t think they’re as tough to figure out as people say. If you’re just using them to finish, forget slurry and just do laps on water until it adheres to the stone surface and undercuts the water. A coti would probably pair great with the Friodur, garnets have no problem cutting tougher alloys.

A coti could be good for you because you’d have a clear choice between a natural stone that leaves a comfy edge like you described, or your film that leaves an edge keen enough to be harsh.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 140 and 1 on the Turner.
Lathered with a Speick shave stick and got to work.
I started to smile, the blade is smooth and sharp again. Better than it was after my last honing.
But I was a bit hung over this morning and didn’t get the greatest shave, but definitely not the razors fault.
It’s nice to know I can experiment a little and still bring the edge back.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 141 and 2.
Lathered with TOBS hard Sandalwood soap took my time and got a really good lather.
The razor was sharp yesterday and this morning I took the advice of an earlier post and laid off the linen strop opting for just the leather.
It’s only been 10 mins since the shave as I write this but already I can feel it’s one of the best shaves I’ve ever had. It’s completely bbs everywhere, even the tricky bits like my neck , top lip and chin. And my face has that great soft, smooth feeling to it.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 142 and 3.
I used TOBS Eton College cream today, nice, classy citrus scent and it made a brilliant full cushioning lather.
The blade was feeling lovely and smooth again today. As I was going xtg on my jaw I felt a bite. I can tell how bad a cut is by how much I hear myself swearing. Today I swore a lot. I gave that area a wide berth after that. Got another great shave today, nice cold rinse and a splash of Speick which is my favourite as the little scent it does carry is usually gone in a few mins then I can wear whatever scent I like.