The Sham Wedge

Take a great old Sheffield full wedge, have to honed to the perfect edge by Sham and what you have? Pretty much the perfect shave. This has not been touched by me except to strop it and it was  SO sharp and smooth today.

Pretty much a one pass shave but I did two cause it was so much fun :)) Using his edges always reminds me of what a perfect edge actually feels and shaves with so it's good to do occasionally, when I forget my place in my honemeister's journey. I'm still such a beginner but that's fine.

I only brought out this one blade to shave with this morning because I knew I wouldn't need anything else AND I wanted to just see what one blade shave feels like after using two and three to test things out virtually all the time now. This was nice.

Things NOT to forget

When honing Wedges, of ANY size, tape the damn blade. it makes it so much easier it's stupid.

My Russian blades like the Japanese stones. My stubborn 63 Russian which would not get smooth, smoothed out perfectly after yesterday's finisher on Nakayama one with soft and hard Uchi slurry, finishing on water.

Finish on water for the smoothest edge,whether it's a Jnat or  a coticule.

Flaschner Family Tree touch up

Pulled this baby into the rotation last night and decided to touch it up for today's shave.
Uchigumori base stone with Oozuku nagura  20 X strokes
                                         Hard Uchi nagura 20 X strokes
                                     on Water 40 X strokes
 35 linen
40 leather 
20 palm

Shave Report:
Perfect! Sharp and smooth Two passes with just the one blade, quite a rarity for me these days. Had the Sham Wedge out just in case but didn't need it. Sweet.

That Uchigumori is an amazing stone and when used with various slurries always creates an amazing edge.

Russian bevel re set

One more attempt at getting a decent edge out of my latest Russian blade.  I took it back down to start over again

Dull on Chosera

Chosera 800/slurry
Half strokes and circles til arm hair shave pretty quickly this is a fast stone

Cretan with tomo slurry
Circles and X strokes, keener fast too.

La dressante coticule with slurry ( milk)
X strokes for 25 reps then dilute
X strokes one drop every five( slurry already almost gone at start)
Definitely keener, this is also a great coti I don't use enough

Uchigumori on Hard uchi slurry
20 X strokes big bump!
Water 25 X strokes Very keen

35 on linen
40 on leather
20 on palm

I almost think it was better just off the Uchi with water before the strop!
we'll see

also,60 laps on leather for the Flaschner Dovo

SHAVE REPORT;


SUCCESS!! WHEN IN DOUBT, RESET THE BEVEL! THIS SHAVED LIKE A DREAM, FINALLY.


THE DOVO WAS GOOD BUT NOT GREAT AROUND THE CHIN, FOR SOME REASON. PERHAPS A BEVEL RESET HERE AS WELL?

Does it advance the edge?

That's what I asked myself as I decided my strategy for re honing my Vintage Flaschner Dovo. Instead of trying to use as few hones as possible I would try the Sham approach of smaller jumps between hones, with the idea that if the stone didn't advance the edge it would easier to go back and correct it than if one took very big jumps between hone grits.

I've never tried it before but 1) it's one way to use more of the too many hones I have, and 2) it will get me much more detailed info on the hones grit and place in the progressions afterwards.

Plus, there is the category differences of coticules, japanese naturals ( hones as well as naguras) and german hones. SO many toys to play with :))

Dull the Dovo on glass twice

BBW on slurry ( used slate side of bout; first time, not sure if it was a good idea)
this took longer than I expected but got to shaving arm hair in minutes.
I also thought about starting with the Cretan. One thing I am learning is that certain blades like certain stones more than others, Of that there is no doubt.

So BBW is about 1-3k grit

Nouvelle Vein coticule on light slurry
circles: definitely advanced the edge so perhaps 4-6K grit

8k Norton synthetic 25 X strokes

Threw this is there as a definitive marker. I KNOW this is 8k
definitely advanced the edge.

Les Latenuese coticule/ water
20 X strokes. the blade didn't like this coti OR I because I went right to water it didn't give the surface a chance to "warm up" . This advanced the 8K so it's at least 9-10K with water
Either way I went to

La Petite Blanche/water
30 X strokes
Now this the blade liked, right from the start on water with no bout used first.I REALLY love this coticule more every day. One of the one's I grab out of the house if I could only have a few.This definitely advanced the edge so I assume its 10-12K.

Oozuku on tomonagura slurry
circles and push strokes. one refresh of slurry

Oozuku on water
20 X strokes keeps getting keener

Oozuku bout /water
20 X strokes ( very small surface but great hard stone)

Uchigumori on water
50 X strokes
WAY advanced the edge. Without a doubt my finest finishing stone. The first stone I would grab going out of the house. This stone can do it all!

35 linen
50 leather
25 palm

then Russian 63 re do on Nakayama Asagi
NO dulling first

tomonagura slurry circles, 2 refreshes
hard uchi slurry circles then X strokes
water for X strokes,40 x strokes

totally different feel this time on water after warming up the stone with slurry work first. Definitely had a much better feel and connection between the hone and the stone.

MUCH keener tests, and the blade looks sandblasted under the microscope. we'll see tomorrow.

SHAVE REPORT

THE DOVO WAS GREAT! THE PROGRESSION WORKED BEAUTIFULLY AND THE BLADE WAS SHARP AND SMOOTH.EXCELLENT INFO ON THE GRITS AND PLACE IN THE PROGRESSIONS OF ALL THOSE HONES. HAVE TO PLAY WITH THIS IDEA MORE WITH OTHER HONES TOO.

BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW IT PROGRESSES WITH MORE STROPPING.

THE RUSSIAN WAS SHARP BUT IS JUST NOT A GOOD SHAVER FOR ME I HAVE TO CONCLUDE. TO THE BACK OF THE PILE:))

Nakayama Asagi

The guy who got me into all this straight razor madness loaned me his very hard Nakayama Asagi to play with.Perfect timing for my 62 Russian 5/8 that needed a redo

So first I used just the slurry stone he provided on the Russian.
4 sets of circles refresh the slurry. so so. I do think this blade is warped. but lets go on
30 reps of push strokes keener
10 X strokes on tomonagura slurry
on water 40 X strokes

it didn't seem to like water, as would be the case with the next blade the Antique Hungarian Dovo above. but the edge progressed so we went on

35 linen
40 leather
20 palm

Next the over 100+ year old First Production ( number 00) Dovo that I got in Hungary from Kalman Flaschner

dull on glass
 4 sets of circles on soft uchi
20 push strokes on hard uchi
20 push strokes on tomonagura
15 X strokes on tomonagura
40 X strokes on water

again, it didn't seem to like being on water and the blade never got into the groove. but the edge progressed so we'll see
35 linen
40 leather
25 palm


SHAVE REPORT


NOT GOOD AT ALL. NICKED ME IN THE STACHE AREA AND WAS NOT KEEN AT ALL. GOING TO TO A RE DO LATER TODAY. VERY SURPRISED.HAD TO FINISH WITH THE RUSSIAN.

Translucent Arkansas

A new addition to my hone collection: a translucent Arkansas stone. It's a tiny one but one of the sharpest razors I have ever shaved with was finished on one of these and when I saw this at the price I wanted I jumped. Not sure exactly how to use it yet so I am practicing.

I dulled this 63 Russian and reset things on my trusty Cretan stone

first with tomonagura slurry( it's finally making slurry !)
sets of circles, 3-4 laps shaving arm hair already! this thing is fast!
30 reps in push strokes refresh slurry
40 X strokes on water

then the Arkansas
50 X strokes on water : seems VERY sharp
35 on linen
50 on leather
25 on palm

Tomorrow!

SHAVE REPORT
NOT GOOD. NOT SHARP OR SMOOTH ENOUGH. IT WILL SHAVE BUT CONSIDERABLE RESISTANCE. THE BLADE ITSELF ISN'T THE BEST EITHER BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S IT. WILL PUT IT ON A FINISHER LATER TODAY.


Finisher report:


The Nakayam asagi on water did NOT work. Better than before but not good enough. Not sure if I should waste any more time on this blade, something's not right, but I will try one more thing: an Oouku progression and see how that works.