Super Puma Part 2

Wow, my friends brought me SEVEN of his best blades to hone for him and it is like Christmas in June! I have a 7/8 dorko a 7/8 Puma from 1937, a 5/8 Flaschner and four others to work on. I love it and now don't have to dull any of MY blades to get it in,lol!

I also received the Buffalo strop ( above) from SRP to replace my chewed up English Bridle strop and it's so different in feel I can hardly believe it. Now I know what "draw" is and my English Bridle has it( resistance).The Buffalo strop seems like I'm honing on glass. It certainly looks and feels beautiful  and works well. We'll see after it wears in a bit( but NOT nicked:))

SO I chose the Super Puma to start with and man it gave me fits! Last time my friend dropped these off he said they were dull and they weren't. THIS time they were REALLY dull.
So I started with the cretan hone on slurry: nothing. and I mean NOTHING.

SO I switched to the BBW on slurry; still nothing with lots of circles and half strokes.

Then I went to Nakayama 1 and soft uchi slurry STILL NOTHING!!!! ACK!
Then I realized I must have used tape, or my friend did when he hone it last. I don''t think I did
this the blog about it:
http://choosestrength.blogspot.com/2012/01/super-puma.html

Then I remembered my friend also loaned me his Naniwa 12 k Super stone, a synthetic that is supposed to be a very fast cutter. I was at my wits end so I soaked it a bit and got to it.It got right to the point and it was shaving arm hair now, no problem! About freaking time.It was also cool to get to play with this stone and it was like honing on marble or something.

Very very smooth and slick. No abrasive noises at all but it turned things around in like 30 laps of X strokes. Now what?

 I thought it might like slate,a harder stone since it was such a hard damn stell. so I pulled out my Welsh Thurigian( the stone on the right) and made slurry with the DMT and it worked! I've always known some steel likes specific stones but this was VERY evident here. Of course it could have been I just wore down some of the spine so that I was actually now sharpening the edge instead of just the bevel but either way it worked!

Did lots of circles, the refreshed and did push strokes then X strokes all with fresh slurry then did a 20 lap X stroke dilution every 5 laps.

Then onto the Chinese 12 k and some Escher slurry. YES! I said ESCHER( actually I wrote it). I bought a escher slurry stone ( blue green ) from Sham and have wanted to play with it. I made a VERY small amount of slurry and went to work on just X strokes and a immediate dilute.Then laps on water. getting keener by the second!

Then onto the Uchigumori and a full Escher slurry. Man I need to get a real sized Escher stone now. It's the last thing I need for my collection. At least I have this little chunk:))

So LOTS of X strokes on the uchi and escher slurry and then test: VERY GOOD! Hairs dying quitely, as they should. then uchi on just water and it's rocking.

Then 20 laps on English bridle, 40 on Buffalo and 30 on palm.

It better shave good tomorrow, that's all I say.

SHAVE REPORT:


VERY GOOD. NOT PERFECT BUT VERY VERY GOOD. GOING TO GIVE IT ONE MORE SET OF LAPS ON THE UCHI ON WATER AND THAT SHOULD DO IT. VERY PLEASED WITH THIS ACTUALLY. 

1st: Stretch Skin, 2nd: Wet, 3rd :razor

Les Lat, La Petite blanche and 2 russians.

Decided to test out the coticules on some reliable russian blades I have. One the first one, which is a '65 blade with "bonna' on something similar on the tang I chose to just put the finishing touches on it and didn't pre dull it. I got this from Sham and it had a great edge on it for quite awhile.

I made very light slurry with another les lat bout and started doing X strokes right away. This stone cuts very fast and within TWO laps the slurry was turning grey! Didn't want to dull it too much so I did 10 total laps then diluted every 3 or X strokes washing off the blade under the faucet.

then 40 laps on water and it was showing a great keenness!

50 laps on leather ( no linen) and 20 on palm and we're good. I shaved with it first this morning and it was very sharp! SO sharp I actually caught the front of my ear ( first time) and got a nice little scratch. Got through the chin stubble no problem. Very good first pass

The next blade was my 63 russian and this I dulled first on glass. The light slurry again with a La Petite Blanche vintage combo stone. Started with half strokes and this cuts pretty well but not nearly as fast as the Les Lat. Still plenty of swarf coming up and four laps leather it was popping arm hairs so I began the dilute.Same method; rinsing the blade off instead of dropping water on the stone. Seems to work well.

Then forty for so laps on water and then the same on leather and 20  on palm

Shaved the second pass today with it and it was great too! It's good to finally be figuring these coticules out as they are so beautiful and fun to play with. Nice if they work well too.

As usual with a coti finish they are sharp but very very smooth.Next up are some more russian blades and the La Vert and I might play around with the '63 russian on la petite blanche to see if that stones advances the edge off the Les lat

I love my stones and razors!


SHAVE REPORT


TOOK THE 'BONNA' RAZOR WHICH AND DID 40 LAPS ON WATER ON THE LA PETITE BLANCHE TO SEE IF IT WOULD ADVANCE THE EDGE AND IT DID! NO PULLING AT ALL ON THE CHIN.
SO THE PETITE BLANCHE IS FINER THAN THE LES LAT,( WHICH IS PRETTY FINE) BUT THIS IS GOOD TO KNOW


ALSO DULLED AND RE DID THE EDGE ON ANOTHER RUSSIAN BLADE ON MY LA VERTE TO SEE HOW IT WOULD FARE AND IT ALSO DID GREAT.


I MADE A LIGHT SLURRY FROM THE 600 DMT AND USED X STROKES FROM THE START. NOT AS FAST A CUTTER(ESPECIALLY WITH X STROKES) BUT IT CAME AROUND PRETTY QUICKLY.


USED MY NEW DILUTION TECHNIQUE OF JUST RINSING OFF THE BLADE TIL I GOT TO WATER THEN DID 40 LAPS OF X STROKES ON WATER, THEN RIGHT TO LEATHER( 50 LAPS) AND THEN 30 ON PALM


SHAVED GREAT AND I DID THE FIRST PASS WITH THIS RAZOR AND IT HELD UP GREAT!
 SO NICE TO KNOW I CAN USE THE COTI'S CORRECTLY NOW AND WHAT A SMOOTH KEEN EDGE THEY GIVE.

'65 Russian 5/8 touch up

Even though I am very proud I got this blade to shave ready the other day , which was not a given, I didn't think the edge was even close to where I like. Sharp but not super smooth, so I dulled the blade on glass and did a re do.

Now that the bevel is set I can play with the edge

Les lateneuse with light slurry
circles. started turning gray immediately.FAST  cutter! did three or four laps, tested( good) and refreshed slurry and did more circles. The blade definitely likes this stone( as do I:))

then onto the Chinese 12 k on Tam O'Shanter slurry. Circles again and it was advancing the edge for a bit but then I thought I better go to just water and I was right .Got keener much faster

Just 20 laps of X strokes. Now onto the Oozuku on water.

20 laps of X strokes and the blade likes this stone as well :))Finish again on the Uchigumori on water for 50 laps X strokes . Starting to pop hairs like it should.

50 laps on leather and that's it. Test shave tomorrow.

SHAVE REPORT;


NOT BAD, NOT PERFECT BUT NOT BAD PERHAPS AN 8.8 :)) SHARP ENOUGH BUT NOT AS SMOOTH AS DESIRED. I THINK IT LIKES COTICULES MORE THAN JAPANESE STONES SO ONE MORE TEST; A FEW LAPS ON MY LES LAT AS A FINISHER AND SEE WHAT TOMORROW'S SHAVE BRINGS.


BTW  MY SWEDISH 4/8 IS FINALLY COMING AROUND AFTER INNUMERABLE 'TOUCH UPS' ON VARIOUS AND SUNDRY STONES. ACTUALLY SHAVED LIKE A WEDGE TODAY ON THE SECOND PASS, SILENT AND SMOOTH;))

New Russian 1965 5/8" blade and an ordeal

I have 8 Russian 5/8" blades ranging in age from 1956 to 1965( my newest one, above) and they all have been  breeze to sharpen and hone and to keep keen, Not this one,although it showed up with a great looking bevel. I thought it would be easy,

Ah, no.

The above group of stones is all that it took to get this thing even semi close. I'll see tomorrow but it took forever

First( as I did on the last russian):


BBW circles 8 passes: Nothing
Cretan hone with slurry : circles nothing
Nakayama on slurry : nothing


Back to basics
Chosera 800 with slurry : bevel strokes nothing for awhile then a bit of TNT bite
( worked out some dead spots in the edge with the chosera 600 slurry stone and this produced chips! ack)
Dull on glass 2 downstrokes
Chosera without slurry : sharper


King 1000 X strokes ( on water)


Then
Nakayama 1 with soft uchi slurry : circles refresh slurry twice 'shaving some armhair!
Nakayama 2 with Chu Nagura slurry circles  its working!
Oozuku with tomonagura slurry: better still! finally.
Nakayama Asagi with tomonagura X strokes and push strokes. : keener and looking better under the scope
Uchigumori with Karusu slurry: X strokes 40 laps
                          water 50 laps
tests are ok great in some spots so so in others

50 laps linen
30 on palm

test tomorrow.


SHAVE REPORT:
NOT BAD AT ALL. I'D GIVE IT AN 8.5.NOT QUITE AS SHARP OR AS SMOOTH AS I WOULD LIKE BUT CONSIDERING IT WAS A BUTTER KNIFE AT FIRST, AND FOR MORE THAN A FEW HOURS AFTER SHARPENING, I'LL TAKE IT.


AND THE RAZOR ITSELF IS IN GREAT SHAPE TOO,ESPECIALLY THE SCALES. IT IS A KEEPER. A FEW MORE TIMES ON THE HONE AND IT WILL BE AS GOOD AS IT'S OTHER RUSSIAN BROTHERS.

Sheffield 5/8" wedge on Uchigumori

I haven't been posting much but I have been honing and shaving a lot. Got a new 6/8" 65 Russian blade coming and I've pretty much given up on the swedish 4/8" as I can't seem to get it really shave ready no matter what I do.

when I feel like scraping a razor against a stone I play with that one, then test it. It's getting better but it's still not the quality edge I want . I think the blade is warped

But I touched up my Dovo forestal on the Uchi with Karusu slurry and it was magic! 25 laps on slurry and 40 on water and it was like glass!

Did the same thing with my  antique Sheffield 5/8, 30 laps on Karusu Slurry on the Uchi then 40 laps on water and it shaved like a dream today as well! No tape either. I put my time in with this thing before, resetting the bevel and it's held.

I love my Uchigumori stone, and now, realizing the that the Karusu slurry is the best ( plenty of other tests confirmed this) I have my new touch up go to combination. Sweet!

Swedish 4/8" Wedge

Won this Swedish Gufstasson 4/8" smiling face wedge on the Bay and hoped it would be shave ready. It wasn't even close. I was a bit worried as it looked really refurbished and polished to the nines. I was hoping the temper wasn't affected as it didn't want to lay quite flat on the hone. Add in the full wedge, plus the smile, PLUS hard ass Swedish steel and I knew I was in for some work. I was. I also noticed there were NO hone marks on the spine which made me suspicious. Old blades, especially wedges, are notorious for having lots of hone wear on the spine.

The old timers never taped their blades to sharpen them.

First I just tried to touch it up on the Oozuku with some slurry, yesterday but that didn't seem to help at all so today I started over and decided to tape it, with TWO LAYERS FROM THE START to acquiese to the Wedge gods which seem to always demand the damn things get taped to hone.

So two layers of tape and onto the BBW Nouvell vein coticule. NOTHING! Lots of circles and half strokes and X strokes and I could tell the blade didn't like the stone. SO

Onto the Cretan hone with DMT slurry and the same circles and half strokes. Better but not making good contact with the stone so I decide I need to start from the start. Took off all tape and soaked my Chosera 800. Get it right from the start.

Chosera 800 for half strokes with slurry. Lots of swarf and lots of reps. starting to shave arm hair. Now we're getting somewhere.

Cretan hone on slurry. advanced the edge. two refreshes.

Welsh Thuringian; something told me it would like this so I brought it out. DMT slurry and the blade DID like it. Went well but I had to focus on working lots of individual sections of the blade as it must have some warp in it.

then I went to Oozuku with soft uchi, then tomonagura then hard uchi slurry and the edge declined.:((

So I went back to WT and slurry and brought it back the keenness. SInce it seems to like Euro slate I took out the Chinese 12 k on water and it worked well there. Definitely advanced the edge

Then finished with Uchi ( more slate like)on water for 40 laps of X strokes
then 35 on linen
50 on leather
25 on palm

I don't think it's perfect yet but it should shave decently. There are still some spots near the  toe that aren't right but we'll  see.

SHAVE REPORT


MUCH MUCH BETTER BUT STILL NOT PERFECT. I THINK IT WILL TAKE A FEW TRIPS TO THE HONE TO REALLY EVEN THIS OUT BUT I GOT THROUGH MY WHOLE FACE AND IT WAS A DECENT SHAVE. FINISHED UP WITH THE 13/16 W& B Chopper.