Originally Posted by
mjhammer
Shave Report #1:
I honed a 4/8 Salamandar that I had used before with good success. The only problem was I dulled it up pretty well using my C12k incorrectly, with a surface that was not truly finished well.
In a previous post I spoke about how I re-lapped it then took it up to 8k and polished the heck out of so that it almost shines, even when dry.
After going thru the normal progression to 8k, this razor was sharp enough to shave with already. I know because I've done it before. This time however, I did 200 X's on the Cnat, doing 20 circles in between every 25 X's using very light pressure, almost just the weight of the razor.
Right after dinner, I was anxious as heck to shave with it tonight, and I had very high expectations. I took extra precautions during my pre-shave prep, and using just VDH straight to the face for the first pass I was highly impressed. It cleaned all the spots I expected to be cleaned in 1 pass, and left the rest as was expected as well.
For the second pass XTG I used some shave gel (non foaming gel called: Rise baby face shave gel) that I got for my wifes legs and her DE originally. I rubbed it in good, then lathered over the top of that with the VDH that was still in the brush. the XTG was good enough to not even need an ATG, but I did one anyway, using the same prep. It was truly a DFS result.
I am so impressed with this stone now. Before I had never gotten decent results when using it, so I was about to write it off as not worth the small amount I paid for it, but now I think it is worth every cent!!
I do believe the trick is in how I prepped the stone, and the fact that I couldn't raise a slurry on it, so basically it was a really light slurry for the first 25 X's and after that was clear water.
I did strop it another 100 laps before shaving, so the total was 100 felt - 300 leather before the razor ever touched my face.
No nicks, no tug or pull, no weepers and best of all, hardly no feedback from the alum block or the AS, which was Osage Rub, followed by some good old British Sterling Edt.
I tell ya men, it was a DFS!! Tomorrow I'm going to hone up one of my Spikes from my 7 day set and test the same process on a wedge and see what I think. I will have to use tape on the spike, so it will be an interesting experiment still. As I sit here I am still faceturbating like crazy it was such a good shave. hehehe.
That's it for tonight!! :)
Happy honing men!!
Mike