New member from Sydney

silverlifter said:
My preferences are, loosely, 13/16 → 8/8. I have a couple of 6/8s but I find them too small and fiddly. Japanese half hollows are the perfect grind in terms of consistency and comfort, but it is hard to beat a Filarmónica 14. I much prefer natural edges over synthetic, and so does my skin! :)

Myrsol makes the best aftershaves, hands down. Speicks products are uniformly great; I have everything from their deodorant to their EdT. After using a badger for nearly two decades, I fell for synthetics, but am now heading back into natural brushes, with my first boar.

There are too many excellent soaps around to worry about unobtanium or the overhyped death of tallow. We are in the golden age of shaving soap production.

You asked! :p
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Interesting,
Talking about preferences I have tried only 2 razors. One blunt and the other way sharper but I still do knot know if it was shave ready or not😂. I will see when comparing with a gold dollar I am going to get from last PIF👍🏻. But checking only 2 razors I can already say they both feel completely different. Hopefully one day I will find the perfect one (maybe the one I have just sharp😂). I do not know what is soo magical about those filarmonicas. Everyone says they are the best. All of them are soo great or just the particular ones? Maybe one day I will have a chance to check by myself.
About the honing I have no idea as I never have chance to compare. I picked synthetic one as they say they are better for beginners. I was also very close to order a new coticule but after reading many posts I resigned. It is nearly impossible to pick the good one. I have read a post where some master said he had around 100 coticules and 1 was great, a few really good, some avarage and half of them rubbish. This is too expensive game for me especially that I would never be able to recognise good from bad🫣
I have 5 brashes. 4 badgers and one pig. I am not going to buy any more as I think all of them are different but all of them are doing their job very well. To be honest any 1 or 2 would be good enough to shave for life.
Soaps. I have bought 6 popular soaps many people recognise as good ones. Arko, Cella, Tabac, MWF, Derby (like Arko) and bought myself a present - SV.
At the beginning I had a problem especially with Cella but after learning them it turned out all give me good leather. Tabac and MWF are a bit better than the others but I could use any of them. So scent is more important. Thats why I have mixed fillings with Tabac as I love the performance but I am not a big fan of the scent.

More I will be able to say in the future😂
 
karol.elec said:
This is too expensive game for me especially that I would never be able to recognise good from bad🫣
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Coticules can be a lottery. If you are going down that route, only buy from someone that you know can hone and will vouch for the stone. Synthetics are fine for early and mid-level work, if you want a natural finish, you only need one good finishing stone, and they don't have to be expensive.
 
silverlifter said:
Coticules can be a lottery. If you are going down that route, only buy from someone that you know can hone and will vouch for the stone. Synthetics are fine for early and mid-level work, if you want a natural finish, you only need one good finishing stone, and they don't have to be expensive.
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Thats a good advice👍🏻 but who wanna sell the great one?
Maybe you wanna sell your coticule?
😂😂😂
 
karol.elec said:
but who wanna sell the great one?
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Honestly, I wouldn't start with a coticule if you are new to natural stones. Even the good ones need some figuring out. Your first natural finisher should be something a little more bullet proof, so that You can maintain a realy nice edge while you experiment with other razors and stones.
 
silverlifter said:
Honestly, I wouldn't start with a coticule if you are new to natural stones. Even the good ones need some figuring out. Your first natural finisher should be something a little more bullet proof, so that You can maintain a realy nice edge while you experiment with other razors and stones.
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I think talking about natural stones in my case is pointless. I can not sharpen my razor using the easiest syntetic stones - nanivas.
When I go to the point I am an expert with them then maybe I will try something else.
But I think my first step will be to learn my stones and learn the balsa strops with diamond paste. After that maybe one day I will go to the natural stones. Maybe one day
 
silverlifter said:
My preferences are, loosely, 13/16 → 8/8. I have a couple of 6/8s but I find them too small and fiddly. Japanese half hollows are the perfect grind in terms of consistency and comfort, but it is hard to beat a Filarmónica 14. I much prefer natural edges over synthetic, and so does my skin! :)

Myrsol makes the best aftershaves, hands down. Speicks products are uniformly great; I have everything from their deodorant to their EdT. After using a badger for nearly two decades, I fell for synthetics, but am now heading back into natural brushes, with my first boar.

There are too many excellent soaps around to worry about unobtanium or the overhyped death of tallow. We are in the golden age of shaving soap production.

You asked! :p
Click to expand...
You remained me something I completely forgot. When I bought my first razor TI I have got 2 little samples of Speick shaving cream. So today I found them in an old box and gave it a go. Sample is 3ml. I used good half - maybe 1.5 - 2ml.
I like it a lot. Nice slick leather, very light scent (great for summer) and keeps a lot of water. Next time when I need a new cream (maybe in 2026) I will buy one. Its nice 👍🏻
 
Today I finished off the rest of the Speick sample. There were plenty for the second shaving (3ml) and I have to say I like it even more.
 
I honed my TI razor yesterday. Used naniva 8000, 12000, then leather strop. Tried to test with the hair. Did not go well at all. It was cutting some of the hair of my forearms around 1 cm from skin but with pulling. Did not cut free hang hair👎🏻
Then I use a bit of I think chromium oxide (green polishing compound from bunnings) on canvas strop. The razor cuts hanging hair easily after👍🏻. But the shaving was not comfortable with medium burns. Any advice please?

Also with the hair test. What is the standard hair to test? I have no hairs on my head😂. I check with the hair from my chest it is way easier to cut even if the razor is not that sharp. But when I take my wifes of daughters hairs which are very thin and soft there is no way to cut them free hanging. But for exaple our neighbour’s hairs are like fishing lines. Black, thick, and stiff. You can cut them free hanging with a butter knife😂
What hair to use to have a reliable test?
😂
 
Don't focus too much on the test. it is only an indication. All you should care about for the moment is the shave. Over time, the test will come to correlate with what you experience on the stones and you can use it as a heuristic.

In terms of razor burn: less pressure, and don't buff. Also make sure your lather is more wet/slick than fluffy or pasty.
 
There is no pass or fail with a hair test. A hair test is a comparative test, provided you are using the same hairs. The only test that matters is the shave test.

Razor burn? Reduce your shave angle, lighten up on the pressure against your skin and ensure your lather is very wet.
 
@karol.elec, before you even think about a natural finishing stone, wait until you get your shave-ready GD66 finished on diamond pasted balsa. That should be an eye-opener for you.

I recommend that you put together a set of diamond pasted balsa strops. Instructions can be found here:

INSTRUCTIONS - Making & Using Diamond Pasted Balsa Strops [Rev. B]

Refining a SR on diamond pasted balsa strops may not be for everyone but many will appreciate shaving with probably the sharpest edge that they can put onto a traditional straight razor. The attached instructions are a dynamic document that will be revised as now things are learned and...
paste-and-cut.com.au
 
silverlifter said:
Don't focus too much on the test. it is only an indication. All you should care about for the moment is the shave. Over time, the test will come to correlate with what you experience on the stones and you can use it as a heuristic.

In terms of razor burn: less pressure, and don't buff. Also make sure your lather is more wet/slick than fluffy or pasty.
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What I experience on the stone? Thats crazy but I do not feel any feedback. I do not feel any difference. I am always surprised when ppl saying you will feel this or that. When ready will stick to the stone. I feel nothing.

When I use no pressure it is hard to shave. And buffing. I do that or I can not shave clean without buffing.
Hope it is going to change with a sharp razor👍🏻
 
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rbscebu said:
There is no pass or fail with a hair test. A hair test is a comparative test, provided you are using the same hairs. The only test that matters is the shave test.

Razor burn? Reduce your shave angle, lighten up on the pressure against your skin and ensure your lather is very wet.
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I always try to use law angle. But when I try to clean up especially on the neck I have to get more angle. Keeping low pressure- I do my best but without pressure the blade do not want to cut or kind of skip over hairs. Lather is still a bit of luck but getting more and more consistent.
 
rbscebu said:
@karol.elec, before you even think about a natural finishing stone, wait until you get your shave-ready GD66 finished on diamond pasted balsa. That should be an eye-opener for you.

I recommend that you put together a set of diamond pasted balsa strops. Instructions can be found here:

INSTRUCTIONS - Making & Using Diamond Pasted Balsa Strops [Rev. B]

Refining a SR on diamond pasted balsa strops may not be for everyone but many will appreciate shaving with probably the sharpest edge that they can put onto a traditional straight razor. The attached instructions are a dynamic document that will be revised as now things are learned and...
paste-and-cut.com.au
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This is going to be my next step. I am going to try natural stones when I can perfectly sharpen my blades with syntetics and diamond paste. Also there is a big chance if I am happy with the edges I will never go to the naturals.
 
karol.elec said:
What I experience on the stone? Thats crazy but I do not feel any feedback. I do not feel any difference. I am always surprised when ppl saying you will feel this or that. When ready will stick to the stone. I feel nothing.
Click to expand...

It comes with experience. You will be able to see, hear, and feel the bevel on the stone and know when you are done (or pretty close to it).
 
karol.elec said:
I honed my TI razor yesterday. Used naniva 8000, 12000, then leather strop. Tried to test with the hair. Did not go well at all. It was cutting some of the hair of my forearms around 1 cm from skin but with pulling. Did not cut free hang hair👎🏻
Then I use a bit of I think chromium oxide (green polishing compound from bunnings) on canvas strop. The razor cuts hanging hair easily after👍🏻. But the shaving was not comfortable with medium burns. Any advice please?
Click to expand...

1. I hope you consider starting new topic in the appropriate forum. It will help future members dig up information. This is getting very off topic from a new member intro. ;)

2. Your paste from Bunnings is undoubtedly intended for knives, meaning it is very course. In general they run from 3-10 um, where pure chromium oxide is 0.5 um. Pure chromium oxide will NOT sharpen up your edge as you observed with the Bunnings paste. Your edge needs to already be very sharp, and crox just gets it that final bit keener. It's similar to @rbscebu 's guide on pasted balsa.

karol.elec said:
Also with the hair test. What is the standard hair to test? I have no hairs on my head😂. I check with the hair from my chest it is way easier to cut even if the razor is not that sharp. But when I take my wifes of daughters hairs which are very thin and soft there is no way to cut them free hanging. But for exaple our neighbour’s hairs are like fishing lines. Black, thick, and stiff. You can cut them free hanging with a butter knife😂
What hair to use to have a reliable test?
Click to expand...
When you try the pasted balsa edge, clouds will part and trumpets blare. It did for me. The fine hairs that I thought wasn't possible for HHTs were absolutely cut.

Incidentally, the imagery of a bald man sneaking around the neighbourhood collecting random bits of hair is hilarious.
 
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sd_baker said:
1. I hope you consider starting new topic in the appropriate forum. It will help future members dig up information. This is getting very off topic from a new member intro. ;)

2. Your paste from Bunnings is undoubtedly intended for knives, meaning it is very course. In general they run from 3-10 um, where pure chromium oxide is 0.5 um. Pure chromium oxide will NOT sharpen up your edge as you observed with the Bunnings paste. Your edge needs to already be very sharp, and crox just gets it that final bit keener. It's similar to @rbscebu 's guide on pasted balsa.


When you try the pasted balsa edge, clouds will part and trumpets blare. It did for me. The fine hairs that I thought wasn't possible for HHTs were absolutely cut.

Incidentally, the imagery of a bald man sneaking around the neighbourhood collecting random bits of hair is hilarious.
Click to expand...
1. You are right. If there is any Moderator who could finish this topic at post #67 and start a new one from post #68 I would appreciate that.

2. This polishing compound is probably for tools and workshop. Written as polishing compound but the size of particles is not stated

3. Definietly I am going to try this balsa and diamond paste method. And I am waiting for the razor from PIF which will be sharpen this way👍🏻 thanks to Mr rbscebu👍🏻

And just to clarify I am not a creepy, old man collecting women’s hairs. The neighbour is very close friend of my wife and very often in our place and she actually was there when I checked the blade using her hair what was my wifes idea by the way😂
 
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