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- #21
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Thank you all who have contributed your suggestions. I will again be working on these instructions over the weekend and then post the final draft here before having it proofed and checked.
Instructions for New SR Shavers
- Thread starter rbscebu
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #22
Great advice!
Thanks so much for posting it.
You should be nominated as an ambassador, contributor, diplomat, or whatever they're calling you helpful blokes these days!
Thanks so much for posting it.
You should be nominated as an ambassador, contributor, diplomat, or whatever they're calling you helpful blokes these days!
Looks good. Many thanks.
The pedant in me has spotted a typo on page 7, 7.5, paragraph 3 third line (sentence ends with "the". I think you could end that sentence after "pressure" to avoid saying the word "edge" too many times).
What's the thinking about not starting with a puck or bowl of soap? Just curious - if it's that shave sticks and tubes of cream are easier, I'd agree. Might be worth mentioning why in case others are puzzled?
The pedant in me has spotted a typo on page 7, 7.5, paragraph 3 third line (sentence ends with "the". I think you could end that sentence after "pressure" to avoid saying the word "edge" too many times).
What's the thinking about not starting with a puck or bowl of soap? Just curious - if it's that shave sticks and tubes of cream are easier, I'd agree. Might be worth mentioning why in case others are puzzled?
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- #25
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Thank you for the pointing out the typos.
As for the omission of bowl loading/lathering, it was omitted due to the greater difficulty in leaning for a beginner. I will consider mentioning it in a later revision.
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- #26
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
The first finished issue of these instructions can be found here:
www.badgerandblade.com
Traditional Straight Razor Shaving Instructions for Beginners
The attached are instructions for beginners in the gentlemanly art of traditional straight razor shaving. Updated instructions will be posted in this thread as they are developed. To keep this thread reasonably clean and easy to read, please post any comments/suggestions in this thread and ask...
www.badgerandblade.com
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- #27
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
New revised instructions (Rev. D) has been published here:
www.badgerandblade.com
Traditional Straight Razor Shaving Instructions for Beginners
The attached are instructions for beginners in the gentlemanly art of traditional straight razor shaving. Updated instructions will be posted in this thread as they are developed. To keep this thread reasonably clean and easy to read, please post any comments/suggestions in this thread and ask...
www.badgerandblade.com
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Thank you @rbscebu.
The grit to micron size on the last page, the first row is 200,000 = 0.01um This that correct? I was expecting 0.1um. Can someone please confirm? Thanks.
@Eben Stone , you are correct. 0.1μ is generally recognized as 200,000 grit amongst forum-using honers and sharpeners even though it doesn’t seem to be an international or regional standard.
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- #31
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
@Eben Stone is quite correct. I will correct that typo in the next revision.
The part about the substrate is confusing. The substrate is required to be flat and stiff, to prevent the balsa from warping, correct? The instructions suggest using acrylic, tile, pvc foam, or balsa. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but that doesn't make any sense to me. Why would I use balsa as a substrate for balsa?
I attempted to cut some tile with an angle grinder and a masonry blade and I was only able to make one clean cut. All my other cuts cause the tile to chip and ruined the good side.
I'm considering getting some ready cut acrylic, but the shipping is annoying expensive. Maybe I'll pay a visit to the local flooring store to see if they have any scraps.
I attempted to cut some tile with an angle grinder and a masonry blade and I was only able to make one clean cut. All my other cuts cause the tile to chip and ruined the good side.
I'm considering getting some ready cut acrylic, but the shipping is annoying expensive. Maybe I'll pay a visit to the local flooring store to see if they have any scraps.
Glass subway tiles from Lowes (I think it was Lowes) work great if you can live with the fact that they're fairly thin, like 5/32 maybe. You have to hold it in a way that your finger tips are out of the way when stropping. But they're 3x12 which is the perfect size. I also found a couple that were flat enough to use under lapping film. But you'll want to check with a straightedge if you're going to use them for that, they aren't all dead flat.
Thank you so much. That is exactly what I was looking for but didn't know what it was called.
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- #35
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Using acrylic is the easiest to put together. For some, thick acrylic is not readily available. That is when a composite substrate may be better. A composite substrate consists of a piece of tile (flat and stiff) and a light material (PVC foam or balsa) glued to the underside of the tile. This foam or balsa is used to provide thickness of about 20mm or more so that the balsa strop can safely be held in-hand. The balsa used for stropping is then glued to the top of the tile piece.
I suspect that you were reading an older version of the instructions. Unfortunately I cannot delete the posts with the older versions. I asked the moderators to do so but they said they don't have the time
.
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- #36
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
I do not recommend using just glass as a substrate for a balsa strop. A balsa strop needs to be used in-hand to be properly effective. The piece of glass you have shown would not be safe to hold the balsa strop in hand while using. Glass also has a tendency to break if dropped.
The balsa strop (particularly the 0.1μm strop) needs to be as light as is practicable, otherwise to much pressure will be applied to the balsa strop when it is being used in the hanging position.
With what you have shown, you should at least bond some PVC foam or balsa to the underside of the glass to build the substrate thickness up to about 20mm or more. You of course can do whatever you like. Just don't expect the same results that others get.
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I haven't had any problems, honestly. Neither has my nephew, who has one I made for him.
Yeah, it just takes some discipline about where your fingertips are. I routinely use my Shapton glass stones (total thickness: just over 1/3") in hand, and I haven't cut myself doing that yet.
For reference:
I usually hold it vertically on the short axis, the stropping motion is easier on my bad shoulder. But it's equally safe and easy to hold it vertically along the long axis, and a light grip makes it very easy to regulate the pressure to almost none.
I usually hold it vertically on the short axis, the stropping motion is easier on my bad shoulder. But it's equally safe and easy to hold it vertically along the long axis, and a light grip makes it very easy to regulate the pressure to almost none.
When I toyed around with the Pasted Balsa a couple of months back, I was actually able to find a solid piece of balsa (no gluing of glass, plexi, whatever). Just lapped it, pasted it and went to town.
I'm not using the balsa any longer (stayed with JNAT finishers only) but, I the balsa pieces were very cheap ($5.00 each) at Hobby Lobby. Bought a few, good stuff. No sticky fingers.
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