Damn Comfortable Shave

[Cal]

The picture above is odd to me relative what i thought i saw. It supposes that the ark will wear the bevel side where it meets the blade face away when honing. Is an ark face enough to cut that steel? (reminds me of honing a near wedge and how much of the bevel face wears away before you get near the edge.)

Bear in mind that the sketch is exaggerated for effect. Jarrod talks about honing a surface like a 20' wide basketball. If you translate that (10' diameter) to a 6" long stone, then place a straight edge on the center of the stone... there will be a gap of 0.037" (0.95mm or just over 1/32") at each end. Pretty tiny.

Again, the sketch is exaggerated. If it was drawn to scale, 0.037" is thinner than a pencil line.

So, setting the bevel on a flat stone and finishing the edge on a convex one is no doubt quite doable.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Bear in mind that the sketch is exaggerated for effect. Jarrod talks about honing a surface like a 20' wide basketball. If you translate that (10' diameter) to a 6" long stone, then place a straight edge on the center of the stone... there will be a gap of 0.037" (0.95mm or just over 1/32") at each end. Pretty tiny.
View attachment 975561

Again, the sketch is exaggerated. If it was drawn to scale, 0.037" is thinner than a pencil line.

So, setting the bevel on a flat stone and finishing the edge on a convex one is no doubt quite doable.

Exactly, Cal. Very good, sir.

 

[global_dev]

i knew the sketch was for demonstration purposes, it was the speed of the ark to reach the edge that was curious to me. i’m sure it happens, i just cant visualize it if the ark is that slow or maybe its all deflection and polishing

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Time to take out the Laundry for this Friday shave.

This is a very nice soap indeed. Not my very favorite scent, but still a perfectly nice and pleasant scent, but, oh, my, the soap's performance is stellar.

It's a Gold Star Shaving Soap.

The entire kit is very very nice to use.

This is the best alum block I've used. With a rubber band around the short axis it's the perfect size and performs well (in other words, it's not slippery and too hard to hold onto); mostly I use it to make my hands and fingers into non-slippery tools for razor holding and skin stretching.

Good shave.

I notice my SR shaves are gradually improving. I'm counting them and comparing them to my Type E-2 Schick injector shaves.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Twelvefret]

Funny the other day I finished with the SR and took up the E Type for around my nostrils and got a nick. The E Type are the real deal.

 

[johnwick]

Hi Jim,

My apologies, but just catching up. Around 50 posts or so back you seemed as if you were struggling with the scent of the PAA Atomic Age in the jug. Did you get a batch that wasn’t up to par in jug form? I know your affinity for the AA in the glass bottle, and I share the feeling! Was considering pulling the trigger on a jug at a later date when my 100ml bottle runs out, so curious as to whether something went wrong.

Glad to see things going so well!

John

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Hi Jim,

My apologies, but just catching up. Around 50 posts or so back you seemed as if you were struggling with the scent of the PAA Atomic Age in the jug. Did you get a batch that wasn’t up to par in jug form? I know your affinity for the AA in the glass bottle, and I share the feeling! Was considering pulling the trigger on a jug at a later date when my 100ml bottle runs out, so curious as to whether something went wrong.

Glad to see things going so well!

John

Thanks, John.

I always just refill the bottle from the jug. I don't see any difference in the scent.

 

[johnwick]

Tuesday's shave was good with a caveat.

View attachment 972837

Neglecting the caveat, linked, this shave was very good indeed.

I'm not kidding about how great this soap's performance is. Mo nailed that one big time!

View attachment 972838

My skin feels great!

View attachment 972839

I can catch a whiff of burning rubber around the edges of the bay rum, but it's not the bay rum's fault.

I'm almost thinking bottom drawer or top of the closet. Still, the performance is beyond stellar.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Sorry Jim, here’s the post in question. Perhaps you were referencing the soap rather than the splash.

 

[johnwick]

Not quoting right. Post 6954.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Not quoting right. Post 6954.

Yes. The burning rubber was the soap's scent. I no longer have that puck. Once was enough. My other Grooming Dept soaps have much better scents to my nose. All GD soaps I've used perform very well or even better than very well.

Speaking of which...

My Saturday shave was good.

This is a lovely soap in all respects.

I took my time and got a nice shave today.

Nice skin.

Plus, I got the bonus points.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Sunday's shave was pretty good I think.

It was preceded by a bunch of honing on the Double Convex Ark 8x3.

I was unsuccessful at getting a burr on the soft side. I did 400 edge leading strokes on one side and then on the other side in that effort and felt zero hint of a burr forming. I also did many more (hundreds more) laps on the soft side of the DCA.

I was going from the soft side (many many laps) to the hard side, then back to the soft side (many laps) and again to the hard side, then back to the soft side, etc. I think I did this four times but know I did at least three rounds of it. It was not by plan, but simply an effort to get the razor as sharp as I wanted it.

Did I fix the bevel? Well, I don't know. It was "fixed" by the wet thumbnail test several honing sessions ago. I do think the edge looks better now (with the microscope). I think too that the edge finally began feeling fairly sharp by the thumb pad test.



My soap was Laundry. My brush, the Zenith copper handled Manchurian. Both, magnificent. Also I used the Preshave and Serum. Also, magnificent.

Was this a gloriously sharp edge? No it wasn't, but it was sharp enough to pass the shave test.

I may take the edge to the hard black side of the DCA for more finishing, but not today and not for sure. I'm reasonably satisfied with the edge for now, but not blown away by the edge by any means. I think it makes sense to try the DCA on another blade next time I use the convex Ark.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Dzaw]

Hmph

I would have sworn that this stone should raise a burr rather noticeably, but man, I can't argue with 400 laps!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Hmph

I would have sworn that this stone should raise a burr rather noticeably, but man, I can't argue with 400 laps!

If I'm remembering right you actually got a burr off your flat Ark, right? What Ark was that.

I was using some pressure on the stone trying to get the burr, too. I'm done the burr method enough times on the Chosera 1K to know what the burr feels like when it's forming, and when there are bits of a burr beginning along the edge, etc. I felt none of that.

It's also possible that another stone or another guy would produce different results. Still, I gave it the old college try.

Maybe an even softer Ark made convex? But, really I don't want a softer convex stone of any kind. I don't want to have to re-convex anything.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Monday's shave was good.

This Zenith boar is a really great brush. The whole kit is stellar.



Including this software.

My edge off the Zulu Grey is really holding up nicely. Very nicely!

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Dzaw]

If I'm remembering right you actually got a burr off your flat Ark, right? What Ark was that.

I was using some pressure on the stone trying to get the burr, too. I'm done the burr method enough times on the Chosera 1K to know what the burr feels like when it's forming, and when there are bits of a burr beginning along the edge, etc. I felt none of that.

It's also possible that another stone or another guy would produce different results. Still, I gave it the old college try.

Maybe an even softer Ark made convex? But, really I don't want a softer convex stone of any kind. I don't want to have to re-convex anything.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Well, yes and no - I've raised thousands of burrs on an old hard/ soft ark combo stone my dad gave me when I was 7. Burr method was how he taught me to sharpen, and I used it religiously every time I sharpened a knife for 30 or so years. I can't seem to find that stone anymore either...

But not with razors. The physics of forming a burr shouldn't be all that different, and I did learn to develop a pretty light touch on that ark, but knives aren't razors, so there may be something there.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Well, yes and no - I've raised thousands of burrs on an old hard/ soft ark combo stone my dad gave me when I was 7. Burr method was how he taught me to sharpen, and I used it religiously every time I sharpened a knife for 30 or so years. I can't seem to find that stone anymore either...

But not with razors. The physics of forming a burr shouldn't be all that different, and I did learn to develop a pretty light touch on that ark, but knives aren't razors, so there may be something there.

Ah.

I hope you find that precious stone from your dad! Cool that he taught you so well.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Tuesday's shave was good.

I'm loving this Italian Barbershop soap. Lovely scent. Great performance. My wonderfully scrubby and also soft Zenith boar is hard to beat. To say nothing about my $13.50 Kukri finished on the great Zulu Grey and holding its edge very nicely thank you.

Perfect software.

And all topped off with the nicest of bay rums.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Wednesday's shave was good enough.

Good edge. Good kit. Nice brush this Zenith. Great soap, Italian Barbershop, veggie based.

Good software.

This is a scent I like a lot even though it is not long lasting or strong. Its skin feel is wonderful!

Just a relatively fast and not trying very hard shave. Still, pretty good.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

Theres a contest open for any Gold Dollar razor modders...

2019 Gold Dollar Mod Competition

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Theres a contest open for any Gold Dollar razor modders...

2019 Gold Dollar Mod Competition

It's always fun to see the amazing entries. They're so far out of the world of anything I could dream up or produce! Beautiful mods...

I can't wait to see 'em, Mike.

Happy shaves,

Jim