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- #61
The Koraat maker uses cloth tape to hone the razor when he sets the bevel and sharpens it
for the very first time.
That's why I got the tape, I dont think it would hurt to use it.
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- Thread starter Tester28
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The Koraat maker uses cloth tape to hone the razor when he sets the bevel and sharpens it
for the very first time.
That's why I got the tape, I dont think it would hurt to use it.
I agree. I will be doing the same thing with mine.
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- #63
I think he uses tape only with his stones tho....I'm hoping to use the
balsa method to keep the edge alive for as long as I can before reverting
to the stone.
I really don't know if I should use tape on balsa....as balsa would be a lot
softer than stone....I suppose it doesn't hurt
You do not need to strop that Koraat it is 100% shave ready just use it, then you have your benchmark edge to go by as being new the last thing you want is to roll the edge.
Don’t be discouraged from buying a 4/8 hollow ground razor. Being less popular, you can find quality small blades for very good prices. I bought my first one by accident as I didn’t read the description carefully and was fully disappointed when it arrived. I honed it and shaved and absolutely fell in live with it. Now I rarely use a blade above a 5/8. 9/16 seems to be the sweet spot for me now. The smaller blades are more nimble - sports cars of the razor world I suppose. They are no more difficult to strop than any other razor and as far as holding less lather than a wider blade - so what simply wipe the blade on a damp sponge to avoid exposure to the metal faucet and cream sink. In any case, do not dismiss them. Be sure to give one a go.
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- #66
I might add a smaller blade later on....a Brian Brown semi custom 5/8 possibly.
I still haven't shaved with the Koraat...stops are enroute....just making some balsa strops
right now....ordered 4 different diamond compounds from Ted Pella.....so the ducks are all
lining up nicely.
I can't believe the amount of paraphernalia required to maintain one razor...hopefully all this stuff
will never need to be purchased again.
I still haven't shaved with the Koraat...stops are enroute....just making some balsa strops
right now....ordered 4 different diamond compounds from Ted Pella.....so the ducks are all
lining up nicely.
I can't believe the amount of paraphernalia required to maintain one razor...hopefully all this stuff
will never need to be purchased again.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
The acrylic will outlive you. It can't wear out because the razor doesn't touch it. The balsa will be good for many years. You will use up 5g of .1u diamond paste in probably 5 years. The .5u and .25u will last 3x that long because you will not use them for daily maintenance. Your .1u strop will need refreshing about once a month with a tiny blob of diamond paste. It will need to be lapped again after maybe 3 to 6 months. The other balsa strops, seldom. Unless you hone a lot of razors from scratch. The sandpaper for lapping the balsa will last a VERY long time if you brush it off good with a bronze bristle brush, like what you might use for gun cleaning. Looks like an overgrown toothbrush for robots. I have even used a regular toothbrush when I had nothing else on hand. The sandpaper loads up quickly and becomes ineffective if you don't clear it.
The paraphernalia to maintain one razor is the same as you need to maintain a dozen razors. Or more. So for best bang for the buck, buy a couple dozen more razors. Think of all the money you will save if you do that. That's the inside joke. Nobody really saves money at this thing compared to DE shaving. But the cool factor is through the roof.
The leather hanging strop will last maybe 2 days. Or maybe 40 years. Depends on whether you slice it to bits while learning, or not. That's why a cheap strop is advisable for learning, so it is more expendable. A leather paddle strop should last you forever, because if you have a proper hanging strop, you will never have the slightest reason to use the paddle except curiousity. And if you do hack up your strop, chill, leave the credit card in your wallet, and check into the stropping forum for tips on how to mitigate the damage before you buy another one.
Do you want a piece of 1u lapping film? I will hook you up, no charge. You really should consider going with 1u film after your 10k stone. It leaves a very nice edge to introduce to the diamond on balsa. A piece of film will do at least a dozen razors. If you decide you can't live without it (hint: you can't! IMHO, anyway) then figure on getting three pieces out of a sheet if you cut it longways, the recommended way. If I send you a piece it will be cut crossways so it fits in a regular envelope. Either that or I will cut a half inch off the end. You still get a nice 11" long honing surface, which is very nice.
Be sure to lap your stones before honing. When you buy them, they are NOT flat enough. And when you have used them a bit, they are not flat enough. Lapping your stones will be an ongoing thing. Doing it wrong will hold you back as much as not doing it at all.
The 5/8 or a 4/8 either one will be much easier to get in there under your nose. That can be a difficult spot for bigger razors but not impossible. So yeah your second razor being a smaller one is a very good idea. You can save a lot of money going with a nice vintage razor.
You don't need a lot of stuff to maintain a razor's edge. But you do need a good bit of stuff to maintain a razor's edge at maximum sharpness. And life is too short and painful already, to shave with a dull razor.
The paraphernalia to maintain one razor is the same as you need to maintain a dozen razors. Or more. So for best bang for the buck, buy a couple dozen more razors. Think of all the money you will save if you do that. That's the inside joke. Nobody really saves money at this thing compared to DE shaving. But the cool factor is through the roof.
The leather hanging strop will last maybe 2 days. Or maybe 40 years. Depends on whether you slice it to bits while learning, or not. That's why a cheap strop is advisable for learning, so it is more expendable. A leather paddle strop should last you forever, because if you have a proper hanging strop, you will never have the slightest reason to use the paddle except curiousity. And if you do hack up your strop, chill, leave the credit card in your wallet, and check into the stropping forum for tips on how to mitigate the damage before you buy another one.
Do you want a piece of 1u lapping film? I will hook you up, no charge. You really should consider going with 1u film after your 10k stone. It leaves a very nice edge to introduce to the diamond on balsa. A piece of film will do at least a dozen razors. If you decide you can't live without it (hint: you can't! IMHO, anyway) then figure on getting three pieces out of a sheet if you cut it longways, the recommended way. If I send you a piece it will be cut crossways so it fits in a regular envelope. Either that or I will cut a half inch off the end. You still get a nice 11" long honing surface, which is very nice.
Be sure to lap your stones before honing. When you buy them, they are NOT flat enough. And when you have used them a bit, they are not flat enough. Lapping your stones will be an ongoing thing. Doing it wrong will hold you back as much as not doing it at all.
The 5/8 or a 4/8 either one will be much easier to get in there under your nose. That can be a difficult spot for bigger razors but not impossible. So yeah your second razor being a smaller one is a very good idea. You can save a lot of money going with a nice vintage razor.
You don't need a lot of stuff to maintain a razor's edge. But you do need a good bit of stuff to maintain a razor's edge at maximum sharpness. And life is too short and painful already, to shave with a dull razor.
I don’t use tape because I WANT to preserve geometry as much as possible. The edge might still reduce faster than the spine.
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- Thread starter
- #69
Hey...thanks for the lapping film offer....but I don't live in the US.
I haven't ruled it out but I'm gonna try the 1mic diamond paste on a balsa piece first and see if it works.
If not, film it will be.
Im going to use the bench strop to practise stropping gently for a bit, before unleashing
on the Tony Miller. Once I switch completely to the hanging strop, I may use the bench
strop with 0.1 mic CBN Emulsion occasionally...just to see what it brings to the table.
Before I read The Method thread, I had ordered some green chrome oxide. The sellers of this
green paste told me that their formulation doesn't really have a grit specified...as it's function is
not to polish but to take the the bite out of a really sharp edge so it doesn't irritate the skin.
I have never heard of CrOx doing this so it will be interesting to see what it does.
Ulrik from Koraat uses this same paste as his final step towards shave ready. If this paste
turns out to be incompatible with The Method, I guess I will have to just set it aside.
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- #70
Alright....after using a shavette to practise for a couple of weeks I got
impatient....so I unwrapped the Koraat and took it for a shave.
Ulrik had told me to shave with it first without doing anything else.
So that's what I did....did not even strop. Since I have not used a straight,
it's hard to know what the perfect edge feels like. It was definitely less sharp than a shavette.
I noticed it catching a little on my 2 day growth. Hmmm.
This razor has been taken up to 10K Naniwa and then stropped on denim CrOx.
The shave was pretty good but I think Ive only tapped a small percentage of its potential.
It could be a lot sharper...and smoother.
After the shave I dried the razor....then gave it 40 laps on TM linen, 40 on a handheld horse suede
strop and then another 50 on TM old heirloom no.2 steer hide. I was pretty darn excited that the stropping
was totally incident free and I did not mess up anything.
I plan to give this razor 2-3 more shaves. Then I'll take it to the 10K stone, followed by 1mic lapping film (12K).
After that I'll do the balsa strop progression to 0.1 micron....all in all, this was an acceptable first shave although it took too long as I was going real slow and stopping to re-lather frequently.
impatient....so I unwrapped the Koraat and took it for a shave.
Ulrik had told me to shave with it first without doing anything else.
So that's what I did....did not even strop. Since I have not used a straight,
it's hard to know what the perfect edge feels like. It was definitely less sharp than a shavette.
I noticed it catching a little on my 2 day growth. Hmmm.
This razor has been taken up to 10K Naniwa and then stropped on denim CrOx.
The shave was pretty good but I think Ive only tapped a small percentage of its potential.
It could be a lot sharper...and smoother.
After the shave I dried the razor....then gave it 40 laps on TM linen, 40 on a handheld horse suede
strop and then another 50 on TM old heirloom no.2 steer hide. I was pretty darn excited that the stropping
was totally incident free and I did not mess up anything.
I plan to give this razor 2-3 more shaves. Then I'll take it to the 10K stone, followed by 1mic lapping film (12K).
After that I'll do the balsa strop progression to 0.1 micron....all in all, this was an acceptable first shave although it took too long as I was going real slow and stopping to re-lather frequently.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
There's a long learning curve, but you sound like a quick study.
Welcome to Straight Razors,
Jim
You’re on track. I’m down to 10 laps on linen and 10-20 on leather. I’m now convinced that I might actually be over stropping and cut back from 20 on each. My edge is super keen for only 2 to 3 weeks, so I’m thinking I strop too much or with too much pressure. I now gently drag the blade across the strop with just enough pressure to get an audible. We’ll see.
You might be holding the blade at too steep an angle or pushing the blade too hard. Let the beard be a little bristly after the first pass.
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- #73
I was pretty amazed how easy it is to strop. As far as I can remember I never used any pressure except perhaps a little more than the weight of the razor itself. While using the bench strop, I held it in my hand, to mitigate
the possibility of pressing down too hard and rolling the edge.
I do think 7/8 is a bit big though....in hindsight, a 5/8 would have been adequate.
Not sure how these guys using the big choppers 9/8, 10/8 etc get under the nose.
I'll flatten the angle a bit more next shave...I thought shavettes were held almost flat against the skin and straights
needed to be raised about 2 spines height from the skin.
the possibility of pressing down too hard and rolling the edge.
I do think 7/8 is a bit big though....in hindsight, a 5/8 would have been adequate.
Not sure how these guys using the big choppers 9/8, 10/8 etc get under the nose.
I'll flatten the angle a bit more next shave...I thought shavettes were held almost flat against the skin and straights
needed to be raised about 2 spines height from the skin.
Some say one spine width. I start dead flat and pick up according to the audible and feel.
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Your edge should improve a bit after stropping. I'm one who does not agree with the 'Don't strop till after your first shave' advice, but it doesn't matter much as now that you're stropping and the edge should improve a bit. Don't forget to strop again just before your next shave. I typically just use smooth leather pre shave and linen then leather post shave. Everyone has their own way and soon you will have yours.
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- #76
I sort of like the idea of stropping after every shave...that way I can just pick it up the next morning and go.
Or is there a reason why the razor should be stopped just prior to shaving?
Or is there a reason why the razor should be stopped just prior to shaving?
The key IMO is understanding what each strop does. Most people start off with a generic number and match linen/leather like 40/40 before each shave. The edges don’t seem to last very long, but seems like people run in circles trying to change every other variable to get better/longer lasting edges without mixing up the stropping.
The linen is MOSTLY there as a deep cleaner for the edge, with the fringe benefit that it’s mildly abrasive and can help clean up tiny bits of a burr after a honing session. Over using the linen or using it in the same way as the leather will shorten your edge life because you’ll be missing the cleaning benefits when it’s most beneficial, and overusing the abrasive properties causing the edge to convex faster.
Basically you should do a few laps(think like 5 light pressure) on linen after shaving and wiping down the blade in order to clean EVERYTHING off the bevel and prevent micropitting, and then take a few laps(again maybe 5 or less) to be sure the bevel is clean and warmed immediately before hitting the leather in the morning.
Leather is exactly what everyone thinks that it is... laps right before shaving magically perfects the apex. The reason to do it immediately before shaving is believe it or not, oxidation can set in overnight and subtly degrade the edge... it’s not a huge deal overnight but if you linen strop and put away for longer there’ll be less oxidation than if you do leather and store it. Ask me how I know.
The first stropping after honing is different, you do need a more thorough linen stropping right off the stone and that’s where you do 40/40 or whatever you find works for your hone and strop. After that point linen needs to be in the same part of your brain as wiping the edge off and rust prevention measures.
The linen is MOSTLY there as a deep cleaner for the edge, with the fringe benefit that it’s mildly abrasive and can help clean up tiny bits of a burr after a honing session. Over using the linen or using it in the same way as the leather will shorten your edge life because you’ll be missing the cleaning benefits when it’s most beneficial, and overusing the abrasive properties causing the edge to convex faster.
Basically you should do a few laps(think like 5 light pressure) on linen after shaving and wiping down the blade in order to clean EVERYTHING off the bevel and prevent micropitting, and then take a few laps(again maybe 5 or less) to be sure the bevel is clean and warmed immediately before hitting the leather in the morning.
Leather is exactly what everyone thinks that it is... laps right before shaving magically perfects the apex. The reason to do it immediately before shaving is believe it or not, oxidation can set in overnight and subtly degrade the edge... it’s not a huge deal overnight but if you linen strop and put away for longer there’ll be less oxidation than if you do leather and store it. Ask me how I know.
The first stropping after honing is different, you do need a more thorough linen stropping right off the stone and that’s where you do 40/40 or whatever you find works for your hone and strop. After that point linen needs to be in the same part of your brain as wiping the edge off and rust prevention measures.
How do you know?
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Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I've read that stropping is even more important in the big picture of straight razor maintenance than honing. Don't know if that's true, but it might be. Stropping is huge for sure. Also certain is the fact that I continue to learn more about stropping and improve in my shaving as I learn more and become more skilled and practiced in stropping.
I strop immediately after each shave and again before each shave + after each honing session. I used to strop only once between shaves but became convinced about oxidation and all the other stuff, convinced enough to change my routine and discover the old timers were right in advising pre and post shave stropping.
I use linen, horse (shell but not cordovan), and denim. More stropping immediate pre-shave (about 50 laps mostly on horse). More linen and denim immediately post-shave). Here's a post about my stropping routine.
I also tend to strop pretty heavy, heavier than I used to. This post goes into why, but I'm not saying I'm right about anything. I only care what works for me, but I also realize plenty of gentlemen know a lot more than me (and some don't know anything but think they do). For the record, Namkcakram knows way way more than me.
[/QUOTE]
I do the same, but it takes a very sharp razor to make it work. If the razor is not very sharp it won't shave flat or close to flat.
One of my best purchases was the horse strop (shell and not cordovan) from Superior Shave. It reminds me of a very good old mule.
Happy shaves,
Jim
I’m going to try stopping before shaving. I have figured that I could wait until evening if things got rushed, so I strop after. I do thoroughly dry my blade and oil it afterwards, so I’m not sure oxidation would be an issue.
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