Thread: Bluesman Blades

I concur.. Love my Bluesman..

As I have said I would love to have one of his Damascus blades but I have several that are for sale that just won’t sell so I’m guessing I need to lower my asking prices come the first of the year.

Ray, I'm really looking forward to hearing about the refinement with the pasted strops.
I've never used any and am curious to know if they take your razors edge to the next level.

Pete <:-}

For me, the pasted strops seem to work well. I know they may not work for some people. I know some people say they can shave off an 8K synthetic or a Coticule, but my tough beard just scoffs at those edges. I consider a 12K edge to be a bare minimum. I have a 12 K Naniwa SS and an edge off that synthetic is keen enough, but too harsh for my sensitive face.Thus, I have used a variety of things in an attempt to tame the edge.

After using your SG 16K at Dave's Wisconson meet, I purchased one of my own. I love the keenness, but if I tried shaving directly off the SG, it would be too harsh. I have tried a variety of pasted strops to tame the edge: CrOx, Cerium oxide, Mother's polish, etc. I settled on using Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN). Initially, I used 0.5 and 0.25 micron pastes and got good edges. Then I learned of Ken Schwarz 0.125 CBN sprays. I purchased a bottle of the spray along with a kangaroo leather on glass strop from CKTG. I was getting good edges off the 0.25 micron CBN paste, so I really doubted that I would see a significant improvement adding the 0.125 micron spray. However, my face immediately noticed the edges were both keener and smoother. Since CBN is not as aggressive as diamond, I use about 25 laps on each of my pasted strops without issue. I strop until I start to feel and hear the edge smooth out.

I have refined the edge of Vic's blade and plan to use it later today for my shave.

The verdict is in. Victor (AKA Bluesman) make one fine razor, but I guess you all knew that.

After polishing the edge with a combination of pasted strops, fabric strops and leather strops, I was able to achieve a BBS shave with minimal irritation. I normally go for a close, comfortable shave as my skin is usually too sensitive to withstand the strokes needed for a BBS shave.

Now to see how long Vic's steel will hold up to my beard. On most of my razors 5-6 shaves is the limit before a refresh is needed.

Congrats on a beautiful gift and razor.