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Cuda has done a few blades for me now. This last one, a 5/8 Friodur, is about the most amazing razor I've ever experienced. I never knew I could get my neck bbs in 2 passes. For anyone looking for honing, hit him up. If not for him and @razorfeld, I would have bailed on straight shaving months ago. The greatest thing about this website is the mentors - use them.
Major, I'm so very glad that you like the edge. I'm really looking forward to honing the 7/8 Friodur that should land here in a few days.
As a Vet, I thank you for your Service and as a Civilian, I thank you for the Friendship.
Roy
Ian, as I've said before, "It's what we, the Mentors, do."
And we Thank you for what you do for us!! :chapeauQuote:
Originally Posted by Razorfeld
Out of curiosity, what was this razor finished on?
I was glad to see that I could shave with that new Friodur without cutting myself! Between the sharpness of the blade and having been using that monster-sized Friodur for the last few months, took a shave to adjust! Second shave went perfect however. Pretty impressive that you got that 5/8 as sharp as my Feather shavette.Quote:
Originally Posted by cudarunner
that Roy guy is pretty nice isn't he? him and the many Mentors here will do their very best to help ,, way to go my friend tc
I've been an advocate of the Naniwa 12K as a finisher for quite some time as it's a real workhorse. :tuQuote:
Originally Posted by eKretz
In fact I paid for and sent one to a good friend as he was being stubborn and didn't want to try it. Guess what, it's a regular part of his arsenal and he swears by it. He refused to accept it as a gift and paid me for my cost.
However a friend purchased and sent me a new hone to try. He said it didn't produce a sharper edge than the Naniwa but a smoother edge. It was a gift. :bow:
I don't use pasted strops, while the have a use IF the bevel was properly set and then taken through the various hone, there is no magic in them that will fix a blade that wasn't properly honed, Plus I like the feel of the razor right off of the stone.
Back to the new hone. It's a very inexpensive Cnat. My friend had purchased it at FleaBay and I too found it. It was described as a 12K, but you can't grade naturals, you can only guess.
Ok, so I did my normal procession and I use slurry at ever step including on a finisher and then follow with clear water. I finished on the Naniwa with clear water of 20 nice light X-Strokes, then did 20 circles on slurry on the Cnat, followed by 40 X-Strokes on slurry, and finished with 20 very light X-Strokes on clear water.
25 laps on Illinois 827 linen followed by 50 laps on Neil Miller Linen, then 50 laps on the Illinois Russian leather and 100 on SRD English Bridle, then a full shave (that's my version of a 'test' shave) then 50 laps on the Miller linen and 100 on the Bridle, sanitizes, very well dried, oiled with Ballistol, packed and shipped home.
It worked well on this blade, I'm going to keep playing with the Cnat and see how it works on others. :shrug:
I don't think that I could recommend it unless you've used the Naniwa 12K before it, but there again, I"m just starting to play with it.
Thanks for the response, much longer than I expected, lol. So basically you prefinished on the Naniwa 12k then finished on the PHIG. And did a holy moly amount of laps on straight leather, lol. Sounds like you got a good PHIG.
To add a little more detail, I went with synthetic hones for a good reason and that is 'Repeatability' naturals have so much variance/one friend has Thousands invested trying to find the Holy Grail of Natural Hones. By the way I set the bevel on a Norton 4K with slurry, then went to clear water and the same on the Norton 8K.Quote:
Originally Posted by eKretz
To confirm, yes I pre-finished on the Naniwa 12K, but if I didn't have the Cnat, that would have been a finished edge and one that would be an outstanding shave.
I don't know if (I got a good PHIG) perhaps so or perhaps this particular razor reacted well to it. I just finished another Friodur using the same method and liked the shave. Only the owner will be able to be the final judge of my work.
Oh, as far as (And did a holy moly amount of laps on straight leather) my normal routine for daily shaving is 25 laps on the linen and 60+ on the leather. It's not uncommon for my good friend pinklather to send a razor home with over 200 laps on leather.
Damn that's a lot of stropping!
I used to only strop 10 / 40 linen and leather that was using blades pro honed by glen. so he already stropped the thing ,, I started a maintenance routine that he instructed me on, and then told him ,"ya my blade is staying sharp , but it was a little harsh coming off my naniwa 12k"well glen(god bless him for putting up with me) said I might be using the wrong pressure or I need more leather. well I started doin 150 leather after the stone and now its smooth again,, so now my pre shave strop is 80 leather post shave 20 linen and 20 leather stropping smoothes it out I,m not sure you can strop too much if your doing it right ,, now its still not as smooth as when I get it back from him ,, but heres to hoping!!! tc
Thanks to some great advice from Razorfeld I am sending two of mine to cuddarunner to get them properly honed. I have a new SRD English Bridle and the select weave. How many strokes should I be doing pre shave?
I've been getting really good results with a Friodur I've been using for a few months now by doing 6 or so on the canvas, followed by 50 on the (roo) leather. Based on @razorfeld's stropping mentorship, that razor is going on 3 months with only one CrOX wakeup.Quote:
Originally Posted by KingHooper
Thanks that will help a lot I have not giving them enough time on the strop. Once mine get back from cuda I will practice more.Quote:
Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic
Ha... I'm waiting on another razor from Cuda today! Took me about a month of conversations with cuda and razorfeld to really figure out what I was doing wrong. I'm still having some issues with getting good stropping on my smaller/lighter blades, but thank God I'm at least to where I can get 2-3 months on my larger blades between honing.Quote:
Originally Posted by KingHooper
Major, I'm bothered by that one line - - at least 2 - 3 months on my larger blades between honing. We need to review your stropping. You should be able to go many, many, more months before even thinking of re-freshening a razor's edge. I have several that have been shaved 10 months and still won't see a stone for a few more months. I may not be the best stropper around, but I can get eight months before I think of re-freshening an edge.
I don't know for sure how long I can go yet - I'm approaching 3 months on the Friodur and it's still going strong. I'm hoping I can get much longer! Hell of an improvement however from when we first started talking and I was thinking I need honing after 2 weeks!Quote:
Originally Posted by Razorfeld
Then there's hope. But the thought occurred to me as I finished my shower this morning, what is your beard prep like before razor touches face? You said you have a heavy?, wiry? beard? Tell what you do to prep and I bet there is something that can be added or changed to give a little more longevity to the razor's edge.
Right now I do shampoo plus conditioner on my face before shaving. I strop and get my brush soaking before showering so that I can shave directly out of the shower. I do kind of a 50/50 scuttle and face lathering - get the cream warm, add some glycerin, and then after applying the lather I add a bit more hot water to the brush to make sure it's as warm as possible. I don't really have a "wiry" beard because I shave every 24 hours, so it never gets beyond more than stubble.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razorfeld
Conditioner good. Don't rinse it off, leave it on your face. Try, before lathering, rubbing a small amount of Cremo or Kiss My Face into your beard for a little extra pre-conditioning and softening of your beard. And then there is the area I always, and am getting known for, harp on. What is the right temperature of your lather/shave that benefits your face the most. I am no longer harping on a pure cold water shave, but one where the temp gives the most for your dollar. Requires cooling your water by 10 - 15 degrees, seeing the result and then, if necessary, lower it another 10 - 15 degrees till you find your sweet spot. My brain is working on why the edge isn't lasting as long as I (and others, I'm sure) think it should before touch-up or full honing.
So after your earlier message you got me back into my "experimental mode". Just went up and shaved, but this time I did 60 vs 50 passes on the strop. I think I will be doing that from now on! Another great lesson I've learned - who cares if you have to do 4 passes? I was obsessed early on with getting BBS within 2 passes. Now (especially with a scuttle bowl), my first pass is just a prelim. The second and third are where I get a good shave and then a quick additional under my neck. As you get faster, better to do more passes with lighter touch because you (or me I should say) always want to use too much pressure if you're going for BBS in 2 passes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razorfeld
Ah! That magic word, pressure. Sometimes I think we are all born with a heavy hand and have to learn the hard way to lighten up. Especially in wet shaving, pressure is key to everything. Hence, that statement, by who I can't remember, shave the lather, not the beard. That solved so many problems for me.
ha... that's a great quote!!! Picturing what I'm doing now, that's exactly right!Quote:
Originally Posted by Razorfeld
I think Cuda is trying to kill me at this point. Been shaving for almost 7 months with straights, and every time I get one from @cudarunner I almost cut myself to death. Cuda... you're TOO good!!! Damn, man... I thought my shavettes were sharp! That new Friodur you sent me is amazing. And I'm saying that being on my 7-8th straight... truly amazing. I can't believe you grabbed that for the price you did, and thanks again for the hook up.
:rofl2: :rofl2:Quote:
Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic
Sorry Major, just had to chuckle, While I'm please that you like the edges, I have to give a lot of credit to those who made the steel :bow: As far as any cuts, remember that you had been using a 7/8 for a couple of months or so and then went to a 6/8 and drew blood but once you made the angle adjustments and the lighter weight then you were fine, now that you've been using the 6/8 and gave this new 7/8 ago, you may have forgotten to make the angle adjustments etc. I think that you will be fine.
While I'm very proud of the edges, I think I'm almost more proud of being able to rebuild that 6/8 and make the pinning look nice. The 6/8 Friodur also didn't have any friction washers so I installed them after I'd cleaned and polished the scales and the pivot area.
And yes you got some nice prices on all three of your Friodurs and nice shaves from all of them and your Ralf Aust 6/8 is a nice shaver also. I can't wait to see how your R/A 5/8 comes out.:tu
Does this mean I am going to be bleeding soon?Quote:
Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic
Hoop, depends on your definition of 'soon'. It also depends on your skills with using a straight razor. Besides what's a little blood letting these days? Sorry Major I'm :OT and :HJQuote:
Originally Posted by KingHooper
I have a couple of spikes that I could loan you to cure that "heavy hand."
What's a "spike"?Quote:
Originally Posted by Splashone
A square point that is truly square at the point, no radius at all, and the last molecule at the point is sharp (unless muted). Many mute their points to reduce the filleting effects.
Ah... got it. I think I have 2 Friodurs kind of like that (top left and bottom left):Quote:
Originally Posted by Splashone
Attachment 184757
No. Those have a small radius at the point. I mean NO radius, even under magnification.
Gotcha... that explains why Cuda described one as a "near" NOS. I do tend to like the flatter edges.Quote:
Originally Posted by Splashone
Not sure if Cuda is getting better or if it's just a really good razor, but this last 7/8 Friodur he sent me is truly amazing. I'm knocking out BBS in like 15 minutes.
Ok with out further adieu, the first of two honed by "The Man & The Myth" CUDARUNNER.
When someone says their razor is sharp unless it was sharpened by CUDA it aint sharp!!!!
Cuda you are truly a rock star and you have made me very happy. I will post more pics after I shave with my Genco.
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I'm still scared of my razors from Cuda. They're as sharp as my feather, which is truly terrifying.Quote:
Originally Posted by KingHooper
I'm the stubborn one the honorable Cudarunner bought the Nani 12k for. It went exactly as he says - is usually the last stone before going to the high grit G20 or an Asagi.
Cuda seems to get more from his N12 than most I've tried edges from.
The new guy is HARD on edges - even if his stropping is good (mine was not, to put it mildly). A straight stroke - no angle to the direction of the stroke is harder on an edge, as is using too wide an angle. Edges don't last that long, used that way.
Certainly you want to gain some comfort w/ a shave before transitioning to the 'advanced' stroke, sometimes called scything or guillotine strokes. Combined w/ a shallowest angle that still shaves, the edges start lasting longer, as the honorable Sixgunner has repeatedly written.
Anyone needing some honing would do VERY well to connect w/ Cudarunner. We've traded at least a dozen edges back & forth, trying stones, techniques, etc. I can say with confidence, you'll find his edges to be very shave-worthy. At no extra charge, you'll likely find him a pleasure to talk to, work with, and a sense of honor that has grown rare. I especially hope new guys will take advantage of his help. I'm richer for having done so.
I take pride (honor) in whatever I do, no matter what it is in life. I guess I owe that to my father as he raised his four children with a work ethic of Work Hard, Do What It Takes and No Matter What You Do; Do It Well. He also said that if you couldn't do something well then don't do it.Quote:
Originally Posted by pinklather
He cast a very long shadow as he was a machinist, welder and an mechanic. He received several awards from his company 'Green Giant' for the ideas that he came up with to improve the designs of the machinery including one that the original manufacturer saw and then copied it in the new release of machines since he hadn't applied for a Patent all he got was the $50 prize from GG.
I wish he were alive today to see that at least the majority of times I have done well with my venture into the art of honing.
I believe that my friend Glen says something to the effect of;
"Honing is easy, till it ain't"
And that is so true.
