My lucky number is 13 ( recently started with SR )

I've just recently started with SR after 5 years of SE with Feather Pro/Super using Cobra and lately Mongoose and ATT SE Bamboo.

My experience at first was very disappointing, while I managed without rivers of blood, severed limbs , deep-to-the-bone scars etc, I couldn't even get even DFS let alone BBS to which I've been accustomed using Feather SE.
On a positive side I managed not to cut/nick myself and even not to cause razor burns, despite that in my efforts to get BBS, I sometimes shave the same place 8-7 times ( counting regular 3 passes and touch-ups )

The reason I continued was mostly curiosity. Finally today I achieved decent uniform DFS , even under jawline which is the most tricky place for me since I need to do east to west horizontal strokes there because my hair grows from chin to ear.

That was my SR shave # 13, so from now on 13 is officially my lucky number. It's not BBS yet, of course but it's more then half way there.

I used vintage Torrey 6/8 razor which I got shave ready and I stropped using recently purchased SRD modular strop.
Thanks for ciderguy, riverdoug, doc47 and many others why answered my posts and gave me very useful advices and feedback.

This SR shaving is a contagious disease , which requires constant and very expensive treatments ( razors/strops purchases ) sadly not covered by my medical insurance. Bit, like other vices, once you got bitten it's hard to get "healthy" again.

I think I'll stick to it and will try to achieve BBS.

You may want to ask any local honing gurus id they can hone your razor for you. There is "shaving sharp", and there is "smooth shaving sharp", effortless and totally pain free. So comfortable that you don't feel the whiskers getting cut.

It is not as easy as it looks to learn. Give yourself about 3 months to really get in the grove.

Bob

Galaktus, my stropping skills are of course subpar. One thing I notice is that I can't compare straight razor with Feather SE in term of smoothness, but it was mentioned that straight are duller then Feather in general ( may be experts can bring straights to Feather se sharpness but it for sure requests a lot of time/ efforts and considerable skills). I tried to use more watery lather with partial success. It's not tugging, but neither gliding effortlesly/smoothly as you described.

I'll hone it for you for return postage.

Cheers, Steve

One day it will happen....the shave of shaves...the one that is perfect, smooth and effortless....then you will be truly hooked on the journey to duplicate it not even knowing how you attained that perfect shave in the first place....

Hi Steve, thanks a lot I might take your proposal and ask you this as a one time favour.


BTW, I just realized, that a beginner SR shaver can inflict the same damage on the edge in one shave as an experienced SR shaver in ten shaves !
That's because of combination of more passes then necessary and wrong ( too steep ) angle in addition to poor stropping between the shaves, so that if a regular SR shavers need honing each 100 shaves on average, the beginners need to do it each ten !

I read somewhere that for regular ( not expert ) honing, you need only two stones 4000 and 8000 of something, forget the name of the stone. Actually, if I recall they are combined in one piece , two opposite surfaces have different grit.

May be it's not that difficult/expensive after all. Then there are recommendation of pasted balsa stropping which for me sound more like a honing in term of complexities

You're talking about the Norton 4k/8k combo stone. When I started on my straight razor journey, this was "the" stone to have. Looking back, the internet wasn't as big as it is today, and the availability of razor hones wasn't 1/10th of what it is today. I am currently using Arkansas stones for my honing, but I am sure others will have some good recommendations for better hones than the Norton.

Yes that'sthe name I recall. If something better is available, I am open for recommendations.Why did you switched to Arkansas?

The 4/8k combo that was and still is popular is the Norton. 8k is not fine enough for many people and a hard Arkansas, Thuringian, or a hard Japanese natural will be much finer. People like to follow the 8l with one of these fine natural finishers.

More people today are using a progression of stones from Naniwa or Shapton. Naniwa mak4s two popular lines, a resin-based series called the Traditional (used to be called the Super Stone) and a harder ceramic based series called the Professional (used to be called Chosera).

Shapton makes three popular lines, the latest series is the Shapton Glass HC (High Carbon) for carbon steels and is new enough that the series is not complete yet. The other two are the Shapton Pro which is harder than the Naniwa Super Stone/Traditional series but not quite as hard as the ceramic Professional/Chosera. The other line is the Shapton Glass HR series, designed for the Lie-Nielsen stainless plane steels, but many razor honers like them because they cut very well. The HR series is softer than the HC series. Both glass series stones are fairly thin and glued to a glass substrate to prevent warping.

Currently I am using Shapton Pros in the 2k and 5k grit, followed by a Shapton Glass HC in 8k then a natural finisher.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Steve

q345 said:

Yes that'sthe name I recall. If something better is available, I am open for recommendations.Why did you switched to Arkansas?

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I decided to switch to natural stones. There are many ways to skin a cat, this is the method I choose. Not knocking any other method of honing by any means, though.

Galaktus, Steve56 I truly appreciate your highly informative responces.

The good thing about it is that now I have much more understanding about the process.

The bad thing about it is that now I understand that if I want to achieve good quality sr shave which can be compared to one I got using Feather Pro and Super blades with SE, I most likely have no choice but learn to hone.

I hoped I can just strop for half a year and then pay about 20$ end send a razor to honing services, but if looks like honing need to be done more frequently. Somebody described stropping with pasted balse but it looks as complicated as honing.

May be it's not that terrible, I mean honing. Some people here admitted thay like it ( and like stropping ). I can imagine it somewhat relaxing ( many skiers really like process of waxing they skies ). And one have full control over sharpness of razor

I find a Zen like satisfaction in honing. There will be an investment, in money for equipment; and time, for gaining experience. Do some research on different methods, pick one that you feel fits you best, and then go for it. If you hate it, you can probably sell your gear and recoup most of your cost. I chose natural stones because I decided I want to maintain my razors with with an old-fashioned method.

Steve56 said:

I'll hone it for you for return postage.

Cheers, Steve

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Great offer Steve.

I shaved with one of Steve's edges last night and it was a wonderfully smooth shave. I'd definitely take him up on this.

Dcaddo111 said:

Great offer Steve.

I shaved with one of Steve's edges last night and it was a wonderfully smooth shave. I'd definitely take him up on this.

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+1 to this. Steve does an amazing job on an edge!

I certainly will, plan to PM Steve today evening. I am afraid that after couple of last shaves of mine ( 8 passes with wrong angle ) my razor's edge now need all his honing skills.

q345 said:

I certainly will, plan to PM Steve today evening. I am afraid that after couple of last shaves of mine ( 8 passes with wrong angle ) my razor's edge now need all his honing skills.

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Do you have a strop? If so strop it.....if not get some newspaper, fold it in half or quarters depending on the size, place up to the edge of a flat surface length wise and strop that razor a good 20-30 laps....then see how it shaves. Not saying don't send it out to Steve but see if that is what it needs first so that you feel the difference all this stuff makes.

I have SRD modular strop and I stropped it 30 on scrub leather and 60 on premium.