Thread: Another Wedge

Just looked it up and it looks like my best bet on the finish will be to sand off the tacky coat and use an evaporative shellac.

Once the razor is together I'll start honing and we will see how it goes. I'm really looking forward to this razors reserection and first shave.

If shellac is the recommended finish you might want to check out "French polish" French polish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia as a finishing method. I have never tried it though but it seems it may have some value with oily woods.

Bob

This would be my concern with this type of finish and I've avoided the technique because of it:

The finish is considered by many to be a beautiful way to finish highly figured wood, but it is also recognised to be fragile. It is softer than modern varnishes and lacquers and is particularly sensitive to spills of water or alcohol, which often produce white cloudy marks.

I've also read that oil/water combination finishes have the same problem adhering to the woods surface.

Thanks for looking into it for me though. Do happen to know when waxes are used in finishing wood? I've heard of some guys using it as the primary finish as well as using it after the laquer/shellac etc has been applied.

Yea, I guess that pretty much rules out French polish for a finish. Sorry no experience with waxes as a finish other than to use Mothers Carnauba wax on top of other finishes.

Bob

ok that's actually what I was wondering about with the wax. You have a set of scales that have been finished and then you use the wax just like you would wax a car? What benefits do you get from the wax?

Can't recall off hand if they were home made scales or originals now that you ask. The benefits, if any, were a polish and maybe some added protection. I think there are some threads on here about using waxes.

Bob

Ok so I got the Goodbehere together this past friday and started honing. I used 4 layers of tape (what a pain in the ass!!!). I stared on a DMT 325, once the bevel was formed I switched to the norton 1K. Once the edge was shaving arm/leg hair I went 4K, 8K, coticule with slurry (slurry was diluted after 30 laps until there was very little slurry left). After that I finished on the same coti using water and Smith's honing solution only.

Shave test with the razor went pretty good considering I'm not that experienced on the hones AND that's my first big wedge. Shaved really well on the first two passes WTG & XTG, but then I wussed out and used a different razor for the ATG. I think I'll try another shave with it again tonight and if I'm still not sure bring it back to the 8K/finishing steps.

That is great, sounds like things went pretty well considering. Did you wind up with a narrow bevel?

Bob

Originally Posted by driftwood

Ok so I got the Goodbehere together this past friday and started honing. I used 4 layers of tape (what a pain in the ass!!!). I stared on a DMT 325, once the bevel was formed I switched to the norton 1K. Once the edge was shaving arm/leg hair I went 4K, 8K, coticule with slurry (slurry was diluted after 30 laps until there was very little slurry left). After that I finished on the same coti using water and Smith's honing solution only.

Shave test with the razor went pretty good considering I'm not that experienced on the hones AND that's my first big wedge. Shaved really well on the first two passes WTG & XTG, but then I wussed out and used a different razor for the ATG. I think I'll try another shave with it again tonight and if I'm still not sure bring it back to the 8K/finishing steps.

Thank you for describing your honing process! It will help me greatly when I get around to honing this big Elliot.

@Bob: nope! . It's uneven as well. It actually surprised me because the shoulder felt and appeared even. Oh well, not terribly concerned about it as long as it shaves well.

@Chreees: no problem. If I had known it was of interest I would have kept better notes on actual laps while bevel setting. The DMT is new so it didn't take as long as I was prepared for, but it was still a bit of a mission. I didn't get the bevel set in the first evening, the whole process took two solid honing sessions.