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Down in the Heart of Texas!

Journal Entry 20

Pre-shave: Hot Shower & Jack Black's Face Buff
Razor: Dovo BQ 5/8
Blade:
Brush: AP Shave Co. Ruby SynBad
Bowl: PAA Scuttle
Soap: CBL Premium: Norse Spice
Aftershave: Osma Alum & Thayers Concoction & Old Spice
Moisturizer: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

Results:

Well another CBL Premium shave, and just like last time, it was great! Today Norse Spice got the nod. Not going to lie I bought this one because of the word Norse. Thor was my favorite Marvel character before even before the formation of the MCU, and even though I was not a fan of End Game it still doesn't take away from what Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created. Finished it off with some Old Spice aftershave and a spray or two of Versace Eros.
The boar break in is going well. I am doing the 24 hour soak in refrigerator method, but I am using some of the suggestions that Tim and KJ gave me. I lathered up some VH soap with it last night, rinsed it, and let it dry overnight. This morning I could definitely tell a difference in the softness, but it is not broken in yet. I'm going to repeat the process today and tomorrow and see how it does. Definitely a shredder, but if it works then I may look at getting an Omega or Stirling.

Thank y'all for reading and I hope y'all have a great week. Stay safe out there Cadre!
 
Journal Entry 21

Pre-shave: Hot Shower & Jack Black's Face Buff
Razor: Rockwell 6C
Blade: Personna Lab Blue
Brush: VanderHagen Boar
Bowl: PAA Scuttle
Soap: Noble Otter Two Kings
Aftershave: Osma Alum & Thayers Concoction & Noble Otter Two Kings
Moisturizer: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

Results:

Very late shave today, but I had the time to be lazy. Decided to re-visit Noble Otter Two Kings today. The first time I tried this soap it had an older women's perfume smell so I wanted to see if maybe it had changed. Luckily it has! The rose is still very prominent, but it doesn't smell like my grandmother's house anymore, and I gotta say that it is really growing on me. The performance of this soap is awesome. Great slickness, nice cushion, and dense lather almost like cream. Went with three passes today and I am DFS++. Also, I have been trying to break in this VH Boar brush. And I gotta say that it performed way above my expectations. It sheds like crazy, but I expected that. I dont think it is fully broken in yet, but I may purchase an Omega or Stirling Boar because of this brush.

Homefront:

Been a lazy day today, but honestly I really needed it. The day isn't over yet so I still have time to mess with a few things around the house. The baby is due in the next 6 weeks so we are getting all the last few things taken care of in case he decides to arrive early. His parents are both procrastinators so I don't think that will happen, but just incase he does we have our bags packed and are ready for him.

Thanks for reading Cadre, and stay safe out there!
 
I don’t have the splash yet, but I’ve got the soap. I’ll have to give it another go tomorrow. I also thought the rose was too strong. Maybe it will mellow.
 
MilkCrate said:
I don’t have the splash yet, but I’ve got the soap. I’ll have to give it another go tomorrow. I also thought the rose was too strong. Maybe it will mellow.
Click to expand...

I feel like the splash gives it the perfume smell, but it does make my face feel refreshed. After it mellows it is actually a pleasant scent.
 
Glad the soap smelled better for ya today! If every there was a time to procrastinate a little. This is it!
 
Boar brushes can be great. With a little patience they usually soften up and work really well. I've got a Omega 10098 really like the handle. The one thing that took longer than I would like. Was the funk/smell. I did several soaks in vinegar. And two in Oxy/detergent. Surprisingly here lately I have really been favoring my new AP cashmere brush. It's super soft and is 180 degrees different than the boar. Variety is nice to have.
Haven't dared go down the badger rabbit hole. The prices on those can be scary.
Have a good day.
Fluffy
 
Maryland998 said:
Boar brushes can be great. With a little patience they usually soften up and work really well. I've got a Omega 10098 really like the handle. The one thing that took longer than I would like. Was the funk/smell. I did several soaks in vinegar. And two in Oxy/detergent. Surprisingly here lately I have really been favoring my new AP cashmere brush. It's super soft and is 180 degrees different than the boar. Variety is nice to have.
Haven't dared go down the badger rabbit hole. The prices on those can be scary.
Have a good day.
Fluffy
Click to expand...

I have two badgers, one from WCS. Luckily they are nowhere near the price of a Paladin or ShaveMac. The next badger I get is going to be from DS Cosmetics. Tim highly recommends that brand.
 
Journal Entry 22

Pre-shave: Hot Shower & Jack Black's Face Buff
Razor: Fromm No. 72 6/8
Blade:
Brush: WCS Honeycomb Badger
Bowl: PAA Scuttle
Soap: Ethos Grooming Essentials: Dragonsbeard
Aftershave: Osma Alum & Stirling Tea Tree, Witch Hazel, Aloe & Ethos Grooming Essentials: Dragonsbeard Skin Food Splash
Moisturizer: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

Results:

I showered and shaved before work today. I am working nights this week which means I'll probably be working five 12's and possibly a sixth. I decided to use my Dragonsbeard soap because I love the scent and performance. Lather was great as always. Not going to lie, but this was probably the worst shave I have had since I started with straights. I definitely will not be using another straight of mine until I get them honed. I noticed a little tugging with my Dovo last week and then today my Fromm tore me up. I even made sure to concentrate harder on passes two and three and I still look like Edward Scissor Hands slapped me across the face. Not a big deal though. I currently don't have honing stones, but I have been wanting to learn. I am thinking of getting lapping films to start out with, but I would love to hear any suggestions from any straight razor users that have experience in this area. Until then I will just stick to my Rockwell 6C.

Thanks for reading Cadre, and I hope y'all have a great week!
 
Honing #1- Burr Method to bevel set

The Burr Method of honing is perhaps the method of setting a bevel that is most easily understood perfectly. It is the most sure and positive means of setting a bevel, as the method itself is the proof. There is no guessing and very little subjectivity. It is fairly fast, and easy to learn for a newbie. It is not the only way, but it is a very good way. I have spelled it out in detail in many many posts, and so I felt it was time to set it down once and for all, so I could simply point to the thread.

The cons are, well, there really aren't any, apart from that raising the burr and then honing it off are a waste of steel. A waste of such small magnitude that it is only an issue if you do it multiple times. Setting the bevel should only ever need to be done ONCE. Losing a few extra steel molecules doesn't particularly dismay or concern me, when it is a one time thing. If it does you, then there is no need for you to read further.

"Normal" honing involves placing the razor flat on a hone with both spine and edge touching, landing the spine first, then sweeping the razor edge forward up or down the hone. To or from the honer. At the end of the stroke, the edge is flipped up and over, with the spine remaining on the hone. Then the blade is once again stroked along the hone edge first. At the end of the return stroke, flip the edge out and over again, and you have made one round trip up and down the hone, or one lap. These alternating laps are very kind to the blade. They remove steel from both sides evenly. They work well with heavy or light pressure. These alternating laps are what you will use the majority of the time. But not for raising a burr.

One sided honing has the advantage, in setting the bevel, of being capable of raising a burr. Instead of flipping the blade, the same side remains down on the hone for a considerable number of laps. It can be as little as 50, or up into the thousands, depending on hone grit and blade condition. The lap count is not important, except in that you want the lap counts for the two sides of the blade to be about the same when you are finished setting the bevel. The razor is honed with the same side down until a burr is detected, period. A burr is a bit of edge steel that is deflected upward from the hone by the action of honing only one side and using some considerable pressure to do so. Typically the pressure used is about the weight of your arm, maybe a bit more, but not bearing down with the upper body.

But back to the burr. If you run your fingertip lightly across the blade from spine to edge and then off the edge, as if driving a car off a cliff, a burr will very faintly catch at your fingertip. This can be very subtle. Feel both sides to be sure. The two sides will feel different and then you will know what the burr feels like.

The burr will appear in one spot first, and then gradually extend up and down the entire length of the edge. When you have a burr along the entire edge, flip the razor and hone the other side. The burr will then be down on the hone, so it will be honed off straight away. You now are trying to raise a new burr on the opposite side. Remember, the burr is always deflected upward. Anyway, keep going and do the same number of laps on this side as you did on the first side, and test for the burr. If the burr is present along the entire edge, congratulate yourself. Otherwise, hone until you get it, then hit the first side again to balance out the lap count.

Now I said hone one side until the burr is evident along the entire edge. In practice, often this can waste even more steel than necessary in the case of a very crudely ground razor. If your lap count gets up to a couple or three hundred, go ahead and flip the blade and balance the lap counts. Now you may find that you have a burr or partial burr on the new side. Or maybe not. If not, you know what to do. do another hundred or so, and test. Then another hundred, and test. Don't keep going forever... flip again. Keep the lap count roughly balanced and eventually you will remove enough steel to expose the bevel buried in there. Fewer laps in each go will waste less steel. Too few and you won't feel the burr.

Once you have raised a burr on each side in turn, and balanced the laps, it is time to hone the burr off. I prefer to go straight to normal alternating laps for this. Others use a diminishing lap scheme that I will get into in a moment. But my way begins with moderate pressure, about the weight of my forearm. and by the 10th lap I am down to the weight of my hand. Eventually I am down to the weight of the razor. The burr is eventually honed away and the bevel is set. It is proven, since the burr was raised on both sides and therefore the two bevel planes met at an apex. With the weight of the razor only, it is almost impossible to increase the amount of fin or foil edge, so don't worry overly much about over honing.

The diminishing method works thusly. Raise the burr on both sides. Now do a group of 10 laps on one side, then the other side. 8 laps on the first side, then the second. 6 and 6. 4 and 4. 3 and 3, 2 and 2, then 1 and 1 and continue normally. These diminishing sets are done with light pressure. What they do is sort of transfer the burr frrom side to side and hone it away bit by bit. If you love intricate methods, use the diminishing sets method for removing your burr.

This is how you set the bevel on a hollowground razor with a straight edge. For a smiling razor of course it is a bit more complex. You have to roll heel and toe up to get contact with all of the curved edge. I suggest you stick with a straight edged razor for the first couple of attempts. A wedge requires tape, or else freehand honing. I won't go into that here.

The most common way to thoroughly hose up the proceedings is to let the razor's shoulder ride up on the hone. This presses the toe into the hone, causing the edge to curve spineward over time. It also prevents the heel end of the edge from contacting the hone.

Another common mistake is laying the hone flat on a solid object, and using both hands to "control" the razor. It is much better to hone in hand. Hold the hone in your off hand loosely, so it is sort of floating out there in the space in front of you. Now the razor and hone will find their own alignment and pressure is easily moderated and balanced.

A poorly lapped stone will also hinder your efforts. Best way to lap a stone is to draw a grid on the surface, and rub it on a whole sheet of sandpaper glued carefully to heavy glass or granite or whatever. Polished marble tile works. There are "flattening stones" but to be MOST effective, they must be significantly larger than the stone being lapped. Over running the edges or ends compromises finished flatness.

A bevel setter most commonly is a 1k grit synthetic stone or a natural stone that behaves in similar fashion. It can also be lapping film at 15u, 12u, or 9u grit. Sandpaper is sometimes used. But sometimes a lot of steel obviously needs to be removed, and rather than put a thousand laps on your nice new Chosera, you might want to start out with a hundred set or two on a 600 grit stone or even coarser. As a rule, always go coarser if there is a visible chip or ding in the edge. 300 grit. 240. 150. 100. Whatever it takes. Just leave enough meat on the blade for the progression of finer grits to remove the deep scratches without honing down into steel that needs to stay on the razor. If in doubt, go finer. If impatient, either learn patience or start coarser. 10 guesses what I do.

After successfully and correctly using the method, the bevel will pass all the standard bevel tests such as thumbnail, cherry tomato, forearm shaving, etc.

I hope that this post has been informative, and that subsequent replies will clarify anything that I did not explain properly. Good Luck, and Happy Honing!
 
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