What Straight Razor Did You Use Today?

Wostenholm 9/16 pipe razor
not everything that is advertised as shave ready is in fact shave ready.
That's ok, I like the little pipe. I'll hone it myself.
just sayin' be prepared for differences in what ready is.

 

So true. Whether it be from a private seller or a renowned company, the definition of 'shave-ready' seems to have a broad interpretation.

 

Ides of March, 2016

Time out! After 75 straight days of the three blades at the top of the frame...

I am not using a traditional straight today, but rather test driving a CJB for science. Hope everyone is having a great week!

 

Wade & Butcher Full Wedge restored by Kevin aka holyrollah - simply breathtaking what he did with this one
and it shaves soooo smoooooth
MDC Fourgere mixed with a small amount of DR Harris Arlington
LaToja splash
PantaRei 28mm USMC logo

 

My goodness!

 

+1

 

In my opinion, Kevin is doing some of the nicest restorations I've ever seen. He is a superb craftsman .

 

The sheer beauty of all the custom, collectible, and/or ultra rare blades on this particular thread are what made me want to try one. The "wow" and "cool" ratings of the photos here are off the charts. Thanks @lindyhopper66, this thread has been a something I've lurked on for a year, and one of my faves.

 

Hart Steel 6/8

 

Assuming one needs a hundred shaves or so to truly learn SR, how many attempts do you estimate it takes to get honing down? Let's assume only one blade grind (full hollow) involved here, and we're talking about blades that are in AAA condition.

 

Took me about 2 weeks to figure out how to get 1 blade sharp. The next time I honed it (touch up) It took me 3 days. I killed the edge and honed from 1k the next time and it took me a few hours. Thats hone, test, hone the next day, test repeat till smooth shave. I'm sure it would probably be faster with a matched progressive set of hones instead of my mixed bag of rocks with a gradually watered down slurry of a different rock.

 

I've been honing my own since July. I'm pretty good but I still need lots of practice to get to the level I want and to get the keen edge I crave. The good news is I'm better than when I started.

 

It was pretty easy to maintain a blade that is in AAA condition..... I have not been able to successfully hone a razor that started with a bad edge. If your edges are all in good shape then you can just use a finisher to maintain it, so far I have not had to do anything more than maintain my edges.... with the exception of major screwups like chipping an edge.

 

Gssixgun has. Some basic honing videos that helped me on his site. gemstarcustoms.com

 

I shall watch them!

A finisher might be worth looking into in the future.

 

So many variables come into play when it comes to honing an edge: what type of steel/ what is the quality of the existing edge/what type of grind/Does it need touch or bevel reset/ what stones to use and in what progress…and on & on.

Before I started 'honing my own' I sent out a few razors to have them honed by experienced honers in order to see and feel what a quality edge should be. With this as a benchmark I now have something to evaluate the type of edges I was producing. It took me many attempts and well over 50+ razors to feel somewhat confident in producing a good quality shaving edge and to do it with some consistency…and I'm still learning more with each new razor I do. The class isn't over yet and I won't be graduating any time soon. As Glen has mentioned to me, something akin to:... the more razors you do (and he's done thousands!), you more you realize how much you don't know.
I wish all the razors that came across my bench were in AAA shape, but regrettably, that isn't the case. Each new slightly diminished razor poses a new challenge and learning experience.

 

Ah shucks, Mike. You're too kind….

 

I'm interested and reading of your experience with the CJB. I've one from Keith I'm working up the nerve to bring into the morning rotation.

 

I like mine. The edge isn't quite as smooth as a good straight but a few laps on a strop should smooth it out.

 

Evening shave tonight with a recently restored big 8/8 Wostenholm & Son IXL frame back.
Finished on a natural Apache Strata. Smmoooooooth!



now that its finished, I'm debating whether to black the engraved type on the blade face….per the original below