Thursday 5/10/18
Straight Shave #839
Rubberset 600 22mm finest badger
Midnight and Two "Provence"
Wade & Butcher french point
Fine Lavender for ma hommies
In my last journal entry I mentioned honing my son's razor on the Ark with a coticule slurry, and i tested the edge yesterday. I will note for the record that the shave off that edge was quite close and plenty comfortable (for me). I would say it felt very much like the better Ark edges I have had recently. The thing with the Ark edges is that they seem to tilt the balance of keen and smooth in favor of keen. My Ark edges have felt more like a fresh shavette blade than any other edge I have had.
This morning's shave was a proof of concept shave test using the Wade & Butcher honed on the BBW. Most/Many hardcore honemeisters out there seem to poo-poo the BBW, claiming it is nothing more than a convenient backing for a quality Coticule. These same honemeisters will usually say the BBW might be good for their knives but would never consider shaving off a BBW edge. ....And herein lies the problem with shaving mega-forums, the users FORCE the narrative rather than validate it (much like modern media). There are reasons the BBW is considered a lesser stone but those same reasons make it capable of producing very keen edges you might not see using a quality Coticule.
Last night I took the Wade and Butcher to the BBW side of my largest coticule, which i had just lapped dead flat and smooth with 600 grit Silicon Carbide on marble. I built a heavy slurry and began honing as usual. This edge had previously been honed well but had areas near the toe that just never got done right, so I treated the progression like a bevel up hone. It didn't take too long before the bevel took on a bright shine and the edge began to come together, but I remade a heavy slurry and kept at it until I felt the bevel was done then began diluting the slurry in typical Dilucot fashion. When I was down to just water I kept at it until the blade stuck a bit. At this point I stropped the edge then ran on the Coti for less than a dozen laps ...the blade stuck dead. I then returned to the BBW with light slurry and diluted once again, this edge IS a BBW edge. Finally I finished with a drop of Dawn dish soap and water. Some laps on FeOX/cotton strop then on to the clean cotton webbing and leather.
This morning's shave test proved the edge was quite sharp and capable of delivering a VERY close BBS. The edge didn't feel particularly harsh but certainly lacked true smoothness. Was it perfect? No, but it was as good or better than many of my other razors honed on coti or slate. Despite the shave feeling pretty good the Alum gave some unexpected feedback. Whether the feedback was due to the edge, my technique or simply my face having a bad day i do not know. The point here is "I shaved off a BBW edge and survived."
You will note I also used a new to me soap this morning, Midnight and Two. I knew very little about this soap other than seeing others mention it in their journal, I didn't know if it was considered a "good" soap or a "bad" soap. I picked this soap up as part of a lot on eBay and was excited to try it out. I did a test lather in the shower last night was was pleased by the feel and lavender like scent so it was left out to be today's soap. The instructions say to use the SV method (float water on the surface etc.) so that is what I did. I loaded the little badger brush for 30 seconds or so then dipped the brush in the puddle of float water that had been poured off and began a face lather. The lather was quick to come together and got better with a little more water. The scent was enjoyable and the performance was quite good (even better when applied to a wet face). This was one those lathers I would call "fun", it was a joy to lather and it felt "fun. *as a point of reference, I also call Long Rifle "fun" ...it is hard to explain but I am sure you have had soap that you consider FUN to lather. Midnight and Two is a vegan soap but they use Palm oil which gives it that tallowy feel. I like it.
Wrap it up-
My last couple shaves have been off of edges honed or finished in what might be considered "non-traditional" methods. Each edge had a unique feel but both performed at the highest level. I don't consider myself anything more than user grade, I am definitely NOT an expert but I am generally competent. Despite my success on the BBW, it is true that a Coticule edge is undeniably better. The superkeen Ark edge is great, but I don't know if it "better than" any other quality edge. My point here is that you shouldn't blindly accept the consensus that is oft repeated across various forums. Push boundaries, test theories and try new things ...you might just enjoy the journey.
Side note....While preparing my entry this morning the masseuse down the hall popped into my office. She just had to ask, "what are you wearing today? it smells great. I of course stopped what I was doing and opened the Fine Accoutrements website and showed her what I was wearing. We agreed that I should wear each of my Fine AS's over the comeing days so she can experience them all. AS it stands, there is a bottle of Lavender pour homme in her cart. I am hoping to get her to add My favorite ORANGE DIRT.
