Thread: Best shave to date.

So, using only the Arkansas oil stone that I got last week and a strop I made this afternoon I got the best, closest shave that I have had from a straight. I grabbed a 2x16 piece of leather from a leather worker I know, and used spray adhesive to attach a strip of denim to the back. A few applications of saddle soap and I was ready to go. I honed up a mildly dull Wester Brothers "Anchor" that gave me a bit of a problem, as the toe had a bit of a smile and pretty extensive hone wear. Finally got the last 1/4 inch of the blade sharp, stropped it on the denim then the leather and gave it a shot. Closer and less irritation than the last few shaves that I have had with my DE using Wilkinson Swords. I had sworn off the straight until I had some hones or sent off to have a blade sharpened. I know that it is not the best setup, and that I need a few more stones to REALLY get a good edge, but for now I am pretty pleased. Especially considering that I had been told that it was not an ideal way to attain a shave ready edge. I think that I am grasping the method for honing and stropping down pretty well as of now. Going to try to revive another razor tonight. All in all, a good day.

That's great that you got a good shave using a "roll your own" type of set up. Sometimes I think that we get so hung up on having the perfect setup that we overlook the fact that there are a lot of ways to skin the cat when it comes to shaving.

Way to go!

Congratulations on getting a good job done with your homemade strop and oilstone! I think that when you move up to even a decent barber hone, you will be achieving much finer edges and better shaves. I recommend a Swaty or Frictionite. My learning curve was much steeper than yours, and the first good edges I attained were with an eBay Swaty that I got for a very low price. Lots of terrible shaves came first! You are doing fine.

I didn't mention that I only did two WTG passes, and had been doing two WTG one XTG with the DE. That was also pretty confidence inspiring.

Just to revive this thread, I thought I would post my progress with the Arkansas stone. I soaked it in a degreaser overnight, and the next morning lapped it on a piece of glass using 400 grit wet dry paper. More of a deglazing than a real "lapping", as the stone was virtually flat when I started the process. It did have a lot of metal shards embedded in the surface, which were removed nicely. After soaking and cleaning, I used soapy water to do maybe...200 strokes while listening to some old Robert Johnson, then hopped in the shower. 80 denim, 40 leather, one pass WTG one pass XTG and I was set. No irritation, pretty pleased with the shave. Now I am working on a Landers, Frary and Clark 1/4 Hollow to see if I can replicate the results. I can tell a world of difference between the stone with water vs oil. Still keeping my eye out for an old barber's hone, but until then I am good to go.

Hello, Blockhead:

You are becoming a true master. Congratulations, not only on your shave, but also on your ingenuity.

Regards,
Obie

Originally Posted by Obie

Hello, Blockhead:

You are becoming a true master. Congratulations, not only on your shave, but also on your ingenuity.

Regards,
Obie

Aw, shucks.

On another high note, tonight I turned in a shave in about 10 minutes! I normally take upward of 45 minutes for two passes, including stropping before the shave. Tonight I stropped, did one WTG pass and cleaned up in about 10. Good to know that I can get a passable shave with less time invested. Now I may not be so hasty about not shaving when in a hurry. I figure if I can do a few real shaves per week, and do a quick one on the other days, if nothing else it will improve my technique, right?

I have also started using only homemade lye soap and witch hazel with corn huskers to finish. Nothing else.

Great stuff. Keep at it and your shaves will improve by a mile.

You are rocketing up the learning curve - Way to Go!

Pabster