Best Shave yet and Lynn is a godsend

So I have sharpened many many many knives in my 35+ years of life. I have ALWAYS used Arkansas stones. My father taught me on one and I've just always used one. So I broke down the other day and bought a surgical black and a translucent. I touched up my razor on these stones (first stone it's been on since I bought shave ready)

I followed Lynn's 40+7 (I think it was 7 X right?) pattern on the surgical black and then on the translucent. Followed up with a good stropping on cloth then leather.

Build up some lather with my new badger brush (my boar is in the picture) and commenced to shaving. Holy cow was it nice.

Wife commented that she had never felt skin so smooth. The only place that still gives me trouble is right on the jaw line. For some reason I can NOT get that angle down.

What do I contribute to the awesome shave? Lynn and his 40+7 pattern. I think that is what pushed the edge over that threshold. Kudos to Lynn.

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Careful now, you'll give Lynn a "big head" and his scarcely fits in the avatar now. :rofl2:

Kidding aside, we all owe Lynn a big thanks. I also learned pocket knife sharpening on the arks and continued to use them for that. Just recently tried them with razors and really like the results. I noticed you said you went to the translucent after the black. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around ? Maybe it depends on the stone. Mine are both real good but I think my black is slightly finer/harder.

Lynn's going to have to get a bigger cigar to fit his head.

I've always thought translucent were higher density hence higher grit.