The Journal of a Backwards Professor

[Rosseforp]

Then, since I was on a roll, I also filled, parged and sponged a section of broken concrete top coat a 1/2" thick on the garage floor. If this Loxon XP is as good as they say it is, and it must be pretty good if they use it on the exterior of new commercial construction, I'll do the back patio next summer and the garage floor.

I've been wanting to extend the back wall of the garage 10 feet for a few years. Not sure when I'll get around to that. My head doesnt believe I'm 54 and my body feels like its 25, until after I do the work lol.

The only time I have ever done any concrete work at all was a small 2' x 3' foot section in the back bedroom of my Mom's house. After 60 years the pipes to the bathtub had corroded and a section of the concrete floor had to be cut out to replace the pipes. The plumber ran out of concrete when he filled the section back in, and I needed to add about 4" to level the floor. I used a 5 gallon bucket and a trowel to mix it. Looked like crap, but tiles will cover it up.

As far as the upgrade, of course I need a few more rooms in the house to contain the family, but it is the garage I will be focused on . Space for at least 4 cars and roof high enough to install a lift. I will probably add a tool room for my lathe and a mill, and of course a lavatory

 

[Rosseforp]

I woke up and read the non-shaving related posts about home improvement.


View attachment 1171607

What really chaps my hide is that I had just gotten an estimate to have both bathrooms completely renovated, along with all new flooring in the condo about 2 weeks before the quarantines put everything on hold. So I already knew what it was going to take to have the repairs done correctly. Of course, now the contractors are booked solid, so I will probably wait until we get ready to sell to do the renovations. Much easier to sell a house when it has all new flooring and bathrooms.

It is holding water for now.

 

[Rosseforp]

I'm not sure if I'd rather do your job or do the one I just finished lol. Its all about the same to me, work. Only the materials differ.

If I need any concrete work at the new upgrade, I'll call my buddy Harry, he traded in his superbike for a cement truck!

 

[Esox]

The only time I have ever done any concrete work at all was a small 2' x 3' foot section in the back bedroom of my Mom's house. After 60 years the pipes to the bathtub had corroded and a section of the concrete floor had to be cut out to replace the pipes. The plumber ran out of concrete when he filled the section back in, and I needed to add about 4" to level the floor. I used a 5 gallon bucket and a trowel to mix it. Looked like crap, but tiles will cover it up.

As far as the upgrade, of course I need a few more rooms in the house to contain the family, but it is the garage I will be focused on . Space for at least 4 cars and roof high enough to install a lift. I will probably add a tool room for my lathe and a mill, and of course a lavatory

I havent done a lot of concrete work but I have done a lot of parging and got pretty good at it over the years. I did a friends house foundation and front porch when he bought his house 25 years ago. It stayed on 15 years before it started to come loose in a few small sections of the porch from settling because a brick layer friend was bricking walls around it while I was doing the parging. That extra weight made it settle and come loose over the years. He paid someone $1100 to repair it two years ago and its already coming loose. He didnt use enough adhesive but it also wasnt painted. It has to be sealed or it will come off.

I was I had a garage that big! Mine is just big enough now for what I do and what I keep in it but I cant work on the car in the garage. An extra 10' would let me move my bench and other things out of the way. A lift I have, a 3 ton floor jack haha.

What really chaps my hide is that I had just gotten an estimate to have both bathrooms completely renovated, along with all new flooring in the condo about 2 weeks before the quarantines put everything on hold. So I already knew what it was going to take to have the repairs done correctly. Of course, now the contractors are booked solid, so I will probably wait until we get ready to sell to do the renovations. Much easier to sell a house when it has all new flooring and bathrooms.

It is holding water for now.

That kind of work is really pretty easy once you grasp it. Its learning the tricks to make it easier and quicker that take years of experience to gain. This is the B&B of general contracting. If you have an interest, this is a fun thread to read. Thats only about trimming it but the entire house build over 5 years I think, is in there somewhere.

Doing flooring, especially laminate flooring, is so easy you'd never pay anyone to do it again. A friend and I did 980sq.ft with underlay, the entire main floor of a house a few years ago. All Maple 8mm laminate. The entire run was done with no seams at any doors other than the bathroom where they wanted a single piece of vinyl. Entrance, living room, kitchen, hallway and two bedrooms, all done seamlessly. One of us cutting outside and one of us laying the flooring. That job took a day and a half. Theres a ton of money in flooring jobs. It is hard on the knees and the back though. My legs were sore for a week after that job. I'm too old to do 10,000 squats a day lol.

 

[Rosseforp]

#53 SR

Friday, October 23
Geneva #35
Omega Black Silvertip
Mike's Bergamot, Orange, Ylang-ylang
Pinaud Classic Vanilla
Nivea Sensitive balm

I loaded the brush heavy and painted a nice creamy lather on my face, dipped it in water a few times to get it hydrated, then splayed, swirled and exfoliated.
This brush has everything going for it, just soft enough to retain some scrub and backbone, no scritch. Holds plenty of water and lather, the size is just right with enough precision to keep the lather in line.

I started by placing the spine against my upper lip, then laying the edge down to shave my soul patch N-S, keeping the spine on my upper lip. I have struggled in this area, and now I find I can actually buff a bit.
With that area easily shaved, I started shaving the next trouble spot, my chin. This is where I started to notice a big difference in how the blade on this razor feels compared to the GD 208. I am pretty sure this is a full hollow, as it is my only straight that rings doing a HHT.
The feeling that it wants to bite is not there, I find that I can keep the blade against my skin and smoothly stroke the razor back and forth in a buffing action to reduce the stubble down to skin level. While I could feel the GD slicing through the stubble, every move felt like it wanted to also slice my face if I let my concentration slide.
The Geneva lets me relax and enjoy the shave more. The gentle audible feedback it gives me lets me know that I just have to go over the area again and buff a bit until the audio and feedback grow dim.

After shaving my chin, I shaved the center of my neck N-S, short strokes, letting the blade reduce the stubble. I then shaved the left side of my face and neck, holding the razor in my left hand N-S, then switched hands and did the same on my right side.
It looked like I could rinse off and be done, but I wet my hands and rubbed what lather was left on my face and felt a bit of stubble still present.

There wasn't really enough lather left in the brush, so I went back to the puck for more, this time more of a thin runny lather. I like the way Mike's performs on the first pass, then the second pass always needs to go back to the puck for more. I proceeded to shave my face XTG, which is nose to ear for me.
I did try an ATG pass on my neck, but it felt like a no-go, so one more N-S pass on my neck and I was done.

I did get a couple of tiny touchdown nicks where I usually get some weepers when shaving ATG, and I did catch the scar on the right side of my face, but styptic stopped that on the first pass. The second pass, I just shaved around it. The touchdowns needed no styptic. I used HA, let it dry, then applied Witch hazel with a tingling feeling, the Pinaud Classic Vanilla did burn, but Nivea balm put out the fire. The irritation was mild, and there is no redness on my face. The Geneva is much more comfortable to shave with than my GD 208, and the shave is a BBS face and Very Close Shave on my neck.

 

[Rosseforp]

Monday, October 26

Karve OC-C
Gillette Platinum(6)
Simpson PJ2
Mike's Bergamot, Orange, Ylang-ylang
the "Veg"
Nivea Sensitive balm


I wanted to make sure I had plenty of lather without going back to the puck, so I got out my Blue Timeless shaving bowl and loaded the wet badger until it was full, then proceeded to build a lather in the bowl. Then I dipped the badger back in the water and loaded some more until I had a full bowl of runny, creamy lather.

This brush is plush, but it has a ton of backbone. Press it enough to splay the bristles and it is scrub a dub scrub. Back off just a hint, and it is plush city. Not a hint of scritch. No where near broken-in. Need scrub? This is your brush.

With the OC-C plate in the razor, my goal for tonight's shave was comfort. Not that the OC-D plate is not comfortable, it is. It also has a ton more blade feel. And after feeling the blade my last 4 shaves, I didn't want to feel the blade.

Once fully lathered up I started on the left side, N-S, short easy, overlapping strokes to just around my jawline on both sides, then my soul patch and chin.

I started my neck on the left side, N-S, and worked my way to the right side, also using short, overlapping strokes. I really could have stopped right there, and had a great one-pass shave, but there was a bowl full of lather that I just couldn't see going to waste. Really nice lather.
With a light touch the badger was as plush as could be, the second face full of lather just as nice as the first.

I pressed the cap into my skin as I shaved my face and chin nose to ear, I can feel the blade cut the stubble, but I don't feel the blade.
As I held the razor to shave my neck, the urge to shave the lower part of my neck ATG, turned into shaving all of my neck ATG, the only stretching was me tipping my head back with the cap pressed into my skin. I finished with an ATG face pass, throwing comfort completely out the window and chasing BBS.

Not sure quite how much torture I had put my neck through, even though the blade feel was negligible, I patted my face with a warm moist towel then cleaned up my gear as I let my face dry.

I like the cushion Mike's has, but it lacks slickness. The post shave is where it shines the most, as I let my face dry, there is no tightness at all. If I was in a hurry, no aftershave products would be necessary, but I was not in a hurry. So I splashed on the Witch hazel, then introduced a slight burn with the "Veg", complimented by 5 drops of Nivea balm.

I missed the BBS on my neck, got it close, but with a tad bit of irritation, no redness. My face is another matter entirely, it is soft and smooth as a baby's butt, with nary a hint of irritation.

 

[Rosseforp]

I have 2 Geneva 5/8 straight razors that look almost identical, but they don't shave the same. The blades look identical, only the labeling is different, and the scales are flat on one, rounded on the other. They both get a great edge, but one of them rings when doing the HHT, the other one tinks.

I suspected that one is a full hollow, and the other is an extra-hollow, so I got out my Ball-End Micrometer! With rounded tips, I can accurately measure the thickness and this is what I found.

This one measures .009" and goes tink.

This one measures .005" and rings. It is also the more comfortable of the two razors, and now I know why!

 

[Rosseforp]

I have been thinking about gluing my 12k naniwa super stone to something to see if I could stop it from warping, and make it more usable for quite some time. Of course, with my new 8 x 2 trans and black arkies giving me some great edges, it has been on the back burner.

That is until @JoWolf asked me about it, so a quick trip to the tile store for a piece of ceramic tile was made, a full 2 ounces of slow curing two-part epoxy has been mixed, applied, set, and is now being allowed to cure for a minimum of 24 hours.
What surprised me, when I roughed up the bottom of the super stone with 60 grit sandpaper to help with adhesion, it still felt smooth.

 

[JoWolf]

I have been thinking about gluing my 12k naniwa super stone to something to see if I could stop it from warping, and make it more usable for quite some time. Of course, with my new 8 x 2 trans and black arkies giving me some great edges, it has been on the back burner.

That is until @JoWolf asked me about it, so a quick trip to the tile store for a piece of ceramic tile was made, a full 2 ounces of slow curing two-part epoxy has been mixed, applied, set, and is now being allowed to cure for a minimum of 24 hours.
What surprised me, when I roughed up the bottom of the super stone with 60 grit sandpaper to help with adhesion, it still felt smooth.
View attachment 1174184

I’ll be looking forward to your review on the stone Doug. Especially curious with the comparison to naturals.

 

[Rosseforp]

I’ll be looking forward to your review on the stone Doug. Especially curious with the comparison to naturals.

This is the 12k naniwa super stone after bonding to the ceramic tile.

It's a little messy, I guess next time I will remember to tape off the sides before applying the epoxy.

The JB Weld when prepped properly will bond to almost anything. I couldn't chip the excess epoxy off, had to sand it off the sides, and you can see where is seeped into the surface. Now I will be able to use the stone until the epoxy wears through.

This is how the surface looks after flat lapping with 220 grit, then 400 grit. I did all of the lapping dry, brushing the dust from the sandpaper as it loaded up.

The surface is now flat.

Spoiler: How flat is it?

See next post

 

[Rosseforp]

Good stuff, just ask @Chan Eil Whiskers, I got the refill.

Well, actually, this didn't come in the mail. I drove to Santa Fe Springs and picked it up from the factory.

BTW, my daughter has informed me that I need to get a brush like the one @Raven Koenes has.

I told her that TODAY IS my birthday

It even came with papers, stating the traceability to the National Bureau of Standards.

They wrote it up and charged me for a Grade B .0002" flatness, but lapped it to Grade AA .00005" flatness for me at no extra charge because the company I worked for was a long time customer.

Oh yeah, the Rock, ain't she a beauty? Give the women diamonds, I'll take a block of granite. And the shipping crate doubles as a cover when not in use!
This Rock at 8" x 12" x 2" comes in at a flyweight of 28 pounds, will easily fit on the desk in my den. The next size up is 9" x 12" x 3", and weighs in at 40 pounds that I don't feel like lugging upstairs. If I were to opt for a larger size, it would be the 12" x 18" x 3", that is 81 pounds.
The shipping gets pricey for the big rocks too, but it is a 72 mile round trip for me, and my Volt will go 60 miles before the gas engine kicks in.

Oh, the 12k naniwa super stone is VERY flat

 

[Esox]

Its not even Christmas yet! lol

 

[Rosseforp]

Its not even Christmas yet! lol

But it was my birthday!

I have always wanted to have a nice flat surface plate at home so I wouldn't have to take stuff into work and lap it there. And this surface plate is flat!

 

[JoWolf]

View attachment 1175065
View attachment 1175060
Good stuff, just ask @Chan Eil Whiskers, I got the refill.
View attachment 1175061
Well, actually, this didn't come in the mail. I drove to Santa Fe Springs and picked it up from the factory.

BTW, my daughter has informed me that I need to get a brush like the one @Raven Koenes has.

I told her that TODAY IS my birthday
View attachment 1175064
It even came with papers, stating the traceability to the National Bureau of Standards.
View attachment 1175062
They wrote it up and charged me for a Grade B .0002" flatness, but lapped it to Grade AA .00005" flatness for me at no extra charge because the company I worked for was a long time customer.
View attachment 1175063
Oh yeah, the Rock, ain't she a beauty? Give the women diamonds, I'll take a block of granite. And the shipping crate doubles as a cover when not in use!
This Rock at 8" x 12" x 2" comes in at a flyweight of 28 pounds, will easily fit on the desk in my den. The next size up is 9" x 12" x 3", and weighs in at 40 pounds that I don't feel like lugging upstairs. If I were to opt for a larger size, it would be the 12" x 18" x 3", that is 81 pounds.
The shipping gets pricey for the big rocks too, but it is a 72 mile round trip for me, and my Volt will go 60 miles before the gas engine kicks in.

Oh, the 12k naniwa super stone is VERY flat

Beauty granite. I remember asking the salesman when purchasing the granite headstone for my fathers grave. What was the difference in longevity between smooth finished top and rough finished top. He said the smooth was good for 6000 years and the rough would only go 4000 years. I went with the rough finish because I preferred the looks.

Doug did you dry sand for any particular reason? Do you think there is any difference between wet and dry? Some serious stiction coming up on the nanny.

 

[thombrogan]

Happy Birthday, Dr. Doug!

 

[Rosseforp]

Doug did you dry sand for any particular reason? Do you think there is any difference between wet and dry?

John, I have had so much trouble with this stone warping when it gets wet, I wanted to take that out of the equation.

I have always lapped my synthetic stones wet in the past. Sanding dry seems to cut faster than wet, but the sandpaper loads up very fast and needs to be brushed often. The biggest difference though, was having a nice flat surface large enough to accommodate a full sheet of sand paper. Even though both of my workbenches are flat, nothing beats a slab of granite.

When I first started lapping the super stone on my workbench it took 20-30 laps to get the pencil lines out, and there was still light when I put a straight edge on it.
With the sandpaper on the surface plate only 3-4 swipes was needed and the straight edge shows it dead flat.

I know that everything you read here, guys are using 1k-3k grit sandpaper to finish stones with. Or lapping with 600 grit silicon powder to start with, then finer until there is a mirror finish. Then they burnish the stones until they are almost useless.

I have been dressing grinding stones on surface grinders and Sunnen hones for 45 years and all of that goes completely against how we do it. On a surface grinder we use a single pointed diamond that is shaped like a pencil tip to dress the stone, and on the Sunnen hones we use soft steel mandrels.
If you require a finer finish, use a finer stone. Don't wear the stone out before using it. Dress it and let it cut. Don't force the stone to cut, LET the stone cut.

When I got my Arkansas stones from Dan's, they told me to use 200 grit sandpaper dry to freshen up the finish as needed, and that is what I use. I use Carborundum dry lube silicon carbide sheets. Had a bunch that a friend of mine got when he worked at an auto body shop to sand cars with, works great!

 

[JoWolf]

John, I have had so much trouble with this stone warping when it gets wet, I wanted to take that out of the equation.

I have always lapped my synthetic stones wet in the past. Sanding dry seems to cut faster than wet, but the sandpaper loads up very fast and needs to be brushed often. The biggest difference though, was having a nice flat surface large enough to accommodate a full sheet of sand paper. Even though both of my workbenches are flat, nothing beats a slab of granite.

When I first started lapping the super stone on my workbench it took 20-30 laps to get the pencil lines out, and there was still light when I put a straight edge on it.
With the sandpaper on the surface plate only 3-4 swipes was needed and the straight edge shows it dead flat.

I know that everything you read here, guys are using 1k-3k grit sandpaper to finish stones with. Or lapping with 600 grit silicon powder to start with, then finer until there is a mirror finish. Then they burnish the stones until they are almost useless.

I have been dressing grinding stones on surface grinders and Sunnen hones for 45 years and all of that goes completely against how we do it. On a surface grinder we use a single pointed diamond that is shaped like a pencil tip to dress the stone, and on the Sunnen hones we use soft steel mandrels.
If you require a finer finish, use a finer stone. Don't wear the stone out before using it. Dress it and let it cut. Don't force the stone to cut, LET the stone cut.

When I got my Arkansas stones from Dan's, they told me to use 200 grit sandpaper dry to freshen up the finish as needed, and that is what I use. I use Carborundum dry lube silicon carbide sheets. Had a bunch that a friend of mine got when he worked at an auto body shop to sand cars with, works great!

Thank You Doug. Many Happy Returns. A fine birthday gift. A real shocker on how fast flat was accomplished. I have an errand tomorrow and will try to get a granite floor tile and will be comparing that to the tempered glass shelf I’ve been using. I have the four splash & go’s and a shave hone. I’ve lapped two stones so far. Sharpening & straights is a very new world for me.

 

[Rosseforp]

A real shocker on how fast flat was accomplished.

I have been using plexiglass and tempered glass, but they are only 3/8" thick. A 2" thick rock will not flex.

Sharpening & straights is a very new world for me.

My first straight shave was July 5, 2019 with my Grandfather's Old English Razor. I didn't even have a strop. I used his old Raven hone and a piece of wood with crox on it... I'm just now starting to get a handle on honing, and I have a long ways to go before I get there.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

John, I have had so much trouble with this stone warping when it gets wet, I wanted to take that out of the equation.

I have always lapped my synthetic stones wet in the past. Sanding dry seems to cut faster than wet, but the sandpaper loads up very fast and needs to be brushed often. The biggest difference though, was having a nice flat surface large enough to accommodate a full sheet of sand paper. Even though both of my workbenches are flat, nothing beats a slab of granite.

When I first started lapping the super stone on my workbench it took 20-30 laps to get the pencil lines out, and there was still light when I put a straight edge on it.
With the sandpaper on the surface plate only 3-4 swipes was needed and the straight edge shows it dead flat.

I know that everything you read here, guys are using 1k-3k grit sandpaper to finish stones with. Or lapping with 600 grit silicon powder to start with, then finer until there is a mirror finish. Then they burnish the stones until they are almost useless.

I have been dressing grinding stones on surface grinders and Sunnen hones for 45 years and all of that goes completely against how we do it. On a surface grinder we use a single pointed diamond that is shaped like a pencil tip to dress the stone, and on the Sunnen hones we use soft steel mandrels.
If you require a finer finish, use a finer stone. Don't wear the stone out before using it. Dress it and let it cut. Don't force the stone to cut, LET the stone cut.

When I got my Arkansas stones from Dan's, they told me to use 200 grit sandpaper dry to freshen up the finish as needed, and that is what I use. I use Carborundum dry lube silicon carbide sheets. Had a bunch that a friend of mine got when he worked at an auto body shop to sand cars with, works great!

When and if I get back into straight razors I need to read this post about twenty times. I think you're right.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

But it was my birthday!

I have always wanted to have a nice flat surface plate at home so I wouldn't have to take stuff into work and lap it there. And this surface plate is flat!

A friend has a lapping plate from a machine shop in his garage. He uses it for lapping the heads for his old Triumphs. I've spent hours doing that lol. Moving the heads in figure 8's while the plate is rotating.