I am looking forward to when you have the same experience, Jim. It won't be long I know.
I followed the "burr method" where you focus on one side then the other bringing them together to form the bevel. All I have is the sheets of lapping film.
Damn Comfortable Shave
- Thread starter Chan Eil Whiskers
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I am looking forward to when you have the same experience, Jim. It won't be long I know.
I followed the "burr method" where you focus on one side then the other bringing them together to form the bevel. All I have is the sheets of lapping film.
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Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Sunday's shave was better.
Better than what? Better than yesterday's shave, but yesterday's shave was actually pretty terrible as far as closeness, completeness, and smoothness go, so the bar was very low.
After another few SR shaves I may have some idea what I'm doing.
Having given the razor some attention it may have been a bit sharper. I'm not sure. It was not stellar in the sharpness department according to me, but I really don't know what a sharp SR is, so why should I listen to myself much less why should you?
I was able to go more than one pass. I did cut myself a little bit (nothing much). The shave is, at best, a somewhat patchy DFS for the most part, but it's a lot better than yesterday's shave. I could maybe go to work with a shave not much better than this one.
Lemon!
As in I still think it's a lemon (not just mine; all of the Thater Premium Boars are lemons), but I'm trying to change my mind, so I used the brush for the first pass today and then switched to the Proraso Pro.
The Proraso is getting better. The Thater remains scritchy, scratchy, floppy, and a bad deal. Even my dog says so.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Better than what? Better than yesterday's shave, but yesterday's shave was actually pretty terrible as far as closeness, completeness, and smoothness go, so the bar was very low.
After another few SR shaves I may have some idea what I'm doing.
Having given the razor some attention it may have been a bit sharper. I'm not sure. It was not stellar in the sharpness department according to me, but I really don't know what a sharp SR is, so why should I listen to myself much less why should you?
I was able to go more than one pass. I did cut myself a little bit (nothing much). The shave is, at best, a somewhat patchy DFS for the most part, but it's a lot better than yesterday's shave. I could maybe go to work with a shave not much better than this one.
Lemon!
As in I still think it's a lemon (not just mine; all of the Thater Premium Boars are lemons), but I'm trying to change my mind, so I used the brush for the first pass today and then switched to the Proraso Pro.
The Proraso is getting better. The Thater remains scritchy, scratchy, floppy, and a bad deal. Even my dog says so.
Happy shaves,
Jim
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- #4,863
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
First honing, this one?
The burr method seems the way to go (in my uninformed opinion) because it sounds foolproof and methodical.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Dont worry when you talk to yourself. Only worry when you get answers." lol
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- #4,865
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Three videos by Slash McCoy on honing with lapping film?
Here's the link.
This afternoon I watch these three short videos. Sometimes a picture or a video is very useful. This is one of those sometimes.
Happy shaves,
Jim
He's probably using pasted balsa. I can't find any locally unless I want to build a lamination. Right now I think the film and horsehide is working. At least I know that I have what I need to shave. The one I set the bevel on is as sharp as the one I got from JR.
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Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I think he uses pasted balsa, but these video use lapping film on a hard surface (maybe granite).
If it works for you it works...
Happy shaves,
Jim
Going from lapping film to pasted balsa is the basic essence of what is becoming known here as "The Method". You use a hard flat backing like marble tile, granite remnant, tempered glass, or acrylic plate to provide a very flat surface for your lapping films. Then, you also use a similar backing and glue some balsa wood to it.
I ended up with 4 marble nose tiles from Home Depot. Each being 4" x 12". One I use for lapping films. The other 3 got balsa wood glued to them and that got lapped flat using the third with some 400 wet or dry sandpaper.
If you are using lapping films, the balsa strops afterwards are optional.
There are lapping films down to as fine as 0.3 microns. That's quite a bit finer than all but the finest of natural finishing stones, and will provide an edge that is quite sharp, much more finely polished than needed for shaving. Some folks like to stop there. Others like to finish after that step by putting a sheet of regular paper on their flat tile, and the lapping film on top of that, both wet of course. The paper between the tile and the film makes the film "give" just a micro tiny amount, making the edge a teeny bit rounded and more forgiving / smooth for shaving.
Others (myself included) are drawn to the idea of an edge that will never need re-honing, but is always about as sharp as can be. We do strange things like lap balsa wood flat, and embed micro-tiny abrasives in its surface. By stropping on the balsa in addition to leather between shaves, we maintain the edge, which should be able to stay sharp and fresh almost indefinitely (barring unforeseen accidents like when I dropped one).
I ended up with 4 marble nose tiles from Home Depot. Each being 4" x 12". One I use for lapping films. The other 3 got balsa wood glued to them and that got lapped flat using the third with some 400 wet or dry sandpaper.
If you are using lapping films, the balsa strops afterwards are optional.
There are lapping films down to as fine as 0.3 microns. That's quite a bit finer than all but the finest of natural finishing stones, and will provide an edge that is quite sharp, much more finely polished than needed for shaving. Some folks like to stop there. Others like to finish after that step by putting a sheet of regular paper on their flat tile, and the lapping film on top of that, both wet of course. The paper between the tile and the film makes the film "give" just a micro tiny amount, making the edge a teeny bit rounded and more forgiving / smooth for shaving.
Others (myself included) are drawn to the idea of an edge that will never need re-honing, but is always about as sharp as can be. We do strange things like lap balsa wood flat, and embed micro-tiny abrasives in its surface. By stropping on the balsa in addition to leather between shaves, we maintain the edge, which should be able to stay sharp and fresh almost indefinitely (barring unforeseen accidents like when I dropped one).
Yes, that's true brother Jim.
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- #4,870
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Dan, yours is a nice summary of The Method (at least from what I know if it, which is entirely from reading).
I have not honed anything, but have stones to use when I'm ready.
Happy shaves,
Jim
We'll look back at this in six months and wonder why we thought it was
How thick is the balsa that you have glued to the marble?
Mine was 3” wide (leaving an inch of exposed marble, which I use to grip) by 1/4”. I have found quarter inch to be quite sufficient so far. Lapping it flat took off maybe a hundredth.
Oh wow, that’s thin.
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Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
What did you lap it flat with?
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Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Yesterday's shave, linked, held up pretty well.
As I tried to convey yesterday, yesterday's Sunday shave was considerably better than my effort with the SR on Saturday, but still far from a good, go-to-work shave. It was encouraging on three fronts.
I'm not comfortable enough with the SR yet, or good enough with it either to SR shave for work on days when I'm faced with a deadline by which I have to be out of the house. For one thing, I'm slow with the SR. For another, I don't want to add time pressure to the already don't slice your throat SR shave pressure.
Probably most weeks I can only do three SR shaves until I improve a good bit with the SR. That's okay with me. I'll do three unhurried SR shaves a week for now. It's all good.
Happy shaves to you,
Jim
As I tried to convey yesterday, yesterday's Sunday shave was considerably better than my effort with the SR on Saturday, but still far from a good, go-to-work shave. It was encouraging on three fronts.
- It was reasonably comfortable; not at a Damn Comfortable Shave level, but still...I did apply Skin Food later in the day, but that's not a big deal.
- The shave remained half way close looking all day. Not close, but I didn't entirely look like I hadn't shaved either.
- My skin this morning feels okay. I look like I need a shave, but I don't look like I took yesterday off. I'd say the shave held up better than I expected.
I'm not comfortable enough with the SR yet, or good enough with it either to SR shave for work on days when I'm faced with a deadline by which I have to be out of the house. For one thing, I'm slow with the SR. For another, I don't want to add time pressure to the already don't slice your throat SR shave pressure.
Probably most weeks I can only do three SR shaves until I improve a good bit with the SR. That's okay with me. I'll do three unhurried SR shaves a week for now. It's all good.
Happy shaves to you,
Jim
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@steveclarkus suggested using 600 grit
I'm slowly getting more effective. I use the SR for two passes and the Feather SS for cleanup. I keep the lather wet because I think wet is more important for me with a SR. I used the 4/8 to see if I had gotten the edge back. I used in on my more difficult part and it work well for a first pass. The Marcella took over for a second pass. There is something about the audibles of a hollow point. Can't complain and still bloodless after a month of SR use.
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Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Monday's shave was very nice.
This silvertip is not densely packed. It is kinda floppy, too. Still, it has adequate scrub. It is very, very soft. It works well and is a lot of fun to use. It has a very functional handle. I like it. VigShaving. Inexpensive (and, I got mine on sale).
The razor? My excellent E-2. Enough said.
The soap? Not my favorite scent but a very, very good soap.
Good kit. Good shave.
Might as well, right. It's our choice.
Happy shaves to you,
Jim
This silvertip is not densely packed. It is kinda floppy, too. Still, it has adequate scrub. It is very, very soft. It works well and is a lot of fun to use. It has a very functional handle. I like it. VigShaving. Inexpensive (and, I got mine on sale).
The razor? My excellent E-2. Enough said.
The soap? Not my favorite scent but a very, very good soap.
Good kit. Good shave.
Might as well, right. It's our choice.
Happy shaves to you,
Jim
+1
When looking for balsa I came across this on the Bay.
Measures 8cm x 14cm x 30cm. Biggest single piece of balsa I've ever seen!
Price was reasonable, so bought it.
Stuck an A4 sheet of 220 grit sandpaper to the flattest surface I had around, hatched both top and bottom sides with a pencil, and lapped until the hatching was gone.
Rubbed in 0.5 micron diamond paste on one side and 0.25 micron paste on the other (as per Slash's instructions). Couldn't find any 0.1 micron diamond paste in the UK for a reasonable price.
This is what I use to finish off any razor I've honed or just to refresh an edge. Should last a very long time I reckon.
Keep at it Jim!
Measures 8cm x 14cm x 30cm. Biggest single piece of balsa I've ever seen!
Price was reasonable, so bought it.
Stuck an A4 sheet of 220 grit sandpaper to the flattest surface I had around, hatched both top and bottom sides with a pencil, and lapped until the hatching was gone.
Rubbed in 0.5 micron diamond paste on one side and 0.25 micron paste on the other (as per Slash's instructions). Couldn't find any 0.1 micron diamond paste in the UK for a reasonable price.
This is what I use to finish off any razor I've honed or just to refresh an edge. Should last a very long time I reckon.
Keep at it Jim!
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- #4,880
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I thought the balsa was supposed to be fixed (glued or something) to a
Your post is helpful to me because I have the Double-Time Flattening Stone, linked. It has a 120 grit side and also a 320 grit side. I wasn't sure if balsa could be lapped with either of these, but apparently it can.
Every bit of information is helpful to me. Thanks for it.
Happy shaves,
Jim
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