Thread: Paper testing razors

She's a beautiful razor & I like the art work, nice scrim,,,, I believe ??

There is a lot of experience here, as you know,,,, just not as many as you would like, that test with paper.


Most who start here , learn & stick with the methods preached & demonstrated here by members who have perfected them,,,,,why?,,,, the methods work. Your dedication to the paper test method must be commended AFAIC,,, you hang in here like a Trooper, without losing it.

I'm happy, that your happy, with your edges.

nice razor there bigeasy1 .cam.

Thank you Cam, John.

The owner was expecting the mammoth ivory. The scrim was lagniappe. The owner had done most of the work on the blade. I just added a little polish and patina. The wedge is re-constituted amber. The shave was a partially unexpected treat for both of us.

I am not a big proponent of so many of this and so many of that. I prefer to let the blade tell me, or in some cases the material. I do have a method of stropping on cloth that produces a very special edge on most full hollows within 40-50 fast laps, but rarely try it on beefier blades. It worked great on this one. I have a number of leather, cloth, and pasted strops at my bench, and another set hanging on the inside of the bathroom door. I typically use 20 or fewer laps at a time, and test. Making scales, I never use precut patterns, but lay each blade on a piece of paper and draw a pattern around it. I do make sure the outer perimeter matches, but free hand the shape, with them held together, a little at a time, using finer methods of material removal as I go.

I noticed before honing that the blade seemed a little thin near the center section. Honing the razor, my test methods indicated the edge was a too thin in that area. I honed beyond the initial bevel set on 1k waterstone, until I could tell that the center section was better supported before progressing.

This was probably not the best thread to show off the razor, but seemed appropriate at the time.
Thanks again for you comments and interest,
Al

Just a little aside, that some may find amusing.

I sometimes tell younger shavers that some blades talk to me. They sometimes look at me like I am nuts! Tell them, some constantly threaten to cut my throat. Others may whisper in my ear "go ahead, you can speed up, I'm not gong to hurt your".
Cheers.

Easy, do you shave ATG or only WTG? I find that I can shave fairly comfortably WTG with an edge that is quite rough to shave with ATG.

Originally Posted by eKretz

Easy, do you shave ATG or only WTG? I find that I can shave fairly comfortably WTG with an edge that is quite rough to shave with ATG.

I shave in all directions, ATG, WTG, and XTG. Not to say I do three totally separate passes. I shave with my right hand only, and cannot shave the left side in quite the manner I shave the right side. On the left cheek, I have a little pocket that develops below the outside corner of my eye, below the bone under the eye. I have to go back to get that ATG, in which direction the pocket doesn't form.

Rough is subjective. A scratchy edge would normally be scratchy everywhere. Rough only AGT would indicate to me that the edge is not keen enough, and actually probably would not give as close of a shave anywhere on the face, but may seem smoother as it cuts through the whiskers at more of an angle. This could also be an indication of insufficient prep, but I am assuming that was ruled out.

Your second sentence opens up the entire realm of what is a good shave and what edge characteristics contribute to it. We could duplicate 1/2 of SRP with that.

Without getting into a lengthy discussion, I could give you a list of points that I believe contribute to the most shavable edges. Most of it has been confirmed by test shaves of other shavers, without telling them what I changed, until after their test. Much of it may or may not be duplicated on other parts of SRP. But I find that tests attempted by someone by email or forum may not be as objective, as the methods may rub them right or wrong. My main objective is the best shaves I can reproduce.

Yes, that was my point. Some edges can be shaved with WTG and you'd never really notice the slight amount of damage that would cause trouble ATG. Good edges should do fine ATG. I was just curious as you mention only making two swipes with a razor, which to me would imply that you are only shaving WTG and might not notice even if there were any slight damage from the paper testing. That was a pretty sweet razor on the last page, has a bit of old-world charm with the scrimshaw look.

Originally Posted by eKretz

Yes, that was my point. Some edges can be shaved with WTG and you'd never really notice the slight amount of damage that would cause trouble ATG. Good edges should do fine ATG. I was just curious as you mention only making two swipes with a razor, which to me would imply that you are only shaving WTG and might not notice even if there were any slight damage from the paper testing. That was a pretty sweet razor on the last page, has a bit of old-world charm with the scrimshaw look.

I guess I might have explained that better. I understand your point, and the impression you got. Your impression was correct, and the implication might most often be correct as well. I am not new to this. What you suggest might be possible, and even likely with some edges, but this razor shaved so smooth, effortlessly, and close, I did not want to risk any damage by shaving further. I wanted the owner to feel what I felt. Here is a quote from the owner. He has a back problem.
"Woke up from the pain. Happens a lot. But I can still feel that cool tingle of rum on my face. What a great shave Al! You used the word "luxurious" and you were right. That was a rounded edge! I had that feeling that I just could NOT cut myself no matter what. I love the big blades--and your edges. That truly was a sweet shave."

I have a method of stropping, on a particular cloth, that seems to tend to burnish the edge. Once done, there is some indication that the edge is a little tougher than normal, and the feel is more than reassuring. It may be described as feeling as though the edge is not a tightly angled edge at all. ?

Thank you for the compliments on the razor. The owner agrees, and then some.

Again, the paper cutting does cause damage. It probably takes at least as long to learn it as learning to shave first did. With experience one gets better. Does it cause enough damage with one cut to degrade the shave? I don't believe that it necessarily does. Does that mean you can do it tonight? Probably not.
Cheers

I believe I have seen that particular stropping method described before, something with Fire in it or something? It strikes me as a possible burnishing effect perhaps.

I believe you're quite correct that one or two paper cuts won't damage the edge too bad. Stropping afterwards probably negates most of it, so as is often said for differing preferences or methods, YMMV. I don't have a problem with your method if it works for you. It seems as though you have your system down in a way that works well for you. I think other folks just took exception to the fact that you originally recommended it to a newb without highlighting that it might give him trouble without more experience.

Originally Posted by eKretz

I believe I have seen that particular stropping method described before, something with Fire in it or something? It strikes me as a possible burnishing effect perhaps.

I believe you're quite correct that one or two paper cuts won't damage the edge too bad. Stropping afterwards probably negates most of it, so as is often said for differing preferences or methods, YMMV. I don't have a problem with your method if it works for you. It seems as though you have your system down in a way that works well for you. I think other folks just took exception to the fact that you originally recommended it to a newb without highlighting that it might give him trouble without more experience.

A mistake on my part again. I had thought it was not so difficult, but seems many are not capable of the speed required. I have tried it on several styles of cloth strops without success. It will work to a degree on 'fire hose" type cloth, but better on another I have found. But have not been able to nail down the composition, only a couple of suppliers.

Hopefully I have learned to be more careful about suggestions to newbies, and if I do mention such things, I should preface it with the fact that it is indeed a destructive test, and difficult to learn to do right.
I know there are at least 2 or 3 out there playing with it. Hopefully they will return with comments and pointers of where new users of it may run into problems.
Thanks for your comments.
Cheers,
Al