What Straight Razor Did You Use Today?

Congratulations to your son and you! Better choice then a CVH could not be found I guess . Have to hone my 32 soon.


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SOTD FRIDAY MORNING. MAY 13, 2022

RAZOR: Manhattan Cutlery 13/16, Colonial Silversmith (Dome)
BLADE: Kai DE (Dome)
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a heavy scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: Viking Silvertip Badger
CREAM: Nancy Boy Signature
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys Lilac WH. Finished with Nancy Boy Signature Scent AS Balm.

 

Hah, probably along the same lines as mine!

 

Hans, you’re fortunate to have one of the early Genevas in such great condition. The NYS steel in bothe the Geneva and later Genco blades take a great edge. Lovely shave kit!

 

Agree about the Genevas/Gen os Jeff, I need to get mine out.

Charles Poincet ‘Paris Express’. Poincet apparently was a Parisian hairdresser that later expanded his business to include selling ‘washroom tools’. I’m guessing it’s from the latter part of the 1800s, and has been re-scaled. Software was ABC and a Semogue Galahad did the lathering.

 

Very cool razor, Steve ! Love that poster!

 

Thanks Jeff!

 

Love Steve’s older French blade, and went with a modern French favorite of mine.
Thiers Issard Silverwing Third Edition
Brush: Semogue
Suds: The Sudsy Soapery Twisted Rose
Balm: B&M Terror

Love the look and feel of this TI in Cuban Mahogany (#185 of 350)

Enjoy your shave.
Tom

 

Beautiful razor Tom, I have one of those but haven’t used it in forever. Bought it used with the case and some hone wear on it, but a superb shaver.

 

SOTD SATURDAY MORNING, MAY 14, 2022

Wet-shaving appeals to many different demographics, but this morning I’d like to talk briefly about what vintage shaving hardware holds for me. The aspects of primary interest are both the history and stories attached to many of the vintage tools I enjoy shaving with which includes both razors I shaved with this morning. With respect to my mug shave, the LeCoultre Au Sentier Frameback straight razor was both revolutionary and the height of luxury for its day (1860’s). The razors were advertised as having to be only sharpened/honed once every 10 years. The Rockwell hardness of the replaceable blades made for these razors was around 64, basically equivalent to the very hard Swedish steel of straight razor brands like CV Heljestrand and Klas Tornblom. In addition, taking inflation into account, the same razors today would cost between $140 - $212. The descendant of the Swiss Jacques LeCoultre blacksmithing company that gave birth to this remarkable razor is the contemporary Swiss watch-making concern, Jaeger-LeCoultre.

I own two of these incredible razors, an entry level model with wood scales and the apex model with ivory scales with which I shaved my mug this morning. I spent most of yesterday honing razors. The entry level model has always shaved beautifully, but I’d never been happy with the edge on the ivory scaled model. We’ve all encountered straight razors that don’t yield to our regular honing routines. Despite my best efforts, I just couldn’t seem to put a shaving edge on this dang razor! And this was despite the razor passing the tap and wobble test; it was flat as a pancake! A quick phone call to my friend, Glen Mercurio, a honemeister with three decades of experience resolved the issue. I routinely hone my hollows, rattlers, and framebacks with a single layer of tape. Wedges are a different story. Glen explained that due to the hardness of the LeCoultre blades and frustration with trying to hone them, many attempted to sharpen them as they would a knife by lifting the blade up off the hone. He suggested three layers of tape which I use with my wedge blades. That did the trick, and my three pass mug shave this morning went according to Hoyle, leaving my face dolphin smooth.

RAZOR: LeCoultre Au Sentier Frameback #2 Blade (Mug), Schick F Type (Dome)
BLADE: Supply Black Injector
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a heavy scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE LE #005 Aluminum Handled SynBad Knot
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys WH. Finished with Old Spice Fresh Lime AS Splash (Indian Version)
RAZOR: LeCoultre Au Sentier Frameback #2 Blade (Mug), Schick F Type (Dome)
BLADE: Supply Black Injector
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a heavy scrub with Argan Oil
BRUSH: MrEE LE #005 Aluminum Handled SynBad Knot
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by a rinse with Humphreys WH. Finished with Old Spice Fresh Lime AS Splash (Indian Version)

 

Thanks Jeff! I must say that it’s almost like a CVH in the edge, really nice razor! One of my favourite razors.


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Not every day you shave dressed in a Evening dress or Frack (as we say in Swedish) I have one myself and also a “high hat” of course.


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Jeff, I don’t use tape anymore or rather only on the edge if I have to adjust the spine. I have personally found out that I get better edges without, I don’t care about if there is a little bit hone marks on the side of the spine. The Geneva Cutlery was honed without tape


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They hold an amazing edge, although I don’t think it’s anywhere near as hard as your Swedish Sandvik steel!

 

Whatever works for you, Hans! I’m a tape man myself! Glen Mercurio (@gssixgun) taught me to hone, and thus far everything I’ve learned from his videos has served me well!

 

Josh Earl/ Clearbrook Forge (2010)
L&L Grooming Southern Paradise

A wonderful older custom in Olivewood. Big blade at over 3.25 inches in length.

Enjoy your shave.
Tom

 

I like that razor Tom, and the ‘ironing board’ scale shape - tou don’t see that too often in modern razors.

 

Nice looking razor. Too bad Josh Earl made few of them, during a very short period of his life, when he was "Funemployed".
https://joshuaearl.com/funemployment-straight-razors-and-the-backyard-bunker/

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Thank you Steve. They work well with his blade design and are definitely unique in shape.

I’m glad I got to benefit from his window of Funemployment.
Looks like this razor had its 10 minutes of fame with its first owner: