Damn Comfortable Shave

[Esox]

This is called The Grotto at Tobermory.

Inside.

Georgian Bay also has the Thousand Islands National Park. The scenery in Georgian Bay is spectacular. The water is so clear you can see the lake bed, and the fish on it, at 30 feet deep or more. The islands are solid Granite wiped clean by glaciers from the last ice age. Its part of The Canadian Shield. The Limestone around the Bruce Peninsula is part of The Niagara Escarpment that runs to Lake Ontario to the south. Sort of like a giant Esker, but of Limestone instead of gravel.

 

[Somerled]

This is called The Grotto at Tobermory.

View attachment 930855

Inside.

View attachment 930856

Georgian Bay also has the Thousand Islands National Park. The scenery in Georgian Bay is spectacular. The water is so clear you can see the lake bed, and the fish on it, at 30 feet deep or more. The islands are solid Granite wiped clean by glaciers from the last ice age. Its part of The Canadian Shield. The Limestone around the Bruce Peninsula is part of The Niagara Escarpment that runs to Lake Ontario to the south. Sort of like a giant Esker, but of Limestone instead of gravel.

View attachment 930858

View attachment 930860

View attachment 930861

Very spectacular! And very beautiful with it.

Wouldn't like to be in that house on the island in a storm. Hardly any protection.

The original Tobermory.

 

[Esox]

Very spectacular! And very beautiful with it.

Wouldn't like to be in that house on the island in a storm. Hardly any protection.

The original Tobermory.

View attachment 930875

That cottage is likely 15-20 feet above water level, but you wouldnt want to be there in January lol.

Your Tobermory reminds me of Tofino on Vancouver Island. Its a small fishing village thats being overrun by tourism.

This is Long Beach at Tofino BC. A 30 mile long beach, and the first time I saw the open ocean. Shame I didnt have a better camera.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Beautiful!

 

[Twelvefret]

Tuesday's shave was all good.

View attachment 930788

Easy as pie.

View attachment 930789

Tasty.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Odd looking straight razor. Are those hard to use?

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Odd looking straight razor. Are those hard to use?

They're oh so difficult. Not hard to use, but hard to unfold into the SR shape. You have to use the secret password and Schick's decoder ring, and well, if I told you all the secrets...

Wednesday's shave was excellent.

How others see this razor and particularly if they count shaving with it as a SR shave I don't know. I'm not going to count my Feather SS barber razor shaves as straight razor shaves, but that's just me.

This thing really delivers a great shave.

When I first used the razor which was before I acquired and used the proper straights I wasn't terribly enamored of it. I liked it okay but I found it somewhat difficult to use; that seemed perfectly normal as it is a totally different razor from the safety razors I was familiar with.

The real problem I had with this barber razor was it didn't give me comfortable shaves. It felt "too sharp" in a harsh way. When I began using the straight razor, and even more so when I began using the SR finished on an Arkansas stone, I noticed what everybody says about the SR. The straight can tell skin from whiskers in a way other blades can't. I still think that's true.

I've not gotten really good, really close, really smooth shaves with the SR.

I've enjoyed the SR shaves to a degree for their comfort. That enjoyment is considerably lessened by the fact that my SR shaves have involved a lot of overdoing on my lips and chin in an unsuccessful effort to smooth them. I have, however, learned a great deal SR shaving, as it turns out.

Returning to the Feather SS barber razor has been a real eye opener. I'm getting a great shave with it, and an easy enough shave. I think I overdid it just a tad on my chin today, but I mean a bare tad. I feel it, but I've not even applied a splash or moisturizer yet; they'll probably take care of it. Otherwise, my shave was comfortable, close enough, and easy.

The SR taught me to shave with the Feather barber razor and the barber razor has taught me what a SR shave should be like. Is should the right word here? Maybe not, and that's not what I want to think right now, but I have to.

Two lathered neck passes. One lathered cheek pass. Much more on my lips and chin, but not as much as all that even there.

So, the big what else is this, and I know you can feel it coming.

Spoiler: I need...

I need my straight razors to be a damn sight sharper. Ideally I need them to be as sharp as this barber razor Feather makes replaceable blade Proline makes.

My guess is that's not possible, but it surely gives me a standard, a benchmark, a reference point, and a goal.

How far short of this standard can possibly work for me with the SR I don't know, but today's shave is pretty close to the kind of shave I've got to be able to get, and I can see very clearly the role a very sharp edge plays in achieving the shave I received today.

Two stones are supposed to arrive today. 5K. 12K. Shapton waterstones. We'll see what I can do with them and the stones I already have to work towards what I now know is necessary: A vastly sharper straight razor.

Yes. MdC requires that one use about three or four swirls loading the brush. More soap works less well. With a small enough amount of soap, MdC is a perfect shaving soap!

Can the SR be honed to the point where it is sharp enough? That's a big question for me! Of course, that means can I hone it that sharp myself? If I can't do it the SR isn't for me.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Somerled]

They're oh so difficult. Not hard to use, but hard to unfold into the SR shape. You have to use the secret password and Schick's decoder ring, and well, if I told you all the secrets...

Wednesday's shave was excellent.

View attachment 931052

How others see this razor and particularly if they count shaving with it as a SR shave I don't know. I'm not going to count my Feather SS barber razor shaves as straight razor shaves, but that's just me.

This thing really delivers a great shave.

When I first used the razor which was before I acquired and used the proper straights I wasn't terribly enamored of it. I liked it okay but I found it somewhat difficult to use; that seemed perfectly normal as it is a totally different razor from the safety razors I was familiar with.

The real problem I had with this barber razor was it didn't give me comfortable shaves. It felt "too sharp" in a harsh way. When I began using the straight razor, and even more so when I began using the SR finished on an Arkansas stone, I noticed what everybody says about the SR. The straight can tell skin from whiskers in a way other blades can't. I still think that's true.

View attachment 931053

I've not gotten really good, really close, really smooth shaves with the SR.

I've enjoyed the SR shaves to a degree for their comfort. That enjoyment is considerably lessened by the fact that my SR shaves have involved a lot of overdoing on my lips and chin in an unsuccessful effort to smooth them. I have, however, learned a great deal SR shaving, as it turns out.

Returning to the Feather SS barber razor has been a real eye opener. I'm getting a great shave with it, and an easy enough shave. I think I overdid it just a tad on my chin today, but I mean a bare tad. I feel it, but I've not even applied a splash or moisturizer yet; they'll probably take care of it. Otherwise, my shave was comfortable, close enough, and easy.

The SR taught me to shave with the Feather barber razor and the barber razor has taught me what a SR shave should be like. Is should the right word here? Maybe not, and that's not what I want to think right now, but I have to.

Two lathered neck passes. One lathered cheek pass. Much more on my lips and chin, but not as much as all that even there.

So, the big what else is this, and I know you can feel it coming.

Spoiler: I need...

I need my straight razors to be a damn sight sharper. Ideally I need them to be as sharp as this barber razor Feather makes replaceable blade Proline makes.

My guess is that's not possible, but it surely gives me a standard, a benchmark, a reference point, and a goal.

View attachment 931057

How far short of this standard can possibly work for me with the SR I don't know, but today's shave is pretty close to the kind of shave I've got to be able to get, and I can see very clearly the role a very sharp edge plays in achieving the shave I received today.

Two stones are supposed to arrive today. 5K. 12K. Shapton waterstones. We'll see what I can do with them and the stones I already have to work towards what I now know is necessary: A vastly sharper straight razor.

View attachment 931054

Yes. MdC requires that one use about three or four swirls loading the brush. More soap works less well. With a small enough amount of soap, MdC is a perfect shaving soap!

Can the SR be honed to the point where it is sharp enough? That's a big question for me! Of course, that means can I hone it that sharp myself? If I can't do it the SR isn't for me.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Good stuff Jim!

Now you have your reference point.

You can and you will get your SR's sharper.

Although I would use the Feather for a while longer.
I used mine for 2 months and I think it helped with my technique when I took up SR's.

Just remember, that proline blade is known for being one of the sharpest - as you know. To get your SR's to that level is close to impossible for most people.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Today I began my rescaling project. The victim razor being rescaled is my Wade and Butcher with split wooden scales.

The first step was removing the old scales.

The photo above is the blade's face. The tang and shank have been cleaned with Bar Keepers Friend, just a little, and polished with Flitz. The clean up was to reveal what work needed to be done with sandpaper. The photo shows the worse side. There's a shadow on the face of the blade and the writing on the face and shank doesn't show up well in the photo.

The photo above is the same view as the first photo of the blade, but now it's all sandpapered and polished with Flitz. All work was entirely by hand. I used sandpaper down to the 320 grit and was unwilling to go to a coarser grit to achieve "perfection." It's an old razor.

It looks better in real life than in the photo.

The photo above is the non-face side.

I sanded only the areas of the tang and shank where there is no writing. I went down to 320, but I began at 800 and worked down. Then I went up progressively through 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and 2000 grits. Flitz followed.

I'm reasonably satisfied with the results. I know it could be better but there's always a cost. Again, it's an old razor. At some time in the future I can always make it perfect but I like it well enough as it is now.

Doing this took a couple of hours with the sandpaper and polish.

Removing the old scales was done by filing the tops of the pin rivet off and then with a 1/16 punch I bought at Ace Hardware yesterday. The pin was not easily removed and wasn't accessible to flush cutters (I tried two flush cutters and neither got any grab at all).

The project will proceed when I decide to do more.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Good stuff Jim!

Now you have your reference point.

You can and you will get your SR's sharper.

View attachment 931105

Although I would use the Feather for a while longer.
I used mine for 2 months and I think it helped with my technique when I took up SR's.

Just remember, that proline blade is known for being one of the sharpest - as you know. To get your SR's to that level is close to impossible for most people.

Thanks.

The SR just has to be "close enough."

But, yes, now I have a standard. Before I was just guessing.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Raven Koenes]

Today I began my rescaling project. The victim razor being rescaled is my Wade and Butcher with split wooden scales.

The first step was removing the old scales.

View attachment 931111

The photo above is the blade's face. The tang and shank have been cleaned with Bar Keepers Friend, just a little, and polished with Flitz. The clean up was to reveal what work needed to be done with sandpaper. The photo shows the worse side. There's a shadow on the face of the blade and the writing on the face and shank doesn't show up well in the photo.

View attachment 931113

The photo above is the same view as the first photo of the blade, but now it's all sandpapered and polished with Flitz. All work was entirely by hand. I used sandpaper down to the 320 grit and was unwilling to go to a coarser grit to achieve "perfection." It's an old razor.

It looks better in real life than in the photo.

View attachment 931114

The photo above is the non-face side.

I sanded only the areas of the tang and shank where there is no writing. I went down to 320, but I began at 800 and worked down. Then I went up progressively through 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and 2000 grits. Flitz followed.

View attachment 931116

I'm reasonably satisfied with the results. I know it could be better but there's always a cost. Again, it's an old razor. At some time in the future I can always make it perfect but I like it well enough as it is now.

Doing this took a couple of hours with the sandpaper and polish.

Removing the old scales was done by filing the tops of the pin rivet off and then with a 1/16 punch I bought at Ace Hardware yesterday. The pin was not easily removed and wasn't accessible to flush cutters (I tried two flush cutters and neither got any grab at all).

The project will proceed when I decide to do more.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Fantastic work Jim. It's always good in my opinion not to over do it. You can never get it back if you go too far, and at least, as your skill develops, you will know just how far to go. Happy shaves my friend.

 

[Esox]

You can never get it back if you go too far

Words to live by...

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Fantastic work Jim. It's always good in my opinion not to over do it. You can never get it back if you go too far, and at least, as your skill develops, you will know just how far to go. Happy shaves my friend.

Thank you, Rave.

 

[Raven Koenes]

Thank you, Rave.

You're welcome Jim. There are times to go to far though: Like applying Osage Rub after rinsing with cold water and leaving your face wet, acquiring Fatips, bad and sad disorders...

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thursday my shave was very good

Not perfect, but very good.

Good kit. Good shave.

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Shapton stones - 5K & 12K - to fill in the gaps. To help me get the sharpness I require.

Which is which?

See below.

I will write on the bottom of the stones (as I usually do) with a permanent marker pen.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

If you're looking for containers for your waterstones, these Shapton boxes are the best.

Shapton Replacemet Box for storing waterstones. My Chosera 1K and my N-SS 5K live in boxes just like the ones below except for the color.

They're sturdy. They have holes in bottom for ventilation. You can if you do it right put stones in them before the stones are 100% dry.

Sharpening Supplies sells the empty boxes in a clear (uncolored) color. I don't know where to get these nice color coded boxes, except with the stones themselves, but the clear ones will do for me because I write on the bottom of the stones what their grit is.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Somerled]

Those look nice.
I just put mine back in the bubble wrap and cardboard boxes they came in.
Always wondered what would happen if they were not completely dry.

Going to have a look around for something like those shapton boxes in the UK.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

More mail. A huge surprise.

Slurry stone is a surprise and a bonus!

Early by months.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Those look nice.
I just put mine back in the bubble wrap and cardboard boxes they came in.
Always wondered what would happen if they were not completely dry.

Going to have a look around for something like those shapton boxes in the UK.

Hope you find some boxes like mine.

Nothing wrong with the original packaging. The Shapton boxes offer some advantages, but lack the bubble wrap.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Somerled]

Nice to see your ZG turn up early, and I'm guessing the slurry stone was a surprise?

Will be interesting to see how you get on with it.

Just ordered a piece of Kirinite to make some scales for the one razor I still have left to restore.

It's called Black Magic Pearl.
Not a good ebay pic, shows selotape wrapped round the middle of it.

Hopefully it will look better in the flesh.

How are you getting on with your scales?
Have you tried to cut the Kirinite yet with the saw?