Cartridge to R41 to Cut-Throat

[Jakebullet]

Shave 235 on 2nd on Gold Dollar A since honing on the 12k Naniwa.
It had given me a little irritation on shave one so I gave it a quick 20 on the linen then 50 on leather, lathered up with Proraso Red and got to work.
I had a good feeling going into this shave as, although I’d had irritation on shave one, the shave felt great once it had cooled down.
The blade felt fast and smooth and very sharp. I completed the shave and got a great smooth bbs with no irritation and my face felt great and smooth all day. I’m very impressed with the comfort and sharpness of the edge I got from the Naniwa especially as it was my first try with it. It just feels sharper than what I’m used to getting from the films and it does brilliantly atg on my upper lip and chin.

 

[Jakebullet]

Well now don’t get sucked into thinking particle size dictates edge quality on a linear scale... that logic applies within certain limits, but once you start to push the limits you find particle composition, geometry, and the actual cutting mechanisms can have a bigger impact. The Naniwa 12k is supposed to be around or just under 1mu particle size, but 1mu aluminum oxide(probably) in the right geometry bound together just right and then surface lapped just right could yield shallower scratches and a more perfectly straight cutting edge than .3mu harder or less geometrically ideal particles glued on a flat unforgiving surface and possibly cutting into the steel with nearly their full diameter.

And then you start getting into natural stones and that’s a much bigger can of worms.

Try some X strokes for your last finishing laps, just be sure to keep the portion on the stone flat against the stone. You might be really surprised.

Lot of information for me to digest thanks for posting , and it definitely makes sense as the very first shave I tried after honing on the Naniwa felt sharper than my usual efforts once my face had cooled down. I’ve just tried honing the Thomas Turner & Co which is 7 shaves in after honing on films, and the Shuredge which you sent to me which has had 6 since you put an Arkansas edge on it. I honed both in the Naniwa 12k and gave the Turner 20 laps and 5 very light laps, and the Shuredge got 15 laps and 5 very light laps. At your suggestion I used x strokes on both and both got 50 laps on linen and then 50 laps on leather, so let’s see what difference this makes.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 237 and 1 on the Turner & Co since honing on the Naniwa 12k.
I gave it 50 on linen but it still felt a little scratchy on the cloth on one side of the blade. I should’ve given it more until this smoothed out but I didn’t. But I’m still learning what different feelings mean. I gave it 100 on the leather trying to remove the scratchiness which I should’ve removed on the linen. I did an HHT and it cut the hair but it pinged quite loudly so I wasn’t expecting the best of shaves. I lathered with a Speick stick and I could tell from the first pass that it wasn’t going to be brilliant. It didn’t feel that smooth or that sharp although I completed the shave well enough. And my face, while feeling rougher than usual for an couple of hours, eventually settled and felt smooth. I think I need to take it back to the linen until the smoothness is there then I think it should shave nicer.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 238 and 1 on the Shuredge after honing on the Naniwa 12k.
Lathered with TOBS Jermyn St with a boar brush.
I gave this a good strop on the linen about 60 laps then when it felt smooth I did close to 100 on leather.
It’s a nice little 5/8ths very light very hollow square point blade which can fit into tricky places such as the very corners of the mouth and the hollows of the neck. Today it felt nice and sharp and smooth. It being a Saturday I took my time and got a great bbs shave. I see some of these YouTube shavers just glide the razor down the whole cheek in one pass. If I did that I doubt I’d remove much beard. It may be that they’re getting better edges, use better technique or have less coarse beards or all three. I have to use short, strokes throughout the shave.

 

[Namkcakram]

Shave 238 and 1 on the Shuredge after honing on the Naniwa 12k.
Lathered with TOBS Jermyn St with a boar brush.
I gave this a good strop on the linen about 60 laps then when it felt smooth I did close to 100 on leather.
It’s a nice little 5/8ths very light very hollow square point blade which can fit into tricky places such as the very corners of the mouth and the hollows of the neck. Today it felt nice and sharp and smooth. It being a Saturday I took my time and got a great bbs shave. I see some of these YouTube shavers just glide the razor down the whole cheek in one pass. If I did that I doubt I’d remove much beard. It may be that they’re getting better edges, use better technique or have less coarse beards or all three. I have to use short, strokes throughout the shave.

The technique trick for me was simply skewing the blade edge a bit, or adding a bit ofscything motion to the long passes. Gotta be careful though because it reduces the margin of error between slicing hair and slicing off the first skin layer.

The skill bit to it wasn’t getting the edge any keener, it was getting it really consistent along the full edge. For me it was a matter of setting the bevel to a degree that I could actually take a test pass WTG down my cheek, and then X strokes at finishing.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 239 and one on Gold Dollar B since honing on Naniwa 12k.
Gold Dollar A got 25 laps on the stone whereas Gold Dollar B got 25 laps then 20 circles each side then 10 light laps. I’ve never done circles before, but I wanted to see how two pretty much identical blades differed with varying time on the stone.
It felt smooth on the linen strop instantly but I gave it 40 laps as a precaution and 50 on leather.
I lathered with Proraso Green soap, and was strangely happy to finally see a spot of the green plastic appearing at the bottom of the tub. I bought this well over a year ago and have used it a lot.
Sunday today so plenty of time to be careful and methodical and the Gold Dollar B gave me a brilliant shave. Of the four razors I honed so far on the Naniwa, this one has given me the best shave on the first use fresh from the stone. A long cold rinse some Fine Snakebite aftershave, then a little splash of Penhaligon’s Halfeti.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 240 and 6 on the ELSINE.
I was in a hurry this morning. Usually i’d use a DE in a situation like this but today I thought I’d experiment with a one pass straight razor shave. I’ve never done this before so was interested to see what I could do.
I whipped up some TOBS Jermyn St, I made far too much lather for a one pass shave but what a great scent. I wasn’t expecting anywhere near a bbs but I was curious to see how well I could do with on wtg pass.
The ELSINE as always sang smoothly down my face and I took extra care to stretch and inflate and to hit every area on my face chin and neck as best I could. It took about 10 mins I’d guess. As I rinsed my face I could still feel plenty of stubble. It didn’t look too bad to the eye, but to the finger tips it felt like it was midnight and I’d shaved at 6am. I think I’m going to try this experiment again using a Muhle R41 and a Feather blade as I’m interested as to what is the quickest I could get an acceptable shave. Today’s wasnt exactly acceptable to me but as always it was fun.

 

[Namkcakram]

Shave 240 and 6 on the ELSINE.
I was in a hurry this morning. Usually i’d use a DE in a situation like this but today I thought I’d experiment with a one pass straight razor shave. I’ve never done this before so was interested to see what I could do.
I whipped up some TOBS Jermyn St, I made far too much lather for a one pass shave but what a great scent. I wasn’t expecting anywhere near a bbs but I was curious to see how well I could do with on wtg pass.
The ELSINE as always sang smoothly down my face and I took extra care to stretch and inflate and to hit every area on my face chin and neck as best I could. It took about 10 mins I’d guess. As I rinsed my face I could still feel plenty of stubble. It didn’t look too bad to the eye, but to the finger tips it felt like it was midnight and I’d shaved at 6am. I think I’m going to try this experiment again using a Muhle R41 and a Feather blade as I’m interested as to what is the quickest I could get an acceptable shave. Today’s wasnt exactly acceptable to me but as always it was fun.

You need to try it with the Friodur, and do like a 1.3-1.7 pass instead of going too slow on the first pass. Plenty of mornings I do Arko stick, lukewarm semogue beater, and 1.5+/- passes and end up mostly BBS where it counts. I find it works best with my old beat up Filarmonica and the Friodur is probably closest profile for you.

 

[Jakebullet]

You need to try it with the Friodur, and do like a 1.3-1.7 pass instead of going too slow on the first pass. Plenty of mornings I do Arko stick, lukewarm semogue beater, and 1.5+/- passes and end up mostly BBS where it counts. I find it works best with my old beat up Filarmonica and the Friodur is probably closest profile for you.

I’ve never been able to get close without going against the grain with any razor. The hair on my face tends to grow in different directions and it’s tough too so one pass on any direction is never going to do it I think. Even if I was able to do one atg pass id still miss a bit. It’s a good suggestion to do fractional passes where needed though, thanks.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 241 and 37 on the Friodur . I used Tabac soap and a stiff boar brush which is reliable combination and made a great lather.
I’ve been playing around recently with the Naniwa 12k though I haven’t experimented all that much yet, I’ve just been seeing how a few different razors respond to 25 laps on it. I’ve yet to get what I’d consider a brilliant edge but it’s very early days.
Id honed the Friodur on films and I think I really got it right. As soon it touched my face today it felt extremely smooth, all the more so as I haven’t used it for a little while. It’s still brilliantly sharp, it’s quite weighty and feels good in my hand and today it left my face smooth and feeling great.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 242 and 2 on the Suredge.
I was pushed for time today.
As I’d tried a one pass wtg shave earlier in the week and been unimpressed, I thought why not leave out that first pass altogether today and go xtg for pass one.
I lathered with Proraso Green and got started.
It took about 1 second to realise this plan wasn’t going to work as the razor got stuck in the stubble immediately.
So clearly the wtg pass is doing a lot more work than I’m giving it credit for.
The shave went well but the blade struggled atg on my throat so I’m going to take it back to the 12k stone and try it again.
I left out my touch up pass so the shave felt smooth enough but not perfect. I had a cold rinse and a splash of Tabac aftershaves, good stuff.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 244 and 3rd on Gold Dollar A.
Yesterday I used the film honed Elsine which gave me a great shave. Gold Dollar A was the first razor I honed on the Naniwa 12k. I used 20 laps then 5 very light laps. Inclined strokes no x strokes.
I lathered up with Proraso Red and a Simpsons badger brush with quite a short loft, which makes it good for face lathering.
Today the Gold Dollar performed great and got through all the tough areas no problem but a splash of Snakebite really set my face on fire. My face
really felt beautifully smooth but then I noticed quite a bit of rashing. This settles down and was gone by noon leaving just a brilliant post shave smoothness which lasted all day. I wonder, did my face rash up because I over honed the blade? Or was it that I made it a little too sharp for my face? Do I do less laps? This is my best effort so far from the Naniwa My face feels great still as I sit here 12 hours later. But it’s not quite perfect. I love how sharp it feels and how close it cuts. I’ll try it again tomorrow Maybe it’ll settle itself down.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 245 and 4 on Gold Dollar A.
Proraso Green soap today and boar brush. That little badger ive got is a bit scritchy whereas the boar is stiff but soft too.
The blade still feels super smooth and sharp. It’s given me a great bbs all over.
Every blade I’ve ever received or honed has struggled to get through the hair on my top lip. I persevere and get it all off but i have to work at it.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 246 and 38 on the Friodur.
I lathered with Stirling Margaritas in the Arctic and a boar brush. I hadn’t used this soap for a while as the scent really gets up my nose for some reason and I find it thins out in later passes, though I may just need to work out how to get the best from it. I did more swirls on the soap than usual and it was better today, though the scent is strong.
The big stainless Friodur rasped beautifully down my cheek on pass one, it’s a great blade.
Pass 2 xtg makes a great almost ringing sound as it cuts. Pass 3 atg is sharp and comfortable. The Friodur still cuts as sharply and smoothly as any newly honed blade I’ve got, (although the 6/8ths ELSINE I’ve got is particularly smooth) and today I got a brilliant shave. A nice big stinging splash of Speick aftershave and I’m good to go.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 247 and 2nd on the Thomas Turner & Co.
This and the Suredge were 2 blades I honed on the Naniwa 12k using x strokes for the first time as opposed to my normal straight strokes. Neither has been particularly sharp for me so my x technique needs work.
I did get a good close shave today but I had to work at it and it didn’t have the smoothness which im used to. Once the shave was done I noticed a slight difficulty in cleaning the blade, then I noticed one side of the blade had pitted pretty much all over. I’m not sure how this happened as I clean and dry each razor after use, palm and linen strop, dry inside the scales and then place in a wooden box in the bathroom with my other razors. Inside the box I keep a few packets of silica gel. One of the other razors were affected.
Occasionally if I’m in a rush I’ll let the inner scales air dry after the linen strop. I leave it high up in the kitchen. Often my girl has the clothes dryer on in there and the room can be humid I wonder if that’s responsible. I looked at the edge in the light and it’s pitted too. So I’ll have to reset the bevel. Any ideas how I can get rid of the pitting on the blade?

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 248 and 2nd on Gold Dollar B.
Lathered with TOBS Jermyn St and a boar brush.
Great blade great shave.
Bbs everywhere.
Tonight I honed the Suredge 5/8th square point on the Naniwa 12k. I gave it 25 laps of decreasing pressure, then notice that the stone was bone dry, so I re wet it then gave it a further 20-25 laps and tried the HHT. It cut the hair silently so I’m looking forward to trying it tomorrow .

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 249 and 1st on Suredge after re-honing with Naniwa 12k.
Lathered with Palmolive shave stick.
This felt extremely smooth and gave me a really enjoyable shave. I splashed on some Floid Vigoroso which seems to go great with the Palmolive soap.
An hour later I felt my top lip. Not as close as I usually get it so I’m going to try it again tomorrow. Then I’m going to take it to my lapping films and hit it on the 1 micron then 0.3 micron and get a comparison.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 250 and 2 on the Suredge . I lathered with Proraso Green soap and got to work. A very nice shave just not as close as I like on my top lip. This could mean that the stone needs lapping as there is a little greyness to it now, or just that I’ve yet to dial in how to get the best from it with the Suredge. I’ve ordered some 320 grit wet and dry paper to lap it so we’ll see what happens.
250 shaves is sort of a milestone for me so what are my impressions of the whole thing 250 shaves in?
Well I’m definitely sold on it.
If you’re considering trying it I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I thought I was getting great shaves with my R41 but my straights are all, without exception, so much milder and gentler and smoother while giving just as close a shave and I’d personally say even closer, and definitely more consistent.
It’s fun too in lots of ways, from experimenting with different razors (I’ve barely scratched the surface) to using different honing methods, films and stones trying to find that perfect match.
I like learning new things, and the straight razor has a lot to teach. I’m still not fully there on my technique, shaving or honing , though I get easy daily bbs shaves and I can keep my razors deadly sharp but I know there’s plenty of room for development.
I’m tempting fate but I can’t remember the last time I got cut.
I’ve never looked in antique shops before but now I do when passing looking for a straight to try, knowing I can set a bevel and make something which may not have been used for decades absolutely shave ready and glinting and cutting like new.
I keep one eye on eBay in case I see something I like. I’m far from suffering from RAD as I only own 6 razors and had good reason to get each one. I own only one finishing stone and a pack of lapping films but I keep my eye out for interesting things to try. My morning hour is a great time in my day and a good start to it. It clears my head as well as my face. From the outside it’s just a shave but from the inside it’s a lot more.

 

[Namkcakram]

I used the Bengall today, shave 4 or 5 now and no urge to re-hone at all yet. Actually still sharp enough I gave myself two weepers going ATG under my chin! It was a shock because I’ve been using mostly Coticule edges recently.

For one of your recent posts I’ve used brasso or bar keepers friend on a paper towel or microfiber cloth to buff pitting out on blades before and it went pretty well.

 

[Jakebullet]

I used the Bengall today, shave 4 or 5 now and no urge to re-hone at all yet. Actually still sharp enough I gave myself two weepers going ATG under my chin! It was a shock because I’ve been using mostly Coticule edges recently.

For one of your recent posts I’ve used brasso or bar keepers friend on a paper towel or microfiber cloth to buff pitting out on blades before and it went pretty well.

That’s great I’m really glad it’s performing for you I took a few goes at it to get it the best that I and the films could offer. Thanks for the brasso tip I’ll give it a try and let you know how it goes.