Cartridge to R41 to Cut-Throat

[Jakebullet]

Shave 44, four shaves since I last refreshed the edge.
My Proraso Green aftershave is almost gone. I use it more than the others because it’s good stuff and the scent lasts about 5mins on me so I can either just smell neutral or I can add cologne as I’m leaving the house. I wanted something with similar properties.
On recommendation I bought some Speick from Germany and as I was paying for the postage anyway I thought I’d try one of their shave sticks too.

I was in a rush this morning I had 45 mins in total for the shower and shave and clean up which meant no hanging around.
I preshaved then rubbed the soap stick into my beard. It lathered up really well and made a nice fresh slick soap.
I keep changing little things in my shave to experiment and find what works best for me. I find if I keep the razor running over the curve of the chin and jaw for example in any direction it helps the razor to glide on the lather, but if I do my cheeks then stop then do the jaw and neck it’s less smooth and I move into cuts territory. When I go atg on my top lip I find it easier if I blade buff the area using plenty of lather for the blade to surf on.
The razor felt smooth and sharp today and was much kinder to my chin after yesterday’s redness so no blade touch ups required yet.
The Speick aftershave seems pretty perfect as I could barely detect a scent yet it left my face very soft and smooth all day so it’s a big thumbs up for the stuff.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 45 (5 shaves since 10 laps touch up on CrOx strop).
I used TOBS Eton College cream today which smells great, lathers well, holds plenty of water and is slick. I still have some dialling in to do to get it how I like it for the straight razor but I’m getting there.

I did my first wtg pass both hands as usual keeping it smooth and easy around my jaw and under my chin. Skidding around those curves is fun but very difficult.
For my xtg sideways pass I made an effort to use a lighter touch than usual and to stretch the skin more, and the razor responded well, gliding smoothly but sharply through the hair. This pass is extremely tricky around the chin which is the hardest part of my face to shave with the straight but again, I’m getting there.
Atg starts well on my neck and I made some improvements altering my grip to do the far side of my cheeks by my ears. This helped and I got closer and smoother there today. Again remembering to stretch and indeed learning how best to do it is so important. Some bits which I think I have almost mastered one day will suddenly feel awkward and difficult again the next day.
Working out how best to match the shape and grain of my chin and the shape of the blade take quite some lateral thinking when going atg there. Like trying to figure out how to twist and manoeuvre a wide sofa through a narrow door.
I had a quick very cold rinse then splashed on the Speick which I used yesterday.
There’s practically zero scent to this stuff which I love and it really does leave a nice soft post shave.
I wondered if I felt the razor slowing down a little so after the shave I gave it 8 short, round laps on the CrOx paddle strop then 60 on the leather hanging strop.
Let’s see how that changes things for tomorrow.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 46. I decided to take the watch in with me again today to see where all the time was going and how I was coming on time wise since I last timed it.
Shave 27 was the last time I timed my passes, that’s 19 days ago or nearly 3 weeks.
My preshave and lather up took 5 -6 mins back then and it was the same today.
I used Proraso Green preshave and soap.
The soap is brilliant for the straight for me as I find richer soaps don’t allow the blade to move as loosely and freely, though this may be failure to adjust. Either way it works great for me.
Pass one wtg last time was 8 minutes, today it was 6 mins 30.
1 minute to relather.
Pass 2 xtg last time was 9 minutes, today it was 6 min 30.
1min to relather.
Pass 3 atg last time was 10 mins , today it was 7mins.
1 min to relather.
Pass 4, my extended touch up pass over all areas. Last time was 11 mins, today was 7 mins 30.
Cold rinse, brush teeth, hit the aftershave (speick again today) then clean and dry the razor etc took about 7 mins last time and 7 mins again today.
So last time the whole shave from start to finish took 50-55 mins and today the shave took 35 - 40 mins. Plus 10 mins in the shower both times.
The prep time, relathering time and clean up time were all the same but I made up 1min 30 on pass one, 2mins 30 on pass two,
3 mins on pass 3, and 3mins 30 on pass 4.
The shave was good, mostly bbs but not one of my absolute best.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 47
I decided for a change to use my gold dollar today. It’s 13/16ths as opposed to my Turner & Co which is 5/8ths and much heavier.
I last used it ages ago, so it’s only done one shave since i honed it on 1 micron lapping film.
I used the Speick shave stick and made a nice wet lather.
Straight away I could feel the smoothness and weight of the blade and I liked it. It gave me a nice close smooth shave today and got me thinking. I’m not a collector and I’ve already got 2 razors but I think I’d like to try a nice bigger heavier razor and see how I get on with it.
My 2 at the minute are hollow ground, I’d like to try a 7/8ths or 8/8th and a half or quarter hollow. I’d probably like to spend up to £100. New or old doesn’t matter Can anyone suggest a good buy or retailer?

 

[Jakebullet]

I bought this box on eBay for my honing stuff.
It’s 40x30x10cm ideal for keeping my stuff under one roof.

It’ll house my lapping films, 12 inch acrylic block, home made paddle strop for CrOx touch up and my 2 razors too. £20 a fine deal.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 48
Proraso preshave, Tabac soap, I really got a good lather today, Tabac is a brilliant performer, and I love the scent.
Had to be quick this morning. I used the Gold Dollar again as I like the heavier blade and it didn’t mess around as it cut through everything it touched.
I need to really get a handle on this face stretching as I’ve yet to find a method I’m completely happy with.
Not a bad shave today but I’ve done better, it’s saturday tomorrow so I’m going to give myself all the sweet time I need.
I’m going to give more thought to stretching and pay more attention to detail.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 49
A Saturday shave so I had all the time in the world.
I used Proraso Red soap vigorously face lathered with a stiff boar brush, taking my time , adding water until I’d made a great lather.
Through the week I’m always in a bit of a hurry, I get up early but I always have to be conscious of time. So it was nice today to deliberately go slower than usual in search of a great shave.
On my first wtg pass I took extra care to make it close everywhere, to miss nothing, to hit every hair. I did the same on my xtg pass. I have to rethink this pass a bit as the hair growth seems to switch direction in some small areas, so just going ear to nose both sides isn’t quite levelling everything to the same degree. I’ve been using the touch up pass to even the playing field so far.
Atg was deliberate and careful and I spent longer working for smoothness on the top lip. I tried for great smoothness everywhere, and anywhere I heard a rasp I gently worked the area till it was gone.
The neck area is tricky as the hair grows sideways but I can’t
Shave there sideways as the blade is too long. I improvise and did much better today it was smooth and close but I wonder if I’ll have to forever compromise on my neck and accept that it’s an area just impossible to perfect with the straight razor or whether I’ll be able to figure it out someday. I’m hopeful of the latter.
Anyway, I got a brilliant shave. One of my best and probably my most compete. It’s 12 hours since the shave and hardly anything has grown back and my face has had that exceptional smooth feeling all day. Just brilliant long lasting smooth closeness. If i could improve one thing it would be the top lip which while nearly bbs all over still had some not quite perfect bits. This gold dollar was last touched up by me on 1 micron damp paper backed lapping film 4 uses ago. I haven’t used CrOx just leather so after today’s shave I gave it 8 rounds on the CrOx just to give it that touch more sharpness for my top lip on my 50th shave tomorrow.
I had a long cold rinse then splashed on the Speick which gave a good burn then a great feel afterwards.
I haven’t left my face alone all day.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 50 Sunday shave.
I used Maca Root cream from the body shop today which Id used to start my DE journey around a year ago.
It makes a great slick lather and has a nice soapy scent.
After touching up the Gold Dollar on the CrOx yesterday I noticed it felt extremely sharp and smooth today. The first two passes were close! But on pass 3 for the first time in a good while I got cut. Twice.
I cut my cheek really unexpectedly with my dominant hand on my atg pass then seconds later nicked my chin where it meets my lower lip. That one was quite a bleeder. I got no warning on the cheek cut, I’m still not sure why it happened. I swore my way through the rest of the pass then proceeded with much more caution for the touch up.
I did a final rinse and reached for the alum which was like dragging a hot sauna coal all over my face. Everywhere burned. I left it on while I cleaned up then rinsed it off but still my face was warm.
I took a big hit of Speick and left the bathroom.
I got dressed but my face was still feeling warm so I looked in the mirror to see the worst shaving rash I think I’ve ever had. I look like I’ve been slapped around by Freddie Kruger. Only two actual cuts but redness and blotchiness and shaving rash on my face and neck. The shave itself feels smooth but I’m just glad it’s a Sunday and I don’t have to expose my face to the world.
Not exactly sure what went wrong. It could be that the extra sharpness caught me unprepared, or it could’ve been complacency with yesterday’s shave being so great. Or it couldve been an unconscious desire to better yesterday’s effort Causing me to fly too close to the sun. Or all 3?
Either way I got a warning on this my 50th shave to be a lot more careful with this thing, that the road is long still ahead of me.
I’ve had a nice easy birth to straight razor shaving, I took to it quite well and had no serious cuts and never had any irritation or razor burn. I suppose as the days without incident pass we begin to feel indestructible. Well todays performance woke me up to that misnomer.
I’m going to use the sharpened Gold Dollar again tomorrow as I want to see where I went wrong but I’m going to go for a much gentler approach.

 

[Jakebullet]

A few weeks ago I looked closely at the Gold Dollar edge under a 12x eye glass and saw this little thing when I catch the angle of light just right. I thought it was lather but it wouldn’t wash or strop away then it seemed to disappear so I figured it was lather. After today’s rough shave I looked again and it’s there in the same place. I’m new to straight razors but does this look like a ding or a nick on the edge? If so how would I repair it?
Another thing I noticed was that in the photos above the blade bevel was a lot less scratched than when I looked at it today. I couldn’t get a photo of today’s one sorry. I wonder if the CrOx strop on a rubbishy bit of leather I gave it was responsible? It was only 8 laps, can 8 laps scratch up the blade like that?
Any help is appreciated

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 51
I used the Gold Dollar again this morning after yesterday’s bad shave to see if that was just me pushing too hard or had I damaged and/or scuffed up the blade.
I was very careful and decided that I wouldn’t go for bbs or anything like that I’d just try for a decent shave.
Not sure if it was psychological but the razor just didn’t feel smooth or all that sharp.
Was this the blade though or was my skin a little rough still from yesterday?
On my top lip and chin only a very sharp blade will work and today it didn’t do very well there.
Ive just ordered a new strop, just a cheap one which I’ll use for travel but I’m going to put the CrOx compound on the back of that, then touch up, hopefully that will help.
My face is clear today no redness but my skin feels leathery to my touch, again is it the blade or is it just healing from yesterday’s assault? Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 52
I went back to the Thomas Turner & Co 5/8ths today after a couple of rough shaves with the gold dollar. This is its 2nd shave after an 8 lap touch up on the CrOx.
I much prefer the extra size and weight of the gold dollar but I wanted to use a razor which I know is in top condition today. This is one of the advantages of having more than one razor as a beginner I suppose.
Anyway the razor surprised me today, it felt really light and manoeuvrable in my hand and felt nice straight from the off.
I needed a smooth shave today after 2 rough ones and it delivered really well, this razor has always seemed to like my face. I was careful but I just felt safer with it. The lather today was Tabac and it stayed hydrated and let the razor skim through the hair perfectly.
I rinsed and felt my face, Smoooth.
Such a relief to get a great shave again and be back on track.
As for my Gold Dollar, I’m going to give it a long strop and see how that goes. If no better then I’ll CrOx it, if no better I’ll hone it on the 1 micron film and if all else fails I’ll buy some grittier film and try to reset the bevel.
Meanwhile I’m on the hunt for another razor. I want to try something quite big and heavy with a 7/8 or 8/8 blade and maybe a quarter hollow grind and see how my beard likes that.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 53
Proraso Sandalwood soap today and my Turner & Co razor.
I’ve been using Proraso Green preshave cream for the past 6 months as I found it really made a difference with my DE.
I’m coming to the end of the jar so I thought I’d try shaving without it with the straight. Well the straight was so smooth and cut so well I couldn’t really notice any difference.
On my Atg pass near my left ear I altered the angle of how I hold the blade. As I was cutting upwards I felt a very slight nicking sensation so I took the razor from my face and realised that the toe of the razor had slid into and under my skin and I was cutting upwards into it like a scalpel. There was a big dark red teardrop of blood there. I’d barely felt it so it was a good thing I’d checked it when I did or I’d have opened up my face with it. Then I noticed two more smaller shallower but similar cuts near it which I hadn’t felt at all. I’ll be a lot more careful next time. I did a quick touch up pass but the incident had made me a little gun shy so I left it there.
I still got a brilliant shave but I have to be more careful, I’ve cut myself more in the last few shaves than I’ve done in the last month. A cold rinse and some Speick AS and I was good as new.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 54
I didn’t shave yesterday because of the cut I made the day before, that’s the first day I’ve missed since I started with the straight.
No preshave today just a big fat brushful of Tabac soap.
The razor did surprisingly well against the 2 day wire I was sporting and removed a ton of it on the first pass.
I was super careful today after getting bitten a few times recently and I got through unscathed. Pass two was nice and smooth and so was pass 3 and I did a better job of my neck today with some upside down angles. Despite taking plenty of care today I got the shower, shave and clean up done in 50 mins which isn’t too bad for me I was honestly just happy to get through uninjured today.
A cold rinse and a splash of speick and all is good.
I bought a second smaller strop for travel.

It was only £10 and I was thinking of using the rough side of the leather for CrOx paste so I can keep my main strop clean.
But after speaking with a pal who’s been helping me with refreshing advice i think I’m going to leave the CrOx and use 20 on the linen on the back of this strop plus 50 on the leather of my main strop.
When I need a touch up I’ll do it on the 1 micron lapping film I’ve got.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 55
Speick shave stick, Turner & Co 5/8th hollow, Speick aftershave.
A nice smooth shave again today as I learn the importance of knowing when to stop.
I could quite happily sit there shaving all day trying to find bits I’ve somehow missed and putting them right but I’d look like Hellboy afterwards.
I’m learning when my face has had enough and when to push on and when to call it quits for the day. There are times during a shave with a straight that the word ‘comfort’ just leaps to mind. Not a word you’d usually associate with dragging a
60-odd year old open knife across your face and throat first thing in the morning but that’s how it feels nonetheless.
Luxurious, kind, gentle on the skin and what a closeness!
I’ve treated myself and ordered a new razor which arrived today so im going to give it its first run tomorrow.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 56
I have coarse stubble so I wanted to try a bigger heavier blade so I bought this 7/8ths Henckels Friodur 17 1/2 stainless. It came unused as new old stock and the seller believes it was made in the 1970’s so just like me. It had a factory hone but the seller honed it up for me. He said it has a 1/4 hollow grind so I’ve added a few pic to see what you chaps think.

I tried it this morning.
Lathered up some Tabac soap after a long shower and got to work.
It definitely felt much different in the hand from the 5/8ths hollow which I normally use.
It’ll take a little getting used to.
It felt nice and heavy but less nimble so I was a touch less sure when using it. It’s hard to explain, but my muscle memory is tuned to lighter blades so it’ll take a few shaves I think.
I’ve leaned to be careful lately so I took my time and didn’t go chasing perfect closeness. I just wanted the razor and I to introduce ourselves.
Today when I went atg on my upper lip I tried using the heel end of the blade. This seemed to make the thing feel more stable and it cut really close for me.
The guy I bought this razor from had in the past couple of months also reset the bevel and honed my Thomas Turner & Co and he’d also kindly given me a shave ready Gold Dollar which he’d modified. He told me he finishes on a 22k stone.
Well when I use his edges I find that, like a haircut, it takes a few days to come down to a level that I like. I think 22k is too sharp for my face and technique. Even after I’ve used CrOx on my blades it feels a little too sharp so I think around 12k is more suited to me as I got a lovely smooth shave straight from a 1 micron lapping film.
I knew his edges were sharp so I went easy today and didn’t push the potential of the razor too much but still My face, while very smooth, is a little red and patchy today. But I know it’ll get smoother as the days pass and the edge dips slightly.
It was a nice hello to the new razor today, I think we like each other and I’m looking forward to finding out more about it and what it’s capable of.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 57
I thought I’d try a bowl lather today so I used the Tabac soap then added plenty of water and made a nice wet lather.
The problem I found was that when I face lather my skin gets real slick and I can feel it between passes when I rinse, but with the bowl lather I feel the lather is much more superficial and not as protecting and I noticed the razor almost sticking in places rather than riding on the slickness.
No more bowl lathering for me I think. The shave is fine but without the extra protection I just felt it held me back, that I could’ve gone closer if I had the usual slickness.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 58
Proraso Green soap face lathered today I really like this stuff with my straight.
I noticed the blade felt a bit smoother today as the edge dips a tiny bit each day to my liking.
The extreme sharpness of the first two days was too much. Today is better so I was comfortable doing more and getting that bit closer and I’m hoping for better again tomorrow. Today’s shave was fine but not brilliant, but I’ve yet to do a brilliant shave with this new razor while I learn to use it properly. It’s heavier and wider and thicker and sharper than I’m used to so I just have to balance these things out and as the sharpness continues to dip I’ll be able to use more of the razor.

 

[Jakebullet]

Shave 60 and number 5 on the Friodur.
I didn’t shave yesterday as I had to run an unexpected early errand so had quite a lot of very coarse stubble to get through.
I used the Proraso Green Preshave today and a Hawkins & Brimble shave cream.
As I came down for the first pass I thought to myself ‘the R41 would’ve gone through this like a hot knife through butter’ but the straight, while removing it well enough was making harder work of it. Especially round my chin where the hair is most coarse.
Pass 2 xtg was nice though as the straight’s smoothness kicked in.
Pass 3 was good too, but I’m not sure if I’m imagining it but the 5/8ths full hollow grind of the Turner & Co which i normally use just seems to hug the contours of my face better than this 7/8th 1/4 hollow Friodur. So after using the 5/8ths I jus seem to get a closer shave with no annoying little bits missed.
But the Friodur is a new and different razor and may just be taking some time for me to work out how best to use it.
It was finished by the guy who honed it on a 20k finishing stone but it’s odd. It feels like it’s too sharp so it irritates my face a bit (though this is getting better each day) but it also seem somehow less sharp than my other. Is this the result of the heavier grind?
Anyway after the shave I was considering perhaps selling this thing on and staying with my usual but then I thought I should use it for a month and give it a fair chance.
I rinsed the splash on some Speick AS.
Then I felt my face. Nice! This is the best shave I’ve done with it so far and one of my best shaves full stop so it’s left me hopeful.

 

[Clay S]

Shave 60 and number 5 on the Friodur.
I didn’t shave yesterday as I had to run an unexpected early errand so had quite a lot of very coarse stubble to get through.
I used the Proraso Green Preshave today and a Hawkins & Brimble shave cream.
As I came down for the first pass I thought to myself ‘the R41 would’ve gone through this like a hot knife through butter’ but the straight, while removing it well enough was making harder work of it. Especially round my chin where the hair is most coarse.
Pass 2 xtg was nice though as the straight’s smoothness kicked in.
Pass 3 was good too, but I’m not sure if I’m imagining it but the 5/8ths full hollow grind of the Turner & Co which i normally use just seems to hug the contours of my face better than this 7/8th 1/4 hollow Friodur. So after using the 5/8ths I jus seem to get a closer shave with no annoying little bits missed.
But the Friodur is a new and different razor and may just be taking some time for me to work out how best to use it.
It was finished by the guy who honed it on a 20k finishing stone but it’s odd. It feels like it’s too sharp so it irritates my face a bit (though this is getting better each day) but it also seem somehow less sharp than my other. Is this the result of the heavier grind?
Anyway after the shave I was considering perhaps selling this thing on and staying with my usual but then I thought I should use it for a month and give it a fair chance.
I rinsed the splash on some Speick AS.
Then I felt my face. Nice! This is the best shave I’ve done with it so far and one of my best shaves full stop so it’s left me hopeful.

Giving it more time sounds like a solid plan to me. Nice looking razor BTW.

 

[Jakebullet]

Giving it more time sounds like a solid plan to me. Nice looking razor BTW.

Thanks my friend, good advice I think .