Thread: From an email to a friend today

I wrote this in an email this afternoon, and thought I'd share it with the community. Nothing new here, but a nice comment about the SRP gang:

I had a nice shave, which is a surprisingly deep meditation. I started by re-honing one of my razors, going all the way back to a 1000-grit hone, which is the coarsest one we use for them. At that grit you "set the bevel," which means re-creating a sharp V at the edge. Stropping between honings tends to convert that V-shaped profile into a more U-shaped one, and if you go to the finer hones while there's still a U-shape, all you'll do is polish the sides of the U. You won't do anything at all for the cutting edge. Honing is also very meditative and contemplative; you have to be completely present for the activity or you'll damage the very fine edge instead of improve it. From 1000 grit (grits of this size will pass through a mesh of ~1/1000 inch) I went to 4000 (mesh of 1/4000 inch) until I had honed away the 1k scratch pattern, then to 6000 until that had honed away the 4k pattern, then to 8000. Many people stop at 8000; it's a good test of your honing skill if you can get a comfortable shave from an 8k stone. I know I can, so moved on to my 12k hone, which is a miraculous block of material. It hones so quickly and polishes so smoothly; it's hard to believe that one hone could do both things so well. From the 12k I went to a natural hone, a Charnley Forest, which is similar to Arkansas stones but was quarried in the UK up to about a century ago. Charnley hones were created by cottage industrialists; I don't know if anyone made their primary living by collecting the mineral hunks and turning them into hones. It was very labor-intensive; the mineral (novaculite) is extremely hard. The original market for Charnleys was carpenters, but now straight-razor shavers treasure them. They are one of the holy grails of honers. They're pretty, too--green with red inclusions. They look very organic. It's hard to assign grit sizes to natural hones; the best you can do is to recommend using them before or after artificials of known grit. My favorite thing about the 12k hone is the way it bridges the gap between the 8k and the naturals.

So, after about an hour of honing and a few minutes of stropping, then the ritual whipping of the lather, I enjoyed a shave like I haven't had since the last time I honed so carefully. When it's properly sharp, the blade removes barbs as a side-effect of gently scraping away the lather. You could scrape off the lather with a butter knife. When you do it with a properly honed razor, it feels the same as a butter knife but leaves a swath of smooth face in its wake. It's such a small, fine-detail achievement, but it's deeply rewarding too. The straight-shaving user group is a refuge of calm, friendly, generous, and articulate men. It's not a random cross-section of society. There are some oddballs and goofballs, too. I'm probably one of them. My fellow goofball is Carl, from somewhere in Australia. We just bring it out in each other. Fun community. Actually, we're all oddballs there. And we're proud!

Salutations,

I just wanted to say that I feel your portrayal of how meditative straight razors can be was not only accurate, but rather inspiring. I, too, find the focus, movements, and grace that occurs during a straight shave to be somewhat zen like.

As for us being goofy or oddballs ...
I have no idea what you are talking about! I mean, what is more normal than putting a murderously sharp piece of steel up to ones own throat in the intentions of looking pretty... *shrugs*

Sincerely,
JackofDiamonds

Yes, Carl is certainly a goofball!
The other day my wife jumped on the laptop while I was away, and she started scrolling through the SOTD posts. She said she couldn't BELIEVE that there are a bunch of guys talking about shaving! I said I didn't think it was that weird, and, actually, it's more than just about shaving. For me, at times, it's also a bit like a men's support group. She said "Can you imagine if I went on a shower forum?". I said "That's different", she said "Why?", I said 'because you're NAKED!". She just shook her head and said I was an idiot.

Last night I was sitting on the lounge with the laptop and saw a witty post here I smirked to myself. My wife asked what I was laughing at, she asked if there was something funny on facebook. I said no. She said, not that straight razor place thing? I said, yeah. Again, she said I was an idiot...

I agree with your comments about honing and being meditative. I agree you've REALLY got to get into that moment. You can't be 'slap-dash' with it at all, esp on the trickier razors. I was thinking just last night. I have only 5 razors, plus one I gave to my son. So since I started this SR shaving I've only honed five razors, for an average of maybe two a month. That's not a lot. I'm really happy that I'm self sufficient with it though, and can keep them all shave ready and, as you say, feeling like a butter knife but acting like a razor blade. I have a slightly warped and otherwise tricky De Pews which is testing me (though it's adequate at the moment, it could improve) and I think when I get my first Kamisori (soon, when my car stops breaking down) that'll also test me. It's so fulfilling to be able to hone your own razor, and the camaraderie of this group is incredible.

I've frequented other forums before (like the fountain pen forum) but I've never found a more willing to help group as on here :-)


BTW, Carl lives in Mount Torrens, up here in the hills above Adelaide, with the cows, sheep, birds, trees and fellow hard drinkin' hill-billies.

Nice post!

A proper shave is a God send in my book. There is nothing like feeling your face and realizing just how your face reflects the harsh reality of the day. A quick shower and a freshly honed razor wipes away the rough part of the day. There is nothing like it!

Would not trade anything for that feeling of renewal and it is due, in large part, to the people at SRP that have been so kind as to share the knowledge. The connection of the stone to the blade can be a very powerful flow of energy and is sometimes mystical in its absolute, and sometimes elusive, simplicity.


Take care,
Richard

Carl, I'm glad I'm not the only one who laughs out loud while reading on this site. I figured you were probably the other. Yeah, my wife looks askance at me too, especially after I've read her the thing I thought was so funny. Thank God we all have each other on this site.

What, there's a naked ladies showering forum?? On the INTERNET?? Of all things!

Originally Posted by roughkype

Carl, I'm glad I'm not the only one who laughs out loud while reading on this site. I figured you were probably the other. Yeah, my wife looks askance at me too, especially after I've read her the thing I thought was so funny. Thank God we all have each other on this site.

What, there's a naked ladies showering forum?? On the INTERNET?? Of all things!

Yeah, you're making me feel normal... :-)