I have purchased 4 Rolls Razor sets, one with an extra blade, 3 are Imperial #2 and 1 is a Viscount. When they arrived from the Bay, I found that they required a serious cleaning and reconditioning, which I did. I dismantled all of the strops and hones (none cracked or broken) and cleaned loads of old beard clippings and ancient grease out of the cases, followed by light petrolium gelly greasing of very specific points (not the friction pad), removing all of the lapping compound from the strops with fine sand paper and cleaning out the honing stones. With this done, I decided on leaving the stops bare, only using a strop conditioner, and rebacking them (the original backing pad to the strops were dried out and disintegrating) with mole skin, I reinserted them back into the cases along with the hones. I had disininfected the razor blades, handles, and cases in marine grade Spray Nine, and gave them an initial run over the hone followed by the strop. I attempted my first shave, the results where terrible. The blade tugged and pulled and the shave was not pleasant. I finished up with my GEM Clog Pruf. Disappointed with my purchases of so many Rolls Razors and not getting a good shave, I did a lot more research and studying to resolve the issue of a tugging blade. I read that a propper honing session, not using the case hone since they seemed only good enough for maintaining an already well honed blade, would change the shave experience from night to day. I liked that idea, but where I live here in eastern Canada, we do not have any professionals who would hone a Rolls Razor blade, so I decided to resolve the issue myself. With not knife sharpening experience at all, I decided that if others can learn how to hone a blade so can I. I started by purchasing a few coarse grits of wet sand paper (400, 600), and a set of sharpening stones. The stones that I purchased where slate from Wales (12k, 15k, 18k) from the Bay. What has worked for me was to wet the sand paper on a flat surface, like glass, and lay the blade flat on the sand paper (no tape). I begin with 10 circles on the 400 grit with very light pressure so that I can see the blade 'cut' under the water and create a metalic 'slurry' or hazy water. After the 10 circular motions on one side, I flip the blade and do the other side. After the 400 grit, I do the same procedure on 600 grit only with 20 circles on both sides. With the 600 grit done, I progress to the 12k slate stone doing 40 rounds, than the 15k stone doing 80 rounds and finally the 18k stone with 160 rounds. With this task done, I did three of my five blades originally but have done all five blades to date, I put the honed blade back into the rolls razor to reset the angle. Many argue that honing the blade without wraping the spine of the blade changes the bevel angle from the factory and Rolls Razor case, I simply found the shave not quite right, so I reset the bevel angle in the case. I honed the blade, dry in the case, 180 rounds, and stropped the blade on a bare strop (only conditioned with strop paste) for about 300 rounds. With this done, I now had a very sharp blade which cut through hair that previously just tugged and pulled and was not nice at all. I finally had a shave ready blade that did not tug, pull or irritate at all. I am finding that every time I shave and strop the blade, it keeps improving the shave also.
I have only been using Cella shave soap while shaving with my Rolls Razors and I have not had any shave irritation, rashes, bumps, tugging or pulling since I went through the work of honing my own blades and resetting the bevel angle in the case. Is this job on par with a professional honing job, I am sure it is not. Am I shaving daily without tugging, pulling, cuts, nicks or any irritation, yes I am. I have gone through the progession of shaving with DE razor's many blade options, than finally using a GEM SE wich improved my shave and prepared my muscle memory for shainving with a Rolls Razor. DE razors improved my shave from using cartridges greatly, but I was still suffering from razor irritation. I had not found that combination of DE razor, blade and soap that resolved my shaving irritation issues. I finally purchased a GEM Clog Pruf SE razor and some GEM Personna blades and was amazed at the shave. I reduced the number of shave strokes required and improved my shave again. I finally came accross a Rolls Razor which has given me the ability to shave daily without irritation. This pared with Cella shave soap and an Omega pro brush, I am enjoying wet shaving more than ever and my face and neck appreciate not being irritated at every shave.
I have only been using Cella shave soap while shaving with my Rolls Razors and I have not had any shave irritation, rashes, bumps, tugging or pulling since I went through the work of honing my own blades and resetting the bevel angle in the case. Is this job on par with a professional honing job, I am sure it is not. Am I shaving daily without tugging, pulling, cuts, nicks or any irritation, yes I am. I have gone through the progession of shaving with DE razor's many blade options, than finally using a GEM SE wich improved my shave and prepared my muscle memory for shainving with a Rolls Razor. DE razors improved my shave from using cartridges greatly, but I was still suffering from razor irritation. I had not found that combination of DE razor, blade and soap that resolved my shaving irritation issues. I finally purchased a GEM Clog Pruf SE razor and some GEM Personna blades and was amazed at the shave. I reduced the number of shave strokes required and improved my shave again. I finally came accross a Rolls Razor which has given me the ability to shave daily without irritation. This pared with Cella shave soap and an Omega pro brush, I am enjoying wet shaving more than ever and my face and neck appreciate not being irritated at every shave.
