June 2019 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

You can see these methods on you tube. I have to get a flat surface like plexiglass, or polished marble tile at home improvement places like Lowe's Home Depot, etc. I have to spray the surface with water and squeegee it with the edge of a used credit card or debit card to make sure there isn't anything on the surface. Rewet the surface and then place the film with shiny side down. Wet the film and use the squeegee method to flatten the film. You don't want air bubbles nor dirt underneath the film and that's why you need to squeegee the surface and film separately. If done correctly, the capillary action of the water will prevent the film from moving. The strokes are the same as if you were using a stone. However, it takes a lighter touch because the film can be cut while honing.

 

I don't know about plexiglass.....I would think you would need at least a think piece of glass or the polished marble that you suggested. Even a piece of thin glass will distort slightly. You need a perfectly flat and stable surface. I can see the plexiglass distorting unless it was very thick. We have some tractor windshields that use 1/2 plexiglass and that may work. Keep us posted Joe...I am interested in this process.

 

Is he taller than Logan?

 

Thank you, Joe. I hope you get some good results!

 

Thanks fellas for putting me over 90,200 likes. .

 

Danny, there isn't anything that is perfectly flat, however, you do need something as flat as possible no matter what medium is used to hone a razor. Also, if you see any flat surface under a microscope, then you will see dips and high points. That's why you do not use a high powered microscope to check the edge of a straight razor.

 

Thank you Andrew.

 

Thank you, Joseph. I am aware that honing with films may not be as smooth as using a Norton, Shapton and natural stones, but if it works for me then I will be fine with it. The good thing is that I have enough of films to last me for years and it is the least expensive option.

 

We have a lapping block at work that is about 6 inches thick x 16 inches square that is used to lap hydrostatic components. It is certified to a certain tolerance but what I do not know. You are right it is hard to find a complete flat surface.

 

Been a day here. Had to get it started last night by getting to sleep early. So of course I watched a couple more episodes of the TV show I'm currently binging. Alarm/phone got me up at 6:30 AM ( I don't often see 6:30 twice per day lately). Out and up to gather up my father. We had a morning appointment an hour away to get his plastic dialysis tubing removal pre-surgery labs and X-rays. Classic "Fill out these forms" and wait at three different location in two facilities. Good news is he stepped down from three dialysis sessions per week to only two.

So I'm back to my Command Center. After walking the dog, rubbed his nose in the knocked over trash can & cleaned up the scatter. I'm glad the grandson is visiting his Grandmother. He's still only about 20% potty trained at 3-3/4 years old. That seems to attract the dog. Yuck.

Getting to my age I've learned that if I make a mess no one else is going to clean it up. Sometimes this Pawpaw gets grumbly when others won't learn the same lesson. As to loose change? For some reason there's none of that mixed in with the discarded wrappers and empty cups. Being the Chief Dish Washer around here when I announce I'm fixing to, they're getting better at bringing the abandon stuff to me. The threat is I'll quit and someone else will have to do it.

Same here as far as rabbits. Easy to raise and not as gamey as wild. The wild ones need the steel shot picked out but they have actual flavor. I'm the opposite with eggs - grocery store ones are OK, but I love the rich flavor of yard eggs. Or duck eggs! We don't get many moose this far south and few bears so I've never had the opportunity. Alligators? Yup. Tastes like chicken.

That's my initial impression. Got a small sample of "Love" - rose? The other bit I've got is Grab Bag. Same soap but unknown scent. I'll look again because they are 3 different colors but I couldn't name the scents on first sniff.

Thank you Gary! Amazing how much fun what used to be a chore can become.

Many of my shaves are late night so I'd be fighting off mosquitoes outdoors. I might try Clint's @clint64 way of planning my shaves and taking a weeks worth beforehand. I do have a few odds & ends of non-shave related vintage stuff. Already thinking about that Boston LP!

It's so shiny! I was going to ask but...

I've got some of that stuff. Hoping I can make mine shine without removing the plate. It works well as intended on aluminum.

I'm going to view that thread again. If Andrew @Linuxguile doesn't mind I'd like to submit it to the process discussed HERE and HERE.

 

Danny, thanks and I appreciate your for your concern, but I think I will be fine. I am a member of a FB honing site and I am also a member on another shaving site that can assist me with this method before I seriously get into it. What I am going to do is hone some of my vintage razors that I bought on the cheap and see where that takes me. I also know that different steels will need to be honed differently. It will be a learning process and I am at the point that I have to be able to hone my razors. Like I said earlier, I really don't have to hone because I have enough straight razors that are still giving me very good shaves to last until next year. So, I am not under any pressure to do any honing.

 

No, but he catching up fast!

 

I'm not following you, Rick.

 

Great shave !

Short and sweet . That's what I like Jason.

 

Joe, I know you got it. I am very interested in the process. Keep me posted with pictures also.

 

Joseph, fear not, I had many ups and downs using a straight razor. This is just a plateau before you get to the next level.

I also had a Pioneer Super Tuner in my ‘72 Dodge Challenger.

I ripped all my CDs and now I only buy HD music. I just set up play lists and i am good to go. While my musical is digital I prefer wired connects and use a good DAC and vacuum tube amps to get the natural sound.

In Korea if you have 3 kids you are called a ‘patriot’ so do it for your country.

I have never used films but I have shaved with some razors honed on film, they had excellent edges.

 

Spoken like a true member of the Jedi High Council.

 

Arkudzu is here!

Let me first say that Arko is not that bad if aired out for a good while. Yeah I know that several of y'all told me that. I grated and left two sticks out on the carport covered with a towel for about two weeks and then brought them inside for about two more weeks. The scent toned down a lot.

I took one of the grated sticks and pressed it in a container the other one was mixed into Arkudzu. I added two tablespoons of hot water and one teaspoon of Kudzu oil. I then mixed it up and pressed it in another container.

So what does it smell like? Not bad but it will not win any awards. The Kudzu fragrance has a grape/syrupy scent to it, almost a candy grape scent. Reminds me of the grape sucker you would get as a kid. It is an interesting scent for a shaving soap and the lemony Arko scent is barely noticable. Anyway, I will use it and I cannot complain about Arko's performance.

 

In another thread there was discussion about Rubberset shave brushes. Not the 400's, another with a clear handle that has a fishing fly embedded inside. I went to the Old School Shaving Brushes website to see if I could find more info. The website has been taken down. So in speculating on what could be done to preserve the information the archiving of websites came up. Your thread about the odd injectors and prototypes has information that may not be available anywhere else. It's now archived so in the event TSD should go down or the servers crash and loose the data it's saved. All 4 pages with text, discussion, and photos.

 

All in the name of shaving Science. Good post Danny