njt's shave journey v2

[njtnjt]

Success

For the first time in my shaving experience I was able to bring an edge back from discomfort to comfort again. A big step in the stropping saga ~ my final frontier of exploration.

Technically I thought back and forth on the leather with even weight between spine and edge would get the job done. Very very light pressure. But this was not effective at maintaining the edge. What is working is a light bias to the spine. A tiny bit more weight on the spine and only the lightest wisp of weight on the trailing edge. It’s a small move. A slight emphasis on the spine and slightly less on the edge. A tiny move that is making a big difference.

I’m very very happy with the results. Normally the Filarmonica would have been put in the “touch-up” pile - however it delivered a top notch shave this morning. I hope to get another week out of it.

These little break-throughs are fun. Such a slog to get there! Very happy to have forward motion in this part of the shave. It’s been a bummer to only get a week of shaves sometimes but it sure gave me a lot of honing practice!

Thank you for reading.

 

[njtnjt]

Hello shavers ~ thought I'd update the journal. My Saville Row brush finally gave up the ghost. I had been using it exclusively for many years. It has earned its rest. For a replacement I decided to try a synthetic brush and I'm glad I did. Its made by Mule. After a week or two of break-in I am loving it. It wasn't supposed to be a direct replacement in terms of feel to the Saville,... which is a very soft brush. I wanted something a bit firmer and a bit more loft. I got both with the Mule.

The Filarmonica Especial's are doing the job for me still. I occasionally break out a Brian Brown just for a change of pace. And the stone Alex sold me is just gang busters excellent. I'll never need another.

Hope you are all well and enjoying your shave journeys.

 

[njtnjt]

Pressure

When I started this journey into wet shaving with a straight I hadn't ever sharpened a knife. It would have been helpful to have had that experience because it took me a very long time to learn how to use pressure, torque and feel in all the different areas that straight razor shaving requires.

As a blanket statement it can be said I used too much pressure in every one of those areas. I dulled every razor on the strop, on my face and on the various stones and devices I bought to maintain edges. Steel seems like it would be a very strong thing but the edge has turned out to be very fragile indeed.

I now use a whisper of pressure on all surfaces including my face. Shaving is so much more gratifying and fun now that I do... The last frontier was the strop. I finally learned to use whisper light touch on it and everything came together.

The upshot, if you are just starting out or struggling to maintain that cutting edge for more than a handful of shaves is to use a very light touch. Very light! Like you were petting a Butterflies wing without doing any damage. Light touch when you shave, light on the strop, light when you wipe the blade down for moisture.

I think I ruined great edges so fast in the beginning that is took me a solid year to start to realize what I was doing wrong. Touch and feel can’t be taught in the videos or here with written word. It’s lots of trial and mostly error.

It was a viscous circle; I’d get a razor honed then promptly ruin the edge on my strop. Then try to shave with it and use more pressure and force because the edge had been dulled a bit, which further wears an edge down, then strop harder to try and get the edge back and around in circles I’d go... It wasn’t till I bought a great Jnat and had enough hours of honing that I started to lighten up my touch throughout all areas of the process. I found that the lighter I went on the hone, then the denim, then the strop, the better my edges were.

Of course we could start to discuss the different types of steel and how they all hone and feel differently on the face and stones. But that brings me back to my initial statement; I wish I had had some time sharpening knives before I tried sharpening a razor. I think the process would have been easier and shorter with that experience. For those like myself who decided to jump into the deep end of the pool, Light is Right!

 

[njtnjt]

Pandemic ~

A lot of us are going to have extra time on our hands wether because we are working from home or not going out as much. My band has had gigs cancelled. Sporting events are shut down. Everything is moving slower around me though I am sure there are pockets of people in healthcare and others who are busier than ever. My reality is a slowdown. I’m going to use this time to work on a few neglected areas of music and straight shaving.

My technical abilities with the strop have grown but I need to spend more time to develop them further. A pile of hht hair and time are what is needed ~ now I have both.

I have been using a Kanayama 60k strop for the past handful of years but didn’t use the canvas side much till I saw how Alex G used it to such good effect in his honing videos. Now I’m a believer. I’ve been going 20 strokes of canvas followed by 50 on the leather between shaves and the edges have been maintained really well so far.

Looking back in my journal it’s been a struggle to find the right “pressure” technique in the stropping realm. I went from rolling edges to being ineffectual to finding a technique that works. I could try to describe how to hold the razor and where to put pressure but it’s useless. Everyone is different and the most minute change can lead to ruin or victory. I just had to practice a lot and try many different approaches, then test hht, then try new things again.

At first I thought a honing stroke would’ve worked but it didn’t. It was ineffectual, no change in the edge. The edge never met the leather. Maybe I was pulling the leather too tight? Who knows. It just didn’t work. I loosened up how taught I pulled the leather with my left hand/arm. Now I judge on sound, feel and look. I always do an hht test before putting the razor away. Hopefully I am less that a year away from needing to do that test every time I shave.

Hope most of you can enjoy this extra time most of us have on our hands to enhance your lives. Stay well.

 

[njtnjt]

Stropping ~

I decided to give another go at my old Walkin Horse Horsebutt strop last night. Its been hanging in the closet unused for years. I have made a lot of good progress in stropping technique and thought it would be a good time / experiment to give the strop another whirl. Background is that this was my first strop. Walkin Horse was very popular on the forum back when I bought it around 2014. I made a lot of mistakes on the poor thing and abused it with too much pressure and some minor nicks on each end. But I liked the D rings and the linen component is the real deal.

So out it came last night. I hht'd the edge before and after 20 linen / 50 leather and got a nice bump in keeness. The shave was as good as any this morning; no tugging, very smooth and BBS close with 2 passes.

Compared to my Kanayama 60,000 the Walkin Horse leather is quite a bit thicker and stiffer. The draw is much faster too. My big Fili's slide very quickly along the surface and I had to adjust my technique slightly to stay in control of the spine and edge.

Here are a few pics for those who haven't seen one of these strops.

Workmanship and hardware are top notch. I'm really happy that my stropping technique is now good enough to use this strop again!

I hope you are all staying safe and well. Best wishes!

 

[njtnjt]

Le Grelot!

Greetings,

Please pull up a chair and allow me to share a story with you.

I have been seeking this razor since I first saw one here on B&B in @2012. It caught my eye being a shoulder-less, heavy grind and having become a fan of Le Grelot's I looked like it would be the pinnacle of what would work on my beard. Some of you may remember the 2008 B&B straight razor offering ~ it was one of these razors in "pink Ivory" scales. The scales are actually an African wood named Berchemia Zeyheri, or known locally as Pink Ivorywood. Reputed to be a scarce commodity, Pink Ivory is typically very expensive, usually on par with Gaboon Ebony: another pricey African import. It originates from South Africa. B&B had a limited group buy of these razors with the 1/4 grind historic steel and Pink Ivory scales.

Around 2008,Thiers Issard which owned a bunch of old stock Le Grelot blades, cleaned the blades up and started to put them in modern scales. They were selling them directly to the public and through a couple select dealers in Europe.

I came close 3 times in the past six years to being able to buy one. The first time I had the opportunity I hesitated. I was a new shaver and wasn't sure the price was worth it. I hemmed and hawed a couple hours and when I went back to look it was sold. 2 others came up in the meantime but they were sold quickly as well. There is a neat thread here on B&B discussing these blades when they first were being delivered to the lucky individuals who bought one in the original group buy. And the poor guy who had to bevel set and hone 80 (!) of these tough steel edges before sending them out to the group.

This one came to me from Europe as NOS ~ there was lacquer on the edge from the factory. I was glad to see that this razor lay fairly flat on the hone yesterday. I sharpie marker'd the edge and made a couple passes on an 8k just to see what was what. There was a spot near the heal on one side that was not hitting the stone but the bevel was set and there was some HHT so I decided to bring it back to a 3k, do some rolling X's and that took care of that spot. Up to 5k, 8k, then an Asagi with DN slurry and finished on the Kiita pictured above.

I love the old LG steel, the French stuff... LG's came in French, Swiss and German steel at various times and in various grinds. Though typically the German steel grinds were the full hollows. The French steel is very very hard but takes an edge without too much fuss and holds it well.

The shave this morning was sublime. I forgot how good a 1/4 grind feels on my face and how well it silently mowes down my tough wirey beard.

I see that Thiers Issard is putting out new blades with the Le Grelot bell on the shank again but these are not the same animal. These are modern steel which were not forged by Le Grelot. I haven't used one of these new blades so can't attest to their quality. I'd ask around before trying one. Better yet, I'd look for an old one and get the real deal.

If you decide to look for a vintage Le Grelot be aware that they came in 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full hollow grinds. The steel, as mentioned above, could be Swiss, French or German. Do look for the words p. Hospital on the shank of the razor if you decide to try one out... you won't be disappointed. The hollow grinds I have handled were all German steel. They were great shavers but not stiff enough for my beard. I have one of the Swiss steel examples. It was the first good razor I bought, after trying a Whipped Dog. That razor is still going strong 10 years later on the same edge with just touchups here and there. That Swiss steel is super hard to hone but it holds an edge! You can probably find the same Swiss steel in vintage Japanese blades too.

If you happen to know of another one of these for sale, please let me know. Thanks!

I hope you are all well.... till next time Stay safe. Thank you for visiting.

 

[njtnjt]

Full circle

Somewhere around page 35 or so of this journal I purchased a Hart 1/4 ground honest to goodness USA made razor. The year was 2013 and I was only about 2 years into the straight shaving obsession. My shave and honing technique were not very good. It’s much better now but I always see room for improvements. Point is, when I looked back that Hart really shaved well for me. I lost the thread of that 1/4 grind when I honed the razor into oblivion and then both my parents passed away within a month of one another. All was lost including myself for the next year. I was consumed by the daily care of my Dad then straightening out the mess they left behind.

However, the purchase of the vintage Le Grelot 1/4 grind in my last post has brought many memories back to the surface. The last 4 shaves with this razor have been SPECTACULAR. Nothing I have comes close in terms of comfort and closeness. I believe this is due to having an extremely tough and wire-y beard. For the past couple years I have been shaving with large Fili’s ~ all early Especials. They seemed to cut through the hair well and are quite comfortable on my skin. The new Grelot is on an entirely different level of comfort and closeness. I mean it’s an exponential step in the right direction.

I have a NOS Hart round nose on the way. Manufactured in the 2012 era I hope the steel and spine are good. I am all-in on the 1/4 grind again. Time to look at all the players I can find. If I could get my hands on a few more 1/4 ground LG’s I’d be good Maybe a seven day set. That would be nice It will be interesting to compare the Hart to the LG once I get my JNat edge on it.

I need to look at Puma’s, and the Japanese 1/4 grinds too...

Stay safe everybody.

 

[njtnjt]

Soap!

Greetings ~ I hope everyone is safe and taken care of. Quarantine is a slog but I am keeping the faith and staying home as much as possible.

The 1/4 hollow shaves are going really well. I found 2 more NOS 1/4 hollow Le Grelots and now have a small rotation. They are the perfect razor for my really tough beard and sensitive skin.

Now... onto soap! I have been using the same soap, Mitchells Wool Fat, for the past 3 years. Before then I used Tabac, before then Pre de Provence. To use a baking analogy, I like to change only one small thing in a recipe at a time. Soaps are one of the things I have kept steady state as I work on making better edges through honing and stropping.

Today I tried Martin de Candre's Fougere hard shave soap and was blown away by how well it performed. For me it out performed Mitchells Wool Fat in every category I can think of. It was slicker, more comfortable, closer shaving and easier to clean up. The only fly in the ointment would be a bad reaction on my skin but with so few vegan ingredients I doubt that is going to happen.

I used quite a bit less product on the brush compared to MWF. A dozen light swirls on top of the hard, dry puck got me 3 full passes and a touchup. The soap rinsed off easily. After moisturizing my skin feels as great but better because the shave was a bit closer than normal.

So ~ maybe try a sample. There is a US company that sells tiny sample jars. I know I am going to try a sample scent out for fun soon.

Hope you all are staying safe and well!

 

[njtnjt]

Some new honing techniques

Hope you are all well and staying safe.

I have learned a few new honing techniques and I want to pay them forward. This maybe old news to some of you. I have been honing for 6 years and still feel like a beginner at times. Especially when someone points out a techniques that I had seen mentioned but never tried for myself!

Background are a couple of quarter hollows that I purchased as New Old Stock. They needed bevels set and then polishing on the JNat. I have found the heavier grinds and harder steel to be more challenging than full hollows to hone up and get a great edge on. Reaching out to a couple friends who know a lot about honing one in particular, Alex Gilmore, gave me a couple pieces of advise that boosted the keenness of my edges quite a bit. I had some initial frustration getting the edges as keen as they need to be for my barbwire beard.

1) First word of advice was to try some short strokes on the finish. I had read somewhere, at sometime of someone mentioning they did this. In fact they said they would do a pyramid of shorter and shorter strokes on any given stone before moving to the next one. It went in one side of my brain and plopped out on the floor on the other side!! But man ~ it works. It really works. The speed of the honing slows down too, the pressures lighten up and there is a lot more control over the edge.

2) Slow down your strokes as you work towards the final finishing. This ties in with the first piece of advice but can be used alone if you want to keep the strokes long. Just slow them down. The effect is a lightening up of pressure on the stone resulting in a keener edge. That edge is only a few microns across. It doesn't take much pressure in the wrong place to dull or ruin it.

Written word can only go so far. I suggest keeping a detailed journal while you walk your honing path. Since I started writing every little thing down I have seen the tiny errors and "intuitive techniques" that I tried here and there that made for some hit and miss edges. By way of explanation I have a very tough beard and very sensitive skin. The two seem to go hand-in-hand for a lot of people. Most unfortunate... it makes for a tiny "acceptable edge window". If anything is off anywhere on my edges its an uncomfortable shave. If I spent a lot of time honing that edge only to make it sub-par by throwing in a new move somewhere then I'm frustrated too.

So ~ keep a detailed journal on every razor, especially as you start the journey, slow down your moves as you finish the edge up on each stone, and try some short stroke pyramids. Hope this helps!! See what works for you!

 

[njtnjt]

Hello Everyone,

I have finally overcome the barrier to having a straight edge that lasts a long time. It was a twofold solution. One involves coming off the stones with a much keener edge than I previously thought necessary and the other is a new strop that *for me* is less likely to damage an edge during maintenance.

First I want to thank @Steve56 and @Tim Zowada for sharing their routines with me and answering the bazillion emails I sent them with questions and observations.

The 1st lesson I learned is that the edge needs to come off the stones HHT5. It should effortlessly tree top arm hair. The first time I achieved this kind of edge I was a bit scared. I thought I might hurt myself shaving with it. Every hair that literally just touched the blade edge was severed and fell away. It shortened all my arm hair with one gentle swipe. This edge is now north of 60 3 pass shaves with no indication of dulling. I finish all my edges on a JNat that I purchased from @alx gilmore My technique was quite good but got a bit better and more refined when I buckled down, took notes and tried everything I could think of to make my edges better directly off the stones. Adding some palm stropping in between progressions was the key. Thank you Tim for sharing that with me.

2nd lesson learned was how important maintenance routines are and how poor mine had been in terms of effectiveness. Without stropping an edge will fall off very quickly on my barb wire beard. I might get two 3 pass shaves before it becomes too uncomfortable to use. I spent many long hours experimenting this past year with different strops, pressures and holding techniques. How much pressure, where, how to hold the blade, how far to draw it, strop mounted low, high, waist level, Kangaroo, Horse, Cow, etc... I marked the edge of the blade with dry erase marker and using an old strop quickly found that I was not hitting the edge effectively. The job was getting done somewhat but not good enough to achieve the type of longevity I wanted. I settled on a Kangaroo strop that I made with a piece of Kanayama suede on one side and the Roo on the other. I dont use linen anymore. I palm strop only. I found that I ruined edges with the linen and the heavier hides listed above. My technique uses a very light touch. But whatever works, works. You have to find what works for you.

My suggestion if you are struggling is to make a ridiculous amount of notes. Start a journal. Get scientific and be very patient with the discovery process.

My goal was to only need a handful of straight razors to last me the year. Once honed those 5 razors are easily passing the test and allowing me to spend more time shaving and less doing touch-ups and chasing comfort.

Be well.