Damn Comfortable Shave

[steveclarkus]

No, I just send them to JR and he does them. I used to be a cabinet maker and no longer find such activities fun. After many years working for insurance companies, I don’t read contracts for pleasure either. I do enjoy shaving though.

When I no longer find a razor to my liking, I send it to JR for trade or a down payment on something else. He sends me demos to test pilot (or lab rat for him). When/if returned he ends up with a free hone job. He is my sole razor source since we have become good buds.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

No, I just send them to JR and he does them. I used to be a cabinet maker and no longer find such activities fun. After many years working for insurance companies, I don’t read contracts for pleasure either. I do enjoy shaving though.

When I no longer find a razor to my liking, I send it to JR for trade or a down payment on something else. He sends me demos to test pilot (or lab rat for him). When/if returned he ends up with a free hone job. He is my sole razor source since we have become good buds.

How cool is that?

 

[steveclarkus]

Really cool actually. Almost as cool as a good shave after sleeping late.

 

[Basil]

That’s a cool roll. Where did you get it from?

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

That’s a cool roll. Where did you get it from?

It's not just cool. It also does its job very well indeed. I have two now.

The only current vendor I know of is Superior Shave. Here's a link to the product.

There was another vendor but they closed their shop. I was looking for it in another color which is why I know there's now one vendor (unless I'm wrong).

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[naughtilus]

This looks nice.

If you search "Chisel Roll Holder, Wrench Roll Up Pouch" there's a bunch.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Prior to shaving today I did a bit of honing with the Double Convex Ark 8x3.

I picked this razor to hone because it was already sharp off the coticule.

One issue I have with most stones is not knowing when to stop. I used the soft side of the DCA, maybe longer than necessary, with Ballistol and water. Then, the hard and black side, again with Ballistol and water. Finally, I honed with running water on the black side.

Stropping as usual completed the process.

How was the shave test?

Spoiler: Okay, how was it?

Stay tuned!

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

My Sunday shave was very good.

This blade, honed today on the DCA, is very sharp. It's my Boker Red Injun.

It is probably my sharpest razor (or tied maybe) + the edge is smart and comfortable. I am very very pleased.

Nothing not to like about the kit or the shave today.

Happy shaves to you,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

All my razors are here. Well, all the straight razors which have scales are discussed here or linked to this post. It's the running update of the razors in my Group of 14, the razors I consider useable.

The sole reason to update the group is this razor, my Boker Red Injun, which went from a sharp coticule edge to an even sharper and equally comfortable Double Convex Arkansas edge.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Because its Memorial Day I decided to hone a couple of my USA made razors today. I used only the Double Convex Arkansas 8x3 partly because it's an American stone through and through.

The Geneva razor (front) has been previously unsatisfactorily honed on the DCA. All I did with it today was hone it on the black side of my stone (the finishing side) under running water.

The narrow Torrey was previously honed on a coticule. To hone it today I used Ballistol and water on both sides of the DCA, doing a lot of work trying to get the toe to look right under the microscope. I wasn't entirely pleased with the look but it improved and I got tired of messing with it. My notion is it has to shave great and not look perfect under the scope. Of course I know that might be a too narrow view of the matter.

The Torrey was finished under running water on the black side of the Double Convex Ark.

Both razors were stropped as usual.

I'll shave test one or both of them soon enough.


The photos make the front razor look larger than it is. Both are narrow razors.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Memorial Day my shave was okay.

I used this narrow Torrey on the left side.

On the right side I used this Geneva.

The honing of both razors was described in the previous post. I was a bit surprised at the results.

• The Torrey was definitely shave ready, but not up to my current standards.
• The Geneva was a significant notch sharper than the Torrey.
• Neither edge was as good as the edge I used yesterday, the Boker Red Injun, but neither was a bad edge either.

I might use the Geneva again without more work on its edge, but I doubt I'd use the Torrey again without more honing or pasted strops or something.

Why I like this brush so much is beyond me, but I do. It is always a very satisfying brush.

All the software was great.

I'm not at the beach, but I feel beachy. Can't figure out why.

This was by no means a bad shave, but not as great as yesterday's. Clearly a blade issue.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

All my razors, meaning all my straights in the Group of 14, are discussed in this post or the linked chain of posts.

The narrow Torrey (top) and the Geneva are now off the DCA.

The Torrey is not as sharp as I'd like and needs more sharpening. The Geneva is sharp enough to use again without work, but not gloriously sharp (not in the league with the Red Injun).

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Tuesday's shave was good.

This very very sharp edge is hard to ignore when I'm reaching for a razor. Comfortable and smart, too, this edge is.

Good stuff.

Wonderful hot weather scent.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Shave Mail Has Arrived.

This beauty is my first horse. Extra soft horse. Zenith 507N/BR HS Horse Pelo Extra Suave. Ordered from Spain.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Just finished a bit of honing on the Double Convex Ark 8x3.

Left to right.

• Kukri. This one had a very small dent (probably from the Edge On tester which I've returned) on the toe, so I took it to the Chosera 1K first. Once the chip/dent was gone, I used the DCA.
• Boker Tree. DCA.
• Best German Hollow Ground/Real German Hollow Ground. DCA.
• Geneva. DCA.

On all razors I used both sides of the DCA, honing with Ballistol/water mixture. All razors had a final finish on the black side under running water. All were stropped as usual.

Over the next several shaves each razor will be shave tested. Maybe more than one razor per shave. Maybe only one. Maybe one will be tested more than one time.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[naughtilus]

Greatness. Especially that there's no 350 to kill the mojo.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

My Wednesday shave was okay.

The Kukri edge off the DCA was interesting to me.

• The edge is definitely shave ready.
• The edge is not the best edge I've gotten with the DCA.
• The edge is not the best edge I've had on the Kukri.
• Still, the shave was acceptable and okay and comfortable.

I may take the Kukri back to the DCA for more finishing.

I've never used a horsehair brush before. It is a different sort of animal. I wouldn't say it has a lot of backbone, but it works for face lathering like brushes which feel much stronger in their backbone. It loaded slowly but lathered extremely well. I enjoyed using it.

I used the usual software, and not any splash so far.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Just finished a bit of honing on the Double Convex Ark 8x3.

View attachment 985368

Left to right.

• Kukri. This one had a very small dent (probably from the Edge On tester which I've returned) on the toe, so I took it to the Chosera 1K first. Once the chip/dent was gone, I used the DCA.
• Boker Tree. DCA.
• Best German Hollow Ground/Real German Hollow Ground. DCA.
• Geneva. DCA.

On all razors I used both sides of the DCA, honing with Ballistol/water mixture. All razors had a final finish on the black side under running water. All were stropped as usual.

View attachment 985372

Over the next several shaves each razor will be shave tested. Maybe more than one razor per shave. Maybe only one. Maybe one will be tested more than one time.

Happy shaves,

Jim

I'm happy to hear you sent the testy thing back, Jim. Numbers on a scale are no substitute for doing the job it's supposed to, and judging those results.

I was going to joke (again) about how you seem to be doing more sharpening than shaving but I know there's both the novelty of the purchases yet to wear of, and the continued search for perfection. That aside though, have you started getting an appreciation for how many shaves you can get with the straights, before they genuinely need to go back to the stones?

 

[albsat]

Did the hair horse brush had any scritch feeling like the pure badger for example?

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Back to the DCA.

A good bit more work. All on the hard black translucent finishing side of the convex Ark.

• A bunch of laps using Ballistol/water. Mostly x strokes.
• Fewer laps but still a bunch using sprayed water, on the bench (dining room table). Again, x strokes.
• About the same number of x strokes at the sink with running water.
• The razor was stropped after today's shave and after the honing.

I won't know anything until the shave test and that won't be tomorrow.

If this blade isn't as sharp as I'd like it to be when it's shave tested there are still options.

• The DCA is not the stone for this razor for some mysterious reason, but I have other stones.
• More DCA honing is needed, perhaps including on the soft side.
• Strop intermittently during the honing.
• Maybe try a different lubricant such as synthetic or a mineral oil, maybe even a thick mineral oil.
• As a last resort go to the pasted strop. That would probably work but it kinda would feel like a failure.

I'm right familiar with this razor and have shaved with it a good many times. I believe it was a bit sharper then, but not a lot sharper. My standards have changed.

Again, it's not like today's shaves was lousy, but I want an edge significantly sharper than this one was when I shaved with it earlier today.Maybe I now have an edge that sharp on this Kukri. We'll see.

Happy shaves,

Jim