Hart razor and First BBS shave!

[JimmyHAD]

Perhaps I shouldn't change anything right now and just wait until I need to rehone.

IMO your best bet would be to leave your strop as is and if you want to try paste do it on a paddle, a flatbed strop or a separate hanging strop. Chrome ox is a really good option on any of the above as is the diamond spray that has recently come out. Diamond paste is good too. I like the felt hanging strop that SRD sells with the 0.5 diamond spray.

[loueedacat]

I would definitely leave your strop as it is but do 30 linen strokes and at least 60 leather before each shave.

And either do what JimmyHad says, or just get a finishing stone (coticule, Spyderco UF, thuringen, swaty, escher, or chinese 12k) and use that to touch your blades up fairly regularly. That way you won't do the pasted strop rounding thing, and you'll be building up your honing skill.

Great to hear you made your break through with a Hart razor!

[boshave]

With the advice found on this forum and with practice, I learned to hone my straights and strop properly. My daily shave is a straight razor shave. I love it.

My two Hart razors are my favorites, the 6/8 "breakthrough BBS shaver" and a recently acquired 7/8 Hart Steel round point which also shaves like a dream. A Le Grelot and a Wade&Butcher stand-by as close runners-up. All are 1/4 ground. I can get a great shave from 1/2 ground and full hollow straights, but prefer the weight of the 1/4 ground in my hand. The heft of a 1/4 ground gives me better positional feedback when held in my non-dominant hand, which is half of every shave. Shaving with a straight has improved my non-dominant hand's dexterity. Straight razors reward deftness of hand.

Straight razor shaving is a singular type of competence in the skill set of a man. Usually, our competence is a gift we give our loved ones, our fellow man (be they customers, clients, crews, civilians we protect, patients, or partners in commerce) and the tax man. Straight razor shaving is a competence acquired solely for our own sake. It is a selfish competence, one that I cherish.

Thanks to all who share your knowledge and experience on this forum. Much appreciated.

[HopChugger]

Glad to hear you're enjoying your Harts. I've been shaving with a couple of Hart 6/8 Western kamisoris for the last year and I look forward to shaving every single day. I love these razors.

[JOB15]

I am in the opposite situation to you.
I have many Harts and swore by them.
Now I only shave with W&B razors.

Recently I took out my prized Hart, a custom . I had over honed one of W&B blades so I figured I go with a Hart.
The shave was deadly close but I came to the conclusion that my Hart had no soul . It was just a piece of sharp metal .
These are just my personal feelings .
Thought I'd share 😀 I would go into better detail but I'm in a cafe on my mobile phone ...

[VAPDGUY]

That XTC is a tough angle for me. I really struggle especially under the chin. I watched a good video on it and will attempt it my next SR shave. As far as the hart's I am glad to hear that they are working for you. I am hoping to get a W&B as my next SR blade. Would love to get a full wedge blade. In a few weeks I am going to use my felt pad and the diamond spray on the SRD modular paddle strop.

[boshave]

Vapdguy, you'll like the Wade & Butchers. As for the full wedge, I was always leery of full wedge blades because it seems like it would be a LOT of metal to remove when honing. I guess one could use tape for a secondary bevel, but I keep getting a mental image of my hones and workbench covered with swarf!

For the XTC under the chin, I use the part of the edge closer to the heel and a very light touch, relying on many small passes with a light hold on the razor. The heel part of the blade is wielded with a light swinging feel. I let the weight of the razor carry it through the pass, rather than powering it through. My main hurdle is that I had to remind myself that my chin is the typical shape seen on an old fart who has a bit of "chronic biscuit poisoning.." That is, there is a gradual slope from chin to neck. When I tried at first to shave my chin as if I had the angular jaw and chin of an action movie star, things didn't go so well. By accepting what is the actual contour of my chin, I avoided driving the blade into the slope of the chin, if that makes sense. YMMV.

Try to get the most out of the WTG pass, following the contour with a luxurious lather for cushion. Practice, practice, practice perfecting the WTG passes until what's left for the XTC is minimal touch up. Best of luck and enjoy.

[boshave]

I am in the opposite situation to you.... It was just a piece of sharp metal...

Well said, Job15

Isn't it true that there is something indefinable but very, very obvious when we hold our chosen objects of working art. A perfectly good razor seems like dead metal to one and a lively, accomplished friend to another. I find myself reaching for a certain chef's knife even though there are other perfectly qualified, extremely sharp, well designed knives in the rack. I had a pair of boots once which fit so well at the tack shop that I wore them all day, trekking from one horse auction to another, climbing fences and crossing rough fields. My girlfriend warned me that they weren't broken in yet, and I would regret it when I found my feet and ankles chafed and sore at the end of the day. But those boots felt as if they were MINE, as if I had somehow found one of my well worn pair of favorite boots at the shop, somehow disguised as new boots. Not a blister, or ache or even a hint of chafing came from those boots that day or ever. I wore them for years until they just plain wore out. I am dead certain it was before I married that gorgeous woman, because I distinctly remember her saying that she was wrong and I was right...