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SOTD SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 23, 2020
Setting the bevel on the Puma was an excellent learning experience. Using the Schechter finger positioning method with the White Chosera stone worked just the way it’s supposed to. Ben lapped the stone before first use. Schechter uses 60 diagonal stroke on each side.
It was clear from the resulting slurry created during the bevel setting process that the heel of the blade was not getting the same exposure to the stone as the rest of the blade. Applying pressure in this area with Schechter’s finger positioning approach resulted in a clean bevel along most of the blade. After Ben examined the edge with the 60x jeweler’s loupe, he recommended another 40 strokes on each side.
With the bevel set, the action moved to the jasper stone where I built a slurry on the rough side with a smooth coarse DMT plate. I began with 80 circles, 40 on each side until the slurry was dark gray. I then rinsed the stone and built a second slurry, this time using back and forth strokes. Three slurries later, I began to notice resistance in the stone.
I then flipped the stone to the fine side, removed the steel feather buildup from the edge by running it gently at 90 degrees across the face of the stone.and began regular back and forth strokes under clear running water (about 20 minutes) until it felt like the blade was beginning to stick to the stone. I finished with 10 strops on Chromox infused linen and 10 strops on leather. At that point the blade was popping hairs and slicing a tomato evenly along its length.
The shave went very well, VBBS above the jawline and DFS++ below. The Puma blade was a bit longer than I’m used to, and I found the XTG challenging on my neck leading to a minor set down error under my left ear. That being the case, I opted to use my twinjector loaded Supply razor to finish the job on my neck. The dome shave with the Supply was a breeze, and again I finished the shave feeling cool, clean, slightly wounded, but still velveteen!
RAZOR: Puma Solingen 5/8 (Mug), SS Supply V2 (Dome)
BLADE: Schick Twinjector
PREP: Cold water rinse followed by a scrub with Rabid Banana Preshave Cube.
BRUSH: Rooney Ebony Pure Badger
SOAP: Mitchell’s Wool Fat w/ 6 drops of M-Bomb
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Humphreys WH and Osage Rub. Finished with Chiseled Face Natural AS Splash with menthol and A&E Post-Shave Serum.
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