Coticule + Wedge

[DoctorNick]

TLDR: Coticule + Wedge = Happiness

I recently picked up two circa-1890 Wade and Butcher straights from the same seller on the Bay. One's a near wedge in its original blonde horn scales and the other an old regrind to full hollow on a square point.
All my other (four) razors are hollow-ground and I knew they'd be some adjustment to working with a wedge. Both razors had been finished by the seller the same way: on a Gokumyo 10k and smoothed with CrO.

Now, I completely failed to regard the very good advice given by experienced members on this site and went right ahead and bought a fine, 'La Veinette' coticule shortly after realising this straight-razor-shaving-thing was for me. I've been happily touching up my main razors and have been progressively honing a razor I've been restoring to get the feel of the stone.

Once I started shaving with the wedge, I found it very unkind to my skin. While the hollow-ground W+B was smooth as silk from the get-go, I found the wedge left me with irritation and bumps reminiscent of my first days using a straight (last year ). I committed to practising with the wedge, thinking it might just be that I hadn't yet adapted my technique to account for the weight of the blade, but to no avail.
While inspecting the edge after a disappointing shave, I noticed two tiny chips near the toe of the barber's notch. Now, I'm not sure whether these came with the blade or I'd inflicted them on the edge at some point. I knew these weren't the reason the thing wasn't shaving me right, but it did give me an excuse to try and re-hone the thing

I did some more reading, put two layers of tape on and spent an afternoon going through the Unicot method (I don't count strokes; thinking I'm starting to learn the feedback from my coti), finishing with water-only and three layers of tape.



I stropped and stored the wedge and forgot about it for a while, getting to know my new hollow-ground.
When the wedge came up in my rotation next, I was taken-aback to find it gave me a better shave even than the hollow, navigating the nooks and crannies of my neck and jaw-line beautifully and leaving me smooth and satisfied. It's quickly become my favourite razor of the moment.
Seems that for my skin, a coticule edge on an old wedge makes for a silky smooth shave.
Anyone out there had a similar experience?

[DoughBoy68]

Sheffield razors seem to take a particularly smooth edge off a Coticule. I most generally finish all Sheffield razors on one but ever once in a while I'll run into one that doesn't react favorably to a Coticule, has not happened very often though. I do follow the Coticule with Crox pasted leather strop, Ferrous Oxide pasted leather strop (which helps s ooth the edge even more) before final stropping on a SRD polyweb & leather strop.

I have a Wade and Butcher, a Joseph Rodgers & Son and two Frederick Reynolds wedges that I finished on a Coticule, all are great shavers and the reason I love wedges!

Beautiful razor you have there, BTW!

[ejmolitor37]

I actually have a different experience with a coti. While the razor was a W&B it was a 5/8 W&B Special that was honed by a known member here and it was finished on a coti, it left me with razor burn every time. After trying several times with this razor I finally contacted the honer and asked why this is I have no issues with razors honed on synthetics?? He told me to do a few strokes on my 12k and try that, worked well. I guess the coti edge and I don't agree nice looking razor BTW, I have a W&B wedge like that and it leaves no trace of stubble great blade.

[Marshal]

I actually have a different experience with a coti. While the razor was a W&B it was a 5/8 W&B Special that was honed by a known member here and it was finished on a coti, it left me with razor burn every time. After trying several times with this razor I finally contacted the honer and asked why this is I have no issues with razors honed on synthetics?? He told me to do a few strokes on my 12k and try that, worked well. I guess the coti edge and I don't agree nice looking razor BTW, I have a W&B wedge like that and it leaves no trace of stubble great blade.

Hahaha, this may be the first time I've seen someone report a coticule edge not working for them. Well, I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later. Maybe that particular blade just doesn't take well to coticules?

I have a blade in my rotation honed off a newer coticule of who knows what vein. I know it's not the keenest thing I own. And for some reason that makes me a bit reluctant to shave with it when it comes up in my rotation. But It came up recently, and it's easy to forget how buttery smooth that shave can be. But if you're used to the super keen edge made by synthetics or Arkanstones it can be easy to forget 'da rules' and bump up the pressure to compensate. I had to make a conscious effort to resist the temptation to do just that.

Congrats on the success DoctorNick. I'm still working on my Wedge, maybe it'll shave one of these days.

[ejmolitor37]

I tried different angles and all kinds of different things thinking it was me but every time I used that particular blade I got a close shave but I had razor burn to prove it. Went to my 12k for a few laps and tada, no more razor burn. It is not a razor I use often because it is about the closest thing I have to a perfect vintage blade. But at least now I am not screaming when I use after shave

[DoctorNick]

Ejmolitor:
Interesting. As mentioned, I've got a few other hollow-grounds, two of which were finished with fine, synthetic honing and they don't irritate me and leave me very smooth, especially around the chin (I learnt on these). For me personally, it was just the wedge that rubbed me the wrong way. I have a piece of vintage french steel which was the first razor I touched up with my coticule when it started to pull and, the first time I did, the shave it gave was rough as guts. I chalk that up to honing technique, however, as I've since re-touched it and it's very smooth.
If I can learn to make my stone play nice with all my razors over time, I think I've found a good solution for my skin.

I'm still working on my Wedge, maybe it'll shave one of these days.

Marshal

I admit that I didn't 100% know what I was doing when I took the Wedge to my stone, but I seem to have gotten lucky.
What are you honing on?

[Marshal]

I think the last time I tried, I had used Welsh slates. I usually have a good amount of success with them, but this time it didn't pan out as I would've liked.

No big deal though. I think I'm going to run it through my synthetic stones next time I get after it.