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Notes From The Edge

I'm intrigued by the Welsh stones but too satisfied with my convexed Arks to buy more stones. Amazing how many great stones there are (all over the world it seems).

The shave test always tells the tale.

Happy shaves,

Jim
I have packed them away otherwise I would post a picture.
photostudio_1575123979674.jpg

Here are my two favourite coticules instead which I am also using today. Note the yellow and green striping. I have three with this pattern and they consistently beat my other stones for performance.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Nice coticules. Mine are very vanilla.

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I have the rectangular which I've successfully used a few times and also a smaller bout (not used yet, pictured), but they look to be cut from the same rock. Fortunately, the rock was a good one.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
My shaves yesterday and today were with a vintage Joseph Rogers. The razor is my nemesis at the moment. Three shaves with it over the weekend. Honing before and in between. Each better than the last but still not where I would like it.
 
Today I gave the vintage Sheffield OK razor it's first time out. This was a razor I bought in a batch, black and without scales. One of 3 out of 10 I managed to get something out of, cleaned up, scaled and finally sharpened this weekend.

Being Sheffield, I treated it to a British stones progression, the same as the Joseph Rogers, so I was nervous because based on the other razor I was concerned that I had lost my knack with the British stones.

Bevel set on a Gwespyr
Inigo Jones Dragon's tongue
3 x AJ Welsh hones - slurry to water on each
Charnley Forest - raised a light slurry, then finished on water.
Dovo Red and Black
Linen
Leather

No prep. Straight in with Mitchell's... 2 passes.

LIKE A DREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very pleased.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Today I gave the vintage Sheffield OK razor it's first time out. This was a razor I bought in a batch, black and without scales. One of 3 out of 10 I managed to get something out of, cleaned up, scaled and finally sharpened this weekend.

Being Sheffield, I treated it to a British stones progression, the same as the Joseph Rogers, so I was nervous because based on the other razor I was concerned that I had lost my knack with the British stones.

Bevel set on a Gwespyr
Inigo Jones Dragon's tongue
3 x AJ Welsh hones - slurry to water on each
Charnley Forest - raised a light slurry, then finished on water.
Dovo Red and Black
Linen
Leather

No prep. Straight in with Mitchell's... 2 passes.

LIKE A DREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very pleased.

A good Sheffield is hard to beat. Well, maybe impossible to beat. Congratulations on a job very well done the first time.

But, where are the pictures?

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
A good Sheffield is hard to beat. Well, maybe impossible to beat. Congratulations on a job very well done the first time.

But, where are the pictures?

Happy shaves,

Jim
Here is the OK razor I shaved with yesterday:

photostudio_1575414043161.jpg


Today I got the most fabulous BBS in two passes from one of my Dovo Masters. Standard : Mitchell's prelather, shower, Mitchell's. I used my premium Omega, and yes I do find that brush results on a better shave, pinaud Clubman after.

Mixed feelings about today's shave. I have honed the hell out of my Dovo Masters - taken a lot of steel from them but they now both perform beautifully which was far from the case originally. I regret the steel they have lost.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Here is the OK razor I shaved with yesterday:

View attachment 1040460

Today I got the most fabulous BBS in two passes from one of my Dovo Masters. Standard : Mitchell's prelather, shower, Mitchell's. I used my premium Omega, and yes I do find that brush results on a better shave, pinaud Clubman after.

Mixed feelings about today's shave. I have honed the hell out of my Dovo Masters - taken a lot of steel from them but they now both perform beautifully which was far from the case originally. I regret the steel they have lost.

Is that a break in the toe or was it made like that or do you know?

Some razors in my limited experience just need a whole lot of work. I'm getting better at accepting that fact. Just get it done once.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Last night's shave was SO close I don't have full grow-back tonight. I might wait until the morning.

I get that frequently with DE. Never had it with straights though, I don't think. However, I can't go fully against the grain below the jaw with a straight, whereas I can get very close to it with DE. I have occasionally had it feeling BBS, but the grow back seems quicker.
 
I get that frequently with DE. Never had it with straights though, I don't think. However, I can't go fully against the grain below the jaw with a straight, whereas I can get very close to it with DE. I have occasionally had it feeling BBS, but the grow back seems quicker.
Were you using Mitchell's when you got that close. It has been a game changer for me.
 
DSC_2661~2.JPG

I had low expectations for today's shave in comparison with Wednesday's. This Dovo Encina hasn't seen as much hone time as the Masters and has always felt a little tinny. On top of that it was cold in that bathroom and I was in a hurry. I decided to shave before my shower and with just a layer of Mitchell's and a hot flannel for prep.

Incredibly it was another fantastic two pass BBS.
 
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Yesterday's shave with this Ellison was another glorious shave, mostly. BBS all over except one small patch on my jaw line where I must have lapsed with my technique.

The razor had previously shaved well and then I believe I messed it up somehow because suddenly it wasn't. Last weekend it was included in my honing session - I ran a dilucot coticule progression. Seems to have worked quite nicely.

Felt like a change and because I was using a badger decided on some TOBS.
 
I have decided that I don't much like vintage coticules. I can't really say why. I think it might be because you don't know what has happened to them and how that might affect their performance. As coticules are non porous this view is rather silly. Still all the ones I have don't behave as predictably as the stones more recently dug out of the ground.

photostudio_1575734720506.jpg


Take this vintage combo. It has the attributes that collectors tend to get excited over. Hard, natural bbw combination, hairline manganese veins throughout. It is moderately fast and quite fine.

If you went by the results, I used it to hone up this vintage German razor, and I achieved a very BBS in two passes. My face feels like it would after 4 passes with a Fatip.

Neither the shave or the honing were particularly fun though. I seemed to have had to work a lot harder than normal at both. The stone has a kind of porcelain feel to it. Not unpleasant when you are honing, but not exactly endearing either.

Well I guess that results are results and I should appreciate a good finish for what it is.
 
I didn't shave yesterday although I did hone, but nothing seriously to speak about, just some coticule work on a vintage Sheffield.

This morning I grabbed my stainless Dovo.

photostudio_1575887945036.jpg


It is usually a very keen edge but this morning it clearly wasn't where I would like it so I stropped with paste between pass 1 and 2 which restored it to its former glory. Even so, only a DFS result was achieved, albeit a very good one, probably because I only carried out minimal prep and was in a rush. Very pleased that I caught all my trouble spots and shaved them well. In that circumstance i don't worry so much about the rest.
 
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