My SR journey

I expect that you are referring to what appears to be some surface oxidation on the point area of the blade. To clean that up, I would sand the point with 1k and then 2k grit wet & dry (SiC) sandpaper. Then I would polish it using something like Autosol. Shouldn't take long, say about 10 minutes.

Not sure if you have Autosol in the Czechia but their should be something similar. It is often used on cars to restore the shine on chrome surfaces.

Once all polished up, the blade's point should need no special treatment other than what you would do with the rest of the blade.
 
rbscebu said:
I expect that you are referring to what appears to be some surface oxidation on the point area of the blade. To clean that up, I would sand the point with 1k and then 2k grit wet & dry (SiC) sandpaper. Then I would polish it using something like Autosol. Shouldn't take long, say about 10 minutes.

Not sure if you have Autosol in the Czechia but their should be something similar. It is often used on cars to restore the shine on chrome surfaces.

Once all polished up, the blade's point should need no special treatment other than what you would do with the rest of the blade.
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That is only a little mark left over from grinding, just a tiny spot with higher grit scratches. It didnt buff out perfectly, so it can catch the light and be obvious like in the photo. It won't cause any problems or affect the shave so I will leave it there. As for the profile face, that is just dried lather - photo taken right after a shave before cleaning and linen stroping. To kind of highlight how much its polished - it shows every fingerprint and every drop of water that dried and wasn't wiped.
 
The first shave with the new custom SR ended up being really solid in terms of preventing ingrowns. There were less of them, also I looked better overall in terms of redness. Tonight, second shave brought a little more redness, but honestly I can't tie it to me having bad technique - I was relaxed and focused. My face overall is a mess these days. It's a rollercoaster. I only as much as uncovered the irritated skin from the layer of stubble - irritated by the stubble itself. A viscious cycle. Everything looks reasonably well after a cold water splash, antisceptic afterhsave and hydrating lotion. Another comfortable and no trouble-bringing shave in the book, with a new, very different razor and edge. That is a success of its own.
 
So the second shave turned out to be really good in terms of bump prevention. The few hairs that got traped, were not deep at all, so they did not cause nearly any redness or inflamation/irritation at all. Thus I was even more handsome today.

And so in the name of experimenting and chasing a daily shave dream, I went for a shave second day in a row. Spots that were already in trouble before lighted up with some redness but are fading after cold water splash, antiseptic aftershave and hydrating balm. Honestly, it's been worse after a two weeks brake. And whats even better - only the right side is showing redness.

Yes, my left side is great. I could say perfect if I take into account that my skin looks rarely the way it does now, even after two shaves in two days. So hooray - I'm on the right track. I always struggled with left side which is funny. But I found a way to grip the razor and make a stroke perfect for Every patch of direction.

On the right side it's a hollow part that gives me trouble. I need to lock in the perfect combination of head position, grimace and free hand stretch. Otherwise I mess up the angle, Pressure, direction or all of it. Stretching the hollow out completely is possible, but tends to cut so close it will end in lots of bumps.

Anyway, this will be the procedure for the forseable future. Shave as often as possible, pay attention to every detail and try to improve it.

Now that I'm no longer distracted with honing and experiencing different edges, I can pay more attention to the shaving itself. All my razors and edges are able to produce a decent shave. Now it will be just about training with my new favorite until it needs refreshing, at which point it will receive a touch up on my 12k SS and full Diamond balsa progression. I will get an Arkansas stone as well, I like the current Ark edge from Boris. And it Has a potential to shine since it works best with a pristine ultra sharp edge and is reported to make it more comfortable without sacrificing keennes.

Baby steps, baby steps...
 
I'm a firm believer is SR shaving daily, whether you need to or not. It helps to build muscle memory so that you can concentrate on other parts of your SR shaving technique. Always try to learn something new with every shave.

Try and shave with the same SR each day, then there is one less valuable you have to deal with. I "refresh" the blade's edge after every shave with 50 to 60 laps on 0.1μm pasted balsa - hanging. I like the crispest of edges for my shaves.
 
rbscebu said:
I'm a firm believer is SR shaving daily, whether you need to or not. It helps to build muscle memory so that you can concentrate on other parts of your SR shaving technique. Always try to learn something new with every shave.

Try and shave with the same SR each day, then there is one less valuable you have to deal with. I "refresh" the blade's edge after every shave with 50 to 60 laps on 0.1μm pasted balsa - hanging. I like the crispest of edges for my shaves.
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Shaving daily is what I would love to do. I can only go for three to four days in a row. Then all the irritation and bumps build up and I need to take a break for a week. I have been trying this for a few months. Since I didn't get anywhere, I decided to pay more attention to my technique and always let everything heal. I have come a long way to produce a comfortable SR shave. But I still struggle with ingrowns. I can't shave over them unfortunately. It is getting better, very slowly.
 
Yeah so Once again, shaving daily will not help unless there are no hairs poking around for at least a day or two. In my third daily shave, I have crossed the "acceptable" line. During the shave I could feel how the unfomfortable it was to drag a razor along the already inflamed spots. And right after it, the redness remindes me it is a better idea to skip a few days.

Left side is still going strong, which means I am able to shave daily. I just need to do it with utmost care.

And again, this would go much much worse a few months ago, so I Also got a little bit of assurance that my technique Has come a long way.

So now a break it is and from now on I will not be risking a shave if I don't feel absolutely assured it is time. Nothing good comes of it. I keep improving nonetheless and keeping the skin in constant state of inflamation can't be good.
 
@TheBeast On bb, you asked about bevel angle and there was some cloak and dagger response

There are also ways to improve the bevel angle without thinning the spine too much. Some new TI and Dovo razor actually come with a taller and more acute bevel from the factory. As you hone them on flat stones you reverse this, and create a more obtuse bevel.
Every attempt at discussions these topics are always shot down by Internet experts.
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I think they are are referring to convex hones, which apparently is controversial enough to get you banned. lol.

I've never tried it, just saw some internet drama on the "jarrod" channel on yt.
 
sd_baker said:
....
I think they are are referring to convex hones, which apparently is controversial enough to get you banned. lol.

I've never tried it, just saw some internet drama on the "jarrod" channel on yt.
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@TheBeast, you should have access to a CAD program. Use that to determine the change in bevel angle due to honing on a convex surface.

Personally, I have noticed no difference in shave quality between identical SRs having bevel angle differences of up to about 1°.
 
@sd_baker @rbscebu

I was asking if there are other ways of changing the bevel angle. I did experiment on Gold Dollars. I just didn't like the idea of grinding away happily on more valuable razors. But I guess you have to get every razor where it needs to be, for yourself.

CAD software would only be useful if every razor would be perfectly ground and perfectly straight, and if every single one of my strokes were perfectly consistent. If I have learned one thing, it's that neither the razor or my hand are ever perfect.

I don't really want to experiment with convex hones, I have enough trouble keeping them flat enough to hone hahah.

For now I am perfectly happy when the razor doesn't pull, tug, or skips. Some edges I hone are better than others.
 
A few years ago I tried to grind the spine thickness down on a SR (Titan ACRM-2 T.H.60) to reduce the bevel angle. It was a lot of work and not that successful.

For this grinding, I taped the edge and used a diamond plate. I think I started on a 400 grit, wore that out so moved onto a 600 grit.

I say unsuccessful as I didn't get a reasonably consistent spine thickness along its length. The spine was thinner at the head and thicker at the shoulder. I did however reduce the bevel angle by a little under 1°.

I have SRs with bevel angles ranging from just under 14° to almost 20°. Overall I have found that a difference in bevel angle of about ±1° does not noticeably affect the shave experience or result. A difference of ±2° is only just noticeable for me and a ±3° difference is noticeable.

If you want to experience different bevel angles, I suggest that you get different razors with different bevel angles. With my level of experience and technique now, I tend to prefer bevel angles of about 17.5° ±1°.
 
Jarrod and his convex hones. People have certainly gotten their knickers in a twist in other forums. Personally, one thing I have learnt is that you find what works for you. Everyone has a different theory, and especially with Americans, it's the only theory in town and everyone else is wrong!
 
It does seem unreal, but I may be starting to crack through to the perfect case scenario. For the last few weeks I grew a beard again. My skin underneath it got a break but recently it threw my balance off and I started getting some breakouts. I stuck to shaving as frequently as possible while not overdoing it. By shaving I mean cleaning up my neck - but that's where the trouble is. Overall I did some changes to my skincare and my it seemed to improve my skin. And now I randomly decided to lose the beard. That also helped to improve my skin overall, even if I am a little out of practice above and around the jawline.

I also started to use a single exfoliating product after I noticed how flaky my neck gets and how this dead skin is trapping the hair. I found a really nice balance where, I am not over-exfoliating to the point of having sensitive skin and I can shave with a straight razor without getting much irritation. And it is enough to not trap as much hairs while they grow out. For the past week I started to notice visible improvements. I will keep this up. I also switched to a boar brush and to my surprise I can work it on my face for a bit without upsetting my skin. Maybe that also helps towards improving my results.

Once I get up to speed with shaving my whole face again, I should cut some time needed to complete a pass, and then reduce any damage that I do while performing it. That should also help a lot. It takes work to tame this new near-wedge of mine. But I like how confident it is in removing hair - it does not need any help to go through even my denser areas. It only needs to be held back at all times. And while that is tricky sometimes, I enjoy using it and I can see myself never using another straight. With the way I am, I rarely can stick to something for more than a few days. But this razor after 5 weeks is not getting old at all. My modest vintage SR collection will not see much use in the near future. And I should get myself an Ark and lap it to keep this beautiful edge. Oh well, seems like I am finally getting into the groove.
 
rbscebu said:
Congratulations Jakob. I expect that soon you will be the master of your SR shaving.

You will get a lot of "advice" on forums but it really boils down to what you find works best for you. I have confidence in your abilities.
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Thanks Richard!

The most valuable advice, probably, that I always liked to ignore was to stick to it. Keep practicing, keep improving every detail of the process. The good old no pressure and low angle can not be underestimated. Fascinating how low it can really get and how it improves the shave. The overall skin condition also makes or brakes the comfort of shaving. I noticed how the area around my nose burns - the same way my whole face used to. Thats where my skin is often red, flaky, dry and inflamed. A touch of vaseline, even before a shave, helps.

Oh and I just started to understand why you are among the few that enjoy a sharp toe tip. My ear does not belong to that club.
 
I chipped my custom razor!!! Just a little ding edge first into the faucet. Oh god I was Mad at myself. Never happened before.

And so I had to rehone from 1.5k. And I did. What a hard steel, wow. But it's ready for a test shave so fingers crossed it shaves as well as it did.

And my shaving is... Well... Very close to my wildest dreams. Here and there I see a few hairs not growing out properly, but it's almost perfect compared to before. For now I stopped trying to shave daily. And I Can consistently shave Every third day. And those two days in between I look very nice. Well in terms of lacking a bumps covered neck anyway. Very rewarding. Oh and I started using a boar brush and love it! It was always in the stroke. Never the soap, the brush, the water.

Got me thinking how important it is not to lie to myself. I never really tried everything. I never really did everything to the best of my ability. I'm just not one of those who tried wet shaving and their problems went away instantly. I had to work for it a little more. I'm glad I did.
 
TheBeast said:
It does seem unreal, but I may be starting to crack through to the perfect case scenario. For the last few weeks I grew a beard again. My skin underneath it got a break but recently it threw my balance off and I started getting some breakouts. I stuck to shaving as frequently as possible while not overdoing it. By shaving I mean cleaning up my neck - but that's where the trouble is. Overall I did some changes to my skincare and my it seemed to improve my skin. And now I randomly decided to lose the beard. That also helped to improve my skin overall, even if I am a little out of practice above and around the jawline.

I also started to use a single exfoliating product after I noticed how flaky my neck gets and how this dead skin is trapping the hair. I found a really nice balance where, I am not over-exfoliating to the point of having sensitive skin and I can shave with a straight razor without getting much irritation. And it is enough to not trap as much hairs while they grow out. For the past week I started to notice visible improvements. I will keep this up. I also switched to a boar brush and to my surprise I can work it on my face for a bit without upsetting my skin. Maybe that also helps towards improving my results.

Once I get up to speed with shaving my whole face again, I should cut some time needed to complete a pass, and then reduce any damage that I do while performing it. That should also help a lot. It takes work to tame this new near-wedge of mine. But I like how confident it is in removing hair - it does not need any help to go through even my denser areas. It only needs to be held back at all times. And while that is tricky sometimes, I enjoy using it and I can see myself never using another straight. With the way I am, I rarely can stick to something for more than a few days. But this razor after 5 weeks is not getting old at all. My modest vintage SR collection will not see much use in the near future. And I should get myself an Ark and lap it to keep this beautiful edge. Oh well, seems like I am finally getting into the groove.
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When you say your skin is flaking, I found out something interesting this week. My skin always flaked between and above my eyebrows. The rest of my face has always been very dry. The Dr. told me it's a thing called Seborrheic dermatitis and whilst I always knew that this particular dr. said to try some over the counter hydrocortisone cream with an antifungal in it. Well in two days it's just about cleared. I wish I knew that for the last 30 or so years... so if this happens to you don't be like me and wait 30 years to find out what to put on it to clear it up.
 
Thanks @ThumbpickerCGP ! This week I also visited a doctor and she rinsed out my ears. Best feeling in two years. So I will overcome my fears, find a decent skin specialist and get that sorted as Well. But after I stopped using retinol, my skin cleared and looks it's best. It was the cucial first few weeks of starting a new active ingredient on my skin.

So my custom razor shaves perfectly, maybe a touch better just because it now Has my edge. After the test shave I revisited 0.1um Diamond balsa for a minute and it improved. So I will keep doing that for the next few days.

And as usual I couldn't wait to test it again so I am now just after the second consecutive shave in two days. It feels amazing! Never ever have I looked or felt better. A shover with MWF body soap and a shave with the MWF shave soap, albeit now tallow free formulation, I still find it to be amazing and the first soap that does not let me use my beloved Stirling all the time.

I Also mounted a little shelf in the bathroom that I have. It's a little out of level of course, because I am a humble (profesional) mechanical engineer...

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My shaves continue to be very similar. Worst case scenario is a little bit of irritation caused by imperfect technique and a few red spots that heal completely under three days.

Though I did discover that my edge developed some microchips. I was able to strop them out on flax linen and clean leather. Altough it feels like the edge is less comfortable than it was with the Ark finnish. Maybe I overworked it on the 0.1 um diamond pasted balsa and they are still there, so I might take a look with a USB scope. I guess that edge will need a light joint to ensure I am not flipping a burr or a wire edge around. And a quick finnish on my 12k. Until I go shopping for the Ark and SiC powder.
 
Okay... it took a few honing sessions and below-average shaves, but now my River Razor has a pristine edge. After removing the big chip, I noticed that the edge was harsh. And my scope showed microchipping. I found out it was caused by my stroping, so I adjusted my technique and now it's finally where I want it to be!

And I'm finally on the level where I get to do micro adjustments to improve my SR shaving experience. Even with a sub-par edge to my new standards I can pull of an irritation free shave. What's better, mostly I don't even produce any ingrowns, so my neck is looking great for the most part.

And another big factor that I learned - DON'T touch my face, mainly the neck. I had the most beautiful looking skin 24 hrs after one of the shaves, not a single blemish. That day I was so busy that after shaving I didn't spend a second thinking about or examining or touching my neck. In the evening I took a shover, gently washed my face and neck with CeraVe face wash and voila - redness. It went away over night and since then I stopped touching it, scratching it, thinking about it. It's even better now.

Little eye candy of my edge - pretty damn straight, no chips, teeth, scratches. And a layer of oil from a pretty hydrated strop.
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