Damn Comfortable Shave

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

More work on my razor of the last several days.

It's history.

• It was honed on the coticle. Not sharp enough.
• It was honed on the Norton Ark. Still not sharp enough.
• It may need to have the bevel reset, but I'm not sure.

Now it's also been stropped on CrOx, and Devo Red, and Devo Black. Then, of course, leather.

We'll see. May have to reset the bevel?

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Wednesday's shave continued the experiment with the same razor I've been using.

Just to be clear, the razor shaved well enough after the coticle, and well enough after the Ark, but wasn't "sharp enough" after either. In other words, I thought I could get it sharper so I took it to the pasted strops after the Ark shave yesterday.

It is significantly sharper now.

No, I wouldn't say it is 100% as good as my best edges, but it's close enough for now. I'm not saying I won't take it back to bevel setting or run it on the pastes again, but for the moment I'm leaving it alone and putting it in the rotation.

I have other fish to fry.

I doubt this is ever going to be my favorite razor but it works well enough and I like it well enough.

This Connaught Omega Premium brush is probably the best boar I've used!



Good software. Good shave.

I wish the scent of my favorite bay rum were made in the base of the 888 splash, but I do like the scent of 888 just fine. The face feel of 888 is simply the best!

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Seveneighth]

This Connaught Omega Premium brush is probably the best boar I've used!

Best boar period.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Best boar period.

I've not used every boar made, but I intended to acquire and bought every "premium" boar I could find. The Omega Premium from Connaught is the best.

The Mondial aluminum and the Zenith copper are my next two "best," but the Mondial might be my favorite (even though not the best). All are very, very close in the best category. Still, the Omega is the best.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Seveneighth]

Jim - question for you which I have asked previously in the brush section with no response. In the art world Chungking or Chongkung hog hair bristles are considered the best quality boar. I have only found one brush specified as being made from that hair and that was on a Chinese wholesale site with no way to purchase.

Have you come across brushes made specifically from that hair?

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Jim - question for you which I have asked previously in the brush section with no response. In the art world Chungking or Chongkung hog hair bristles are considered the best quality boar. I have only found one brush specified as being made from that hair and that was on a Chinese wholesale site with no way to purchase.

Have you come across brushes made specifically from that hair?

No.

 

[steveclarkus]

More work on my razor of the last several days.

View attachment 964516

It's history.

• It was honed on the coticle. Not sharp enough.
• It was honed on the Norton Ark. Still not sharp enough.
• It may need to have the bevel reset, but I'm not sure.

Now it's also been stropped on CrOx, and Devo Red, and Devo Black. Then, of course, leather.

We'll see. May have to reset the bevel?

Happy shaves,

Jim

Hey Jim, my maxim is if in doubt, set the bevel. On another sunject, have you tried diamond pasted balsa yet. Much faster than CrOx and FeOx - cleaner too.

 

[Seveneighth]

Hey Jim, my maxim is if in doubt, set the bevel.

Only way to be sure.

And an excuse to do more honing... [emoji13]

 

[steveclarkus]

Only way to be sure.

And an excuse to do more honing... [emoji13]

Honing is one thing I don’t look for an excuse to do. I want to say again that I very much enjoyed your trip to the stones.

 

[Seveneighth]

Honing is one thing I don’t look for an excuse to do. I want to say again that I very much enjoyed your trip to the stones.

Excuse as in "Why are you in here sharpening a razor AGAIN?"
"Errr - because the bevel needs resetting?" (blind her with technical terms)

I want to say again that I very much enjoyed your trip to the stones.

Thanks. It is a fascinating place. I want to get up to the Scottish sites one day.

I have memories as a child of visiting the Welsh slate mines and not really understanding the significance of slate and why it was important. I believe the Inigo Jones mine still has a good visitor centre and exhibition. Their Dragon's Tongue hones are very nice and only about $10 for a decent sized stone.

 

[Somerled]

I want to get up to the Scottish sites one day.

Just make sure you look me up and I'll come along as well if I can.
My work is taking me down Ayrshire way tomorrow, always a favourite of mine to go there.
Ayr itself is only 35 miles from where I live.

 

[Clay S]

So when y'all wives say, "Ya got rocks in ya brain", You'll have a hard time disagreeing.

 

[steveclarkus]

Excuse as in "Why are you in here sharpening a razor AGAIN?"
"Errr - because the bevel needs resetting?" (blind her with technical terms)


Thanks. It is a fascinating place. I want to get up to the Scottish sites one day.

I have memories as a child of visiting the Welsh slate mines and not really understanding the significance of slate and why it was important. I believe the Inigo Jones mine still has a good visitor centre and exhibition. Their Dragon's Tongue hones are very nice and only about $10 for a decent sized stone.

I
I would love to go to Scotland. I have great grandparents from Dumfries and more from Scotland but haven’t figured out from what part.

 

[Seveneighth]

Maybe we should organise a Scottish meet up and field trip like the coticule boys used to do to Ardennes.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

View attachment 964821

Just by posting a picture of myself I put a huge damper on the field trip idea.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thursday's shave was good.

Maybe very good, but it's too soon after the shave to really know.

This Torrey razor's coticle edge is excellent. Really nice. Smooth and comfortable. Plenty sharp.

Great products.

My bottle was refilled. I've used a full jar + a full jug. I'm now into the second jug. Yes, I really like this splash.



Still counting my shaves with the straight razor. The shaves are still improving. Today's shave would be a good example of that improvement I think.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Hey Jim, my maxim is if in doubt, set the bevel. On another sunject, have you tried diamond pasted balsa yet. Much faster than CrOx and FeOx - cleaner too.

I agree on the bevel setting.

On this razor it was just something I forgot hadn't been done. The razor shaves well enough and did after the coticle, and after the Ark, and, now, after the pastes. Still, it's not quite to my liking. Probably the bevel was right to begin with but I'm not sure. It could also just be a blade I'm not ever going to love.

It's likely to go back to the bevel setting stage!

I've not tried the diamonds yet. It's not something I'm drawn to for whatever reason. What I really want is just a coticle edge with nothing else done to the edge. My best edges have been either coticle edges (no pastes) or Ark + pasted strop edges.

A really good coticle edge is amazing, both smooth feeling and very sharp (and much sharper in its performance than it feels like it is when you're using it which is a bonus I think).

I'm not very far along on the honing journey and a mere babe in the woods with the coticle but already I've had some remarkable successes.

If the bevel isn't right you've not even begun!

I'm certainly not ruling out the diamonds. Your input and endorsements of them carry a lot of weight with me.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Seveneighth]

Just by posting a picture of myself I put a huge damper on the field trip idea.

It's not that - we just have to wait to see if Big Nurse will sign you all out for day release.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

It's not that - we just have to wait to see if Big Nurse will sign you all out for day release.

I have escaped many times. Big Nurse often sends search teams but I scare them away by waving straight razors in the air.

My parents taught me well.

Happy shaves, even to BN,

Jim