Thread: What a difference a day makes!

The first time I used my TI 6/8 it was not shave ready. I only managed to shave my cheeks and got one hell of a razor burn.

If I had listened to good advice I would have had my razor professionally honed, but then what would be the fun in that?

related posts:
New TI 6/8, Not shave ready and uneven bevel, is this normal?
Newbie with a new TI 6/8, After First str8 Shave (pics of edge)

Today I was determined to get the razor sharp or bust. I smoked a nice cigar (Romeo & Juliet, Limited Edition 2005) to mellow me out, then sat down to hone the razor. It took 3 hours but I got the blade to pop a hair from toe to heel.

Here was the drill for the shave:

Showered with anticipation.
Massage in Feather Pre-shave lotion
Hot Towels 1 min.
Lather (Taylor of Old Bond Street, Sandalwood soap) & Feather Pre-shave
Hot Towels 1 min.
Lather
Shave 1st pass
Lather
Hot Towels 1 min.
Lather
Shave 2nd pass
Feather shaving gel (Sample size from classicshaving.com)
Shave 3rd touch up pass
Feather after shave lotion.

No cuts or nicks. Less irritation than with a DE and mostly a much closer shave. I am ammazed at the control & feedback I get with the str8 blade. Considering this was the first full shave it was much easier than I feared.

I have a tough beard but now my face is baby smooth my wife loves the results. Can't wait for tommorow's shave.

I am now motivated to hone the razor to an even sharper edge.

Cool, congrats! I'd be motivated to keep shaving with it. Sounds as if it is performing very well.

Originally Posted by vladsch

I am now motivated to hone the razor to an even sharper edge.

LMAO - You'll fit in just fine around here.

Seriously, you might consider soome pasted strops or balsa hones to supplement your stone. They are really a pleasure if you are into superhoning. Also, if you are going to be restoring difficult blades, a 1k or 2k stone is a lot quicker than the 4k side, albeit a little more risky.

You must have an awesome feeling of accomplishment after that first shave.

Be careful about going back to the hone. I've actually brought my edges DOWN a peg as often as up. Try to be even more careful and gentle on the next run and do a smaller pyramid too. A few 1/3 passes is a nice conservative step. Rome wasn't built in a day. Do you have some other blades to practice honing on? Would be a good idea.

A 0.5 micron paste after the Norton 4k/8k helps improve my edges. I'm going to try adding a 12k stone and finish with the 0.25 micron paste soon to see if I can get the edge even sharper.

X

I was beaming with success after the shave. Never thought it would be that good, that soon. I had visions of blood, sweat and fears. Expected a good shave to take months. Instead, my second shave is light-years ahead of an M3 and closer than a DE without the nicks.

I have lots of razors to practice on. I have picked up a few (dozen) on e-bay, I am sure I overpaid for a couple of them, but not too much. Unfortunately they are all in transit.

The problem with me is when I want something, I want it yesterday. I was not planning on doing honing practice on my new TI but I had nothing else, the TI was not shave ready and I wanted a str8 shave. So, I told myself I will get it shave ready or I will hone it to a stump. Lucky for me, I got it shave ready first.

I feel that my success should be shared with the members of these forums. You guys are a treasure of information and support.

Well done!