Thread: Ballistol & Horse Hide experiment

Kevin

Day five, and it is still sharp, though not as many weepers, just using 50 on Nylon & Horse Hide on day 5. Still very comfortable.

Thanks

Marty

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

To each his own, I guess.

Originally Posted by Domino

Well that is obvious..

Obvious, yet apparently misunderstood. This most likely was a polite way of saying that some would not consider "weepers" to be a goal for their shave.

Maybe it was a misunderstanding.... I can't speak for Marty but I don't think his intended goal was for "weepers".

The goal was not to produce weepers. It was an observation of what an application of Ballistol did to a previously unimpressive Horse Hide strop.

I have been able to make other razors produce weepers with MAAS and a stropping on Cow Hide would calm down the edge and stop the weepers, while still giving a smooth & comfortable shave.

This time I chose to continue to strop with only Nylon & Horse Hide and see how long it would take to stop producing weepers.

It has now been 12 days 600 laps on the Horse Hide and still producing weepers. Normally 50-100 laps on any other Cow Hide strops I have would have stopped the weeper edge while remaining a smooth and comfortable shaver.

The only change to my normal routine was the use of the Ballistol treated Horse Hide as opposed to a Latigo final stropping. I believe the Horse Hide produced these results and continues to produce these results

It has now been 12 days, 600 laps on the Ballistol Horse Hide and still this morning 5-6 weepers. The Ballistol has increased the draw only slightly, nothing like Mink or Neets Foot oils. Still smooth still comfortable and the weepers seal up with just a cold water rinse.

Marty

So doesn't that mean that the Ballistol has decreased performance? I still don't understand how a sup-par edge is a measure of stropping excellence.

Benjamin

So exactly how do you figure an edge that is so sharp as to be weeper producing, is a sub par edge?

Marty

Since I measure my success by how much I DON'T cut myself, I like my edge to be sharp and smooth. If I cut myself and the edge is sharp, than either it's harsh or I was not paying attention to my technique.

To me, saying "My edge is so good I cut myself" is about the same as saying "My car is so fast, I crash three times a week."

Originally Posted by M Martinez

Benjamin

So exactly how do you figure an edge that is so sharp as to be weeper producing, is a sub par edge?

Marty

If it is genuinely sharp and smooth, then the shaving may be the sub-par part. Otherwise weepers are often the result of an over-honed or rough edge, in my experience. In any case, a technique that guarantees I will remove skin along with my beard isn't exactly one I'm going to call "Mission Accomplished" and begin emulating.

Oh hell.
I suppose I should have left the "to each their own" comment alone.

Along the lines of to each their own, if some of those "each" want little bloody spots all over their faces and consider that to be the hallmark of a great shave and a correctly prepped razor, then they are welcome to it. Others probably figure that sharp and comfortable can both go together without drawing any blood. The premise of this thread seems to imply that producing weepers is a good thing, or is somehow a standard for assessment of stropping function, and I disagree with that.

Ballistol is a great product and it will soften and preserve leather.

Any oil has the potential to raise the grain of a leather strop leaving it feeling fuzzy, furry, or velvety. In my opinion this is not a good thing.

From time to time I apply Ballistol to the unfinished (the nonstropping) side of my strop. This keeps the strop supple (and in 100 years I’ll know if it preserves) without changing the nature of the stropping surface.

I remain &c
LG Roy