Thread: Truckin' on the road

I believe it when our friend here says he's no greenhorn. He might be new to this hobby but he already has 6 months of experience at it & I believe he has done his homework & is different from many new members who have never used a straight before. Those are the ones that need to get their straight razor pro honed but you can see from his first post he first started honing & seems to have done well & getting better with time. Also on one of his last runs, while in California, he stopped by Classic Shaving in which they treated him very well there & with lots of respect or he wouldn't have spent two hours there. I know if I didn't like a place in the first 5-10 minutes, I would have walked out the door rather than waste my time there. He also mentions in another post that he had his straight's with him & took them into CS for Will to look at & after talking, he was told he is on the right track. This guy isn't the average new member. He has done a lot of reading, most likely at night on the internet & watched a lot of YouTube video's on straight razor shaving. Also, I think he is one who can pick things up fast like he started with honing first & seemed to do pretty good at it. I wouldn't advise it to any other new member but this man is an exception from what I have read so far. He has made some good points plus he said " No disrespect to the pros" & "Experience is the best teacher.". Being a former factory certified Harley-Davidson service tech for many years, I learned most of my knowledge out in the field. Few people are natural born learners & he seems to be one of them. Although I have always had a mechanical ability, thanks to my dad, God rest his soul, I went through a school with intentions of making good grades but I never thought I would make the highest grade average plus get the "Top Tech" award for it. They just don't give those away, only one is given per graduation period & it is earned through hard work. I aced most of my quizzes & when I got one question wrong, I was angry at myself & would go home & look through my notes & books for the right answer.

http://i.imgur.com/OTC7KEV.png?1

I'm proud of that but I won't show my complete transcript, I don't want to hijack this thread. Nuf said about my schooling.
I say he has done his homework after I read he has "beautiful straight razors, gold washed, etched, carved, barber's notches, Spanish points, square points, etc. that I can hold in my hand EVERY night, a blade that I've hone razor perfection... now that's the art of manliness." That's his decision & personal preference what he wants & likes. I personally do not own a GD but I have read a lot about them. Each one isn't the same. Some are good & some aren't so good. It sounds like he got lucky & got one of the better ones. They aren't on the list of "Brands of Straight Razor's to Avoid". Everyone has their own opinion & I say, to each his/her own. I wish Longhaultanker the best of luck in the future. He seems to be a pretty knowledgable man!

Originally Posted by engine46

I believe it when our friend here says he's no greenhorn. He might be new to this hobby but he already has 6 months of experience at it & I believe he has done his homework & is different from many new members who have never used a straight before. Those are the ones that need to get their straight razor pro honed but you can see from his first post he first started honing & seems to have done well & getting better with time. Also on one of his last runs, while in California, he stopped by Classic Shaving in which they treated him very well there & with lots of respect or he wouldn't have spent two hours there. I know if I didn't like a place in the first 5-10 minutes, I would have walked out the door rather than waste my time there. He also mentions in another post that he had his straight's with him & took them into CS for Will to look at & after talking, he was told he is on the right track. This guy isn't the average new member. He has done a lot of reading, most likely at night on the internet & watched a lot of YouTube video's on straight razor shaving. Also, I think he is one who can pick things up fast like he started with honing first & seemed to do pretty good at it. I wouldn't advise it to any other new member but this man is an exception from what I have read so far. He has made some good points plus he said " No disrespect to the pros" & "Experience is the best teacher.". Being a former factory certified Harley-Davidson service tech for many years, I learned most of my knowledge out in the field. Few people are natural born learners & he seems to be one of them. Although I have always had a mechanical ability, thanks to my dad, God rest his soul, I went through a school with intentions of making good grades but I never thought I would make the highest grade average plus get the "Top Tech" award for it. They just don't give those away, only one is given per graduation period & it is earned through hard work. I aced most of my quizzes & when I got one question wrong, I was angry at myself & would go home & look through my notes & books for the right answer.

http://i.imgur.com/OTC7KEV.png?1

I'm proud of that but I won't show my complete transcript, I don't want to hijack this thread. Nuf said about my schooling.
I say he has done his homework after I read he has "beautiful straight razors, gold washed, etched, carved, barber's notches, Spanish points, square points, etc. that I can hold in my hand EVERY night, a blade that I've hone razor perfection... now that's the art of manliness." That's his decision & personal preference what he wants & likes. I personally do not own a GD but I have read a lot about them. Each one isn't the same. Some are good & some aren't so good. It sounds like he got lucky & got one of the better ones. They aren't on the list of "Brands of Straight Razor's to Avoid". Everyone has their own opinion & I say, to each his/her own. I wish Longhaultanker the best of luck in the future. He seems to be a pretty knowledgable man!

If he had a razor honed beyond his abilities though, he would then have a standard to aim for or at least be aware of.
just a thought

Excellent response from engine46. Just keep doing what you're doing Longhaultanker. Best of luck to you.

Originally Posted by wayne394

Avoid the thumb pad test. Once you have honed and stropped your edge, it should be incredibly sharp and brushing your thumb pad across it can cause damage. Remember, the edge of that blade is microscopically thin and to an extremely fine point. Brushing your thumb across it will do the same as poor stropping, undoing all your efforts to get it sharp.

The thumb pad test is a great way to check if your bevel is set.
Doing the thumb pad test after the blade has been honed and stropped is a bad idea.
Just to clarify

Originally Posted by JOB15

The thumb pad test is a great way to check if your bevel is set.
Doing the thumb pad test after the blade has been honed and stropped is a bad idea.
Just to clarify

I never use a thumbpad test. I just try it if I have some arm hair & then just shave to test it! If I don't have any hair left on my arm, I get some hair from a comb or brush.

Originally Posted by engine46

I never use a thumbpad test. I just try it if I have some arm hair & then just shave to test it! If I don't have any hair left on my arm, I get some hair from a comb or brush.

Whatever works for you.. I learnt the thumb pad test from Lynn Abrams...I learnt the thumb lick, sticky test from Max Sprecher . That's what works for me

Originally Posted by JOB15

Whatever works for you.. I learnt the thumb pad test from Lynn Abrams...I learnt the thumb lick, sticky test from Max Sprecher . That's what works for me

Actually I was wrong, I was thinking thumbnail. I will use a thumbpad. I'm never afraid to admit when I'm wrong about anything. One can usually feel the dullness or sharpness with the thumped. I have never tried the sticky test.

Originally Posted by engine46

Actually I was wrong, I was thinking thumbnail. I will use a thumbpad. I'm never afraid to admit when I'm wrong about anything. One can usually feel the dullness or sharpness with the thumped. I have never tried the sticky test.

I salute you
I've never tried the thumb nail test. I'm not sure what that's all about.

The other one I mentioned is to lick your thumb so it is quite wet.
Then place it on the edge , as if your gonna do the thumb pad test.
Try to slide your thumb forward, if it grips then the bevel on that part is set, if your thumb slides then it is not set.

Originally Posted by JOB15

I salute you
I've never tried the thumb nail test. I'm not sure what that's all about.

The other one I mentioned is to lick your thumb so it is quite wet.
Then place it on the edge , as if your gonna do the thumb pad test.
Try to slide your thumb forward, if it grips then the bevel on that part is set, if your thumb slides then it is not set.

Thanks. I have heard of a thumbnail or fingernail test to see if a blade will make a slight mark but I don't do that because it can dull a sharp blade but I misread what you said at first. I then wondered about the sticky test & now I know what you mean. That makes good sense.

Originally Posted by RezDog

Your Wacker will be a treat for sure. Have you considered any of the vintage blades? You have some very nice razors, and all are current productions, if you look to the vintage blades there are some different styles and different shaving experiences. I have an old Frederick Reynolds that I am quite fond of that is very different from your current rotation. Just a thought.

The nice thing about a hobby is that there are usually many different aspects to it and the hobbyist can find which he wants to focus on. Personally, I have no interest in vintage razors. I like the mirror polish of the TIs, the gold washes of the Dovos, the etchings and carved spines, and I don't mind paying for these. To me there is nothing better that holding one of these beautiful works of art and shaving with an edge I honed. I have neither time or interest to hunt and find vintage razors, restore them (requiring equipment I don't have). To buy a vintage only takes my money from the next new purchase. A vintage would truly have to sparkle and posses unique features for me to be interested. Then there's always that question, is there something else I could get?