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What Did You Learn From Your SR Shave Today?

God bless the shoulderless heel... It just opens new options especially for those with concave features and other tough areas.
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I think I may tend to be more of a "scooper". The spine may be a spine width off my face when the edge makes ever so gentle contact, but is then rolled more toward "flat" against my face as I start the shaving stroke. It's a single fluid motion though, not a two step process.
 
I think I may tend to be more of a "scooper". The spine may be a spine width off my face when the edge makes ever so gentle contact, but is then rolled more toward "flat" against my face as I start the shaving stroke. It's a single fluid motion though, not a two step process.

Well, yes, me too technically. The edge makes contact first and the spine laid down once momentum is there.


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I learnt this morning that stropping with a natural chamois leather strop noticeably improves the edge beyond just normal clean leather stropping. I will report more on this once I have confirmed this with further testing. Initially I am very pleasantly surprised!

My SR this morning was "Monday" from my English M7DS. Being one of my hardest steel razors, it normally gets about 80 laps on clean leather before each shave. This morning I opted for a change, 40 on leather followed by 40 on chamois before the shave. WOW, I have never experienced an edge that shaves as well.

More to come.
This result suggests that the stropping material has an impact on the edge. The question is, have you discovered a common material that creates superior edges and has been overlooked by strop manufacturers for the last 150 years or is it just better than the strop you are comparing it to? What is the control strop in this experiment? I wonder if Chamois could replace the clean leather or if it is more useful as a pure ‘finishing’ strop. An interesting experiment as we’ve come to expect from @rbscebu.
 
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rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
This result suggests that the stropping material has an impact on the edge. The question is, have you discovered a common material that creates superior edges and has been overlooked by strop manufacturers for the last 150 years or is it just better than the strop you are comparing it to? What is the control strop in this experiment? I wonder if Chamois could replace the clean leather or if it is more useful as a pure ‘finishing’ strop.
I was also wondering the same thing. My "Monday" SR was only a one-off occurrence so far. I need to look into it a lot more.

I am currently testing two identical SR's (both high carbon steel). One is being stropped exclusively on leather and the other exclusively on chamois. So far, with eight shaves from each, I have noticed no great difference. If there is no great difference after about 20 shaves each, I will try experimenting with leather followed by chamois.

We never know unless we try.
 
I suspect that stropping material does make a difference. What the ideal material is and which properties are important I do not know. I imagine that smoothness, suppleness, compressibility, elasticity, friction coefficient and abrasiveness all play a role. I’d love to test the range of the common stropping materials to see first hand how they all perform but I’ve spent enough on strops for now. I will watch your experiment with interest.
 
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I’ve used coarse-ish suede that’s slightly drier with great results, most noticeable was bringing tugging razors back to life dramatically. If the edge is keen sharp is difficult/impossible to tell the difference, but on a previously keen sharp edge, now starting to struggle the difference is very apparent compared to smooth leather or other materials IME. I don’t know why, I can only guess that there’s more silica in the deeper layers of the leather, but of course this is crabbing at straw in the absence of anything scientific. Animal feed and pesticides also influence leather composition over the animals life. How much I don’t know.

Chrome tanned vs veg? Not enough testing but there might be abrasive difference between these 2 options... I know chrome tanning is “frowned” upon for razor use but I’ve not had any issues over the past few years.

Maybe the likes of @Tony Miller can shed more light, or dismiss this totally.

Any other thoughts/experiences out there?
 
oh yeah. forgot to mention. gently applying water only laps with a Jnat can yield a good result if your extra careful and cautious.

as I learn my stone more...... will continue explore this with great care.

camo
I’m getting the best results on my Jnat with little touch ups between shaves. I find a few shave / touch up cycles brings the best out in an edge. 7-10 light laps with soapy water.

Lately I’ve been putting just the faintest bit of slurry in. So little that you can’t see it. Raised with an Atoma 1200 and very light pressure. The light pressure seems to raise a finer slurry that gives sharper edges.

I’m finding that you start to loose the smooth feeeling with too many plain water touch ups.
 
I’m getting the best results on my Jnat with little touch ups between shaves. I find a few shave / touch up cycles brings the best out in an edge. 7-10 light laps with soapy water.

Lately I’ve been putting just the faintest bit of slurry in. So little that you can’t see it. Raised with an Atoma 1200 and very light pressure. The light pressure seems to raise a finer slurry that gives sharper edges.

I’m finding that you start to loose the smooth feeeling with too many plain water touch ups.

good to know that Jnats have their different personalities. with my stone water only.......if done carefully....retains warm soft feel but gives a bump in the sharpness.

camo
 
I'm sure this has been posted a million times before.

I don't know if its my technique or improved honing technique..........but my right side problem neck area is no longer a problem.

I can't remember lately the last time I had any stubble left in that area.

camo
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
This morning I learnt to respect the pointy toe of a Spanish point.

It has been a few weeks since I last shaved with one of my Gold Dollar W59's. This morning I started working my way through my Chinese M7DS with 星期一. All was going well when I forgot about including the pointy toe in my concentration. The result was a very small stab wound above the right-hand corner of my mouth. Nothing major and my styptic stick immediately put a stop to any further lose of blood.

The offender:
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I may be a slow learner, but I do learn.

What was interesting was that a stab wound stings where as a cut with a blade's edge can hardly be felt.

Some dull the toe of their Spanish points but I don't believe in trying to cover up for my own stupidity.
 
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