Thread: Bought a Charnley Forest

Continued from this thread: http://straightrazorpalace.com/aucti...ml#post1605418

I have lapped the primary working surface with sic as well as having cleaned up the sides. I ground the back to remove the big chip about 50%. Primary surface lapped to 3k and then slurried with bbw/coti. Polished the chamfers as well. I've never seen a cf in person and I am kind of surprised tbh by how different the feel is to an ark. It doesn't have that same cold, glassy thing going on, it feels dense and silky. Pics coming

Really nice example!! Looking forward for your findings....

Initial run was just ok. shaved fine, went atg no problem. It wasn't irritating at all. I need to work the stone in a bit more and try different mediums on top of it.

I have a weakness for CF's, they leave a super sharp edge. Are you finishing on water or oil? I like smiths honing oil, but it's not a oil at all. I've tried it all from water, sewing machine/mineral oil, Kroil, different concoctions of mineral oil from cuts to blends with Kroil & found that the Smiths works about as good as you can get.

A harder razor will do it justice. CF's are slow, I am talking PHIG slow. I plan on 100x nice & slow strokes when I sit down to use mine.

Hey Scott I see your name now. Good show. Tc

Soapy water was the first go. I have a bottle of sewing machine oil so that is next.

I make a thin lather (usually with Pre de Provence, for reasons I can't explain) for final finishing on my coticules. I have a Simpson Wee Scot that is perfect for applying while honing. It really works well at bringing the edge up just that little bit extra - might be worth a try on the Charnley Forest.

Yep, when I got my Charnley Forest, Scott recommended I get the Smiths Honing Solution & it worked out very well!

Did you burnish the stone? When you put it up to your eye do you get a mirror reflection? I ask because if it is not you may not be getting the full potential form it yet, or it may just be a softer stone. I have two, one is a little harder than the other. Both work very nicely though. I don't like oil since I hone in the bathroom or kitchen. I use water and sometimes a little liquid soap. Haven't tried glycerin yet. I found on mine about 200 light laps gives me a nice smooth clean shave with no irritation. Now I generally go from a Coti or Thuri to the Charnley, but I can feel a significant difference in the shave between all of them. Now I may have lucked out as mine were all ready used for like 100 years and very flat and smooth. I just cleaned with simple green and used. My understanding is that as they are used and burnished over time they improve to a certain point I would think where they would max out at there potential. Each one having their own level or difference probably based on hardness, but maybe other factors.