Thread: A silverwing problem

I bought a TI C135 with horn and a French toe. I have never really liked that razor, beautiful razor just really did not care for it. Long story short...I went on a week long trip so I put the TI and another nice razor in my razor bag which has most everything I need to keep an edge going forever. You know what, I love that razor now that I was forced to use it for a week. I did use a felted strop with CBN on it to tune it up but just as importantly I used a flatter angle while shaving with it. Gave me some outstanding shaves.

Take Care,
Richard

OK Lynn, these are the best pictures I could get with this camera.After I took them I started with an 8000 Norton,got a lot of swarf off with it,but NG,went to the 4000, still OK but not great,then it occurred to me that the grinding they did at the factory may not have been the best and that I just got lucky that it shaved with just a good stropping,so I went to the 100,with two pieces of Ace hardware tape,got a new bevel (no quick task) and worked up.
That was surprisingly Quick,went to 4000 with a combo Bout,and used the BBS,as a slurry stone
then the 8000with the yellow side and worked it to water,then on to the thurry,and C12K,and finally stropped it with the canvas side with chromium oxide ,and finally leather. The edge is back and sharper than ever,nice and smooth. I forgot to take a picture of the spine,but the razor was bought new at Christmas so there was (is) no wear,but thanks for all the help.
I think that IF you get one that shaves well out of the box your lucky and if it gets dull you might have to re-bezel it as who knows what they did at the factory,and you need to establish
your own angle and go from there.does this sound right? All I know is that is what I had to go through to get her shaving again.
Thanks
Griz
PS I know those pictures are kind of useless,but at least you can tell there straight

I don't know, maybe it's the pictures but it just looks to me like maybe you did a tad too much honing on that baby?

Yeah, the photos are so out of focus it is hard to tell whether it is glare or if the spine is flattened and the bevel is wide as a result of too much pressure.

I have to get a better camera, there is no wear on the spine,and I don't think the bevel is as wide as it looks in those pictures,I was just trying to get as close as possible,believe me if it were that bad I wouldn't have posted them

I'm glad you got it sharp again, Griz. Well done!

I have a first edition Silverwing (Round nose w/ Cocobolo scales) that was also a nightmare to get into shaving shape. I got it from a tool shop in Germany, and it was a big disappointment out of the box in terms of shave readiness. After several hours of work, I finally got it done, and it is really one of my top 3 shavers. So, this is a +1 to the idea that the "Carbonsong" steel is very hard and takes some extra work to whip into shape. The first time, I had to set the bevel on a 1k, followed up on 4k, 8k, Belgian Coticule, Naniwa10k, 3micron, 1micron, 0.25micron diamonds, plain linen and cordovan stropping. After all that work, it is really a marvelous razor. After 100 shaves or so, I had to spiff it up again on the 1 micron, 0.25micron and chrom ox paddles to keep it going in top form. I didn't use any tape on mine, by the way.

Cheers,
Massimo

100 shaves in one row? Stropping only? Nice one!

Originally Posted by jeness

100 shaves in one row? Stropping only? Nice one!

Yeah, just cotton/linen and cordovan. I didn't count, but I figure it was close enough to sniff triple digits.

But my main point is that I was baffled for a while, like Griz, about how much action it took to get it up to its potential.

Cheers,
Massimo

I think we see all these posts about how long it takes to typically do a minor hone job on a razor we assume it's always going to be pretty much similar no matter the brand, the metal the grind or size. Those of us who have the razors with harder steel know how long it can take to bring some razors up to their full potential. Razors like the Carbonsong or the TI Damascus are exceptional. I guess the next question would be to ask how many folks have such exceptional razors.

If I am not mistaken the C135 steel is the same as the Carbonsong's. I have found felt with CBN on felt to be a Godsend. It truly keeps the edge extremely smooth and keen. I do 5 quick laps just before my ATG pass and strop about 20 times. Overkill? That may be so but the shaves are like butter and something that I though I would never get from this razor...absolutely no burning or irritation after 4 passes!

Take Care,
Richard