gcgallant

Straightember++;

Hell yeah!! Maybe I'll make it a Boaring Straightember. I kinda miss Raw Hoggin'.

August 23, 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving 31mm x 57mm Moar Boar

• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 14 Full Hollow Square Point

• Lather: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Guerlain - Jicky - Eau de Toilette

3 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave. $headless $FriodomRiders #NoStrop

Edge Condition Album

This was my first 3-pass shave in a very long time. To date, all of my 2-pass shaves have been comfortable and BBS, but closer to BBS-- than BBS++. Today's shave was definitely a DS-BBS shave so:

BBS++;

I plan to continue this 3-pass pattern for the rest of the month. I'm way out of practice with it.

August 22, 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving 31mm x 57mm Moar Boar

• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 14 Full Hollow Square Point

• Lather: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Guerlain - Jicky - Eau de Toilette

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave. $headless $FriodomRiders #NoStrop

Edge Condition Album

We have 9 days to go and I'm still loving this. I need to change things up. Tomorrow, I'll add a third "ignore the grain" pass to my repetoire.

August 21, 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving 31mm x 57mm Moar Boar

• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 14 Full Hollow Square Point

• Lather: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Guerlain - Jicky - Eau de Toilette

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave. $headless $FriodomRiders #NoStrop

Edge Condition Album

Pretty much a status quo shave, but perhaps a little less close than the last few shaves I've had. I took a microscope photo of the edge and also added it to the album.

To be simplistic about it, a degree of correlation with elements that contribute to wear resistance - carbon content, alloying elements, heat treatment - might be in order 😁

Technique-wise, I use a very wet lather preparation, and I keep shaving angle low to optimize cutting efficiency and to favor compressive loads at the edge over shear loads.

WestMan is under appreciated IMO. Eufros fits that category as well.

The edge has hit its stride and – at peak smoothness now – is a joy to use.

Yes, an edge can be too sharp. I actually like that feeling, but I associate it with a new edge that I know will soften with a couple of uses. I'm still thinking that stropping is a highly overrated activity.

August 20, 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving 31mm x 57mm Moar Boar

• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 14 Full Hollow Square Point

• Lather: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Guerlain - Jicky - Eau de Toilette

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave. $headless $FriodomRiders #NoStrop

Edge Condition Album

The closeness of these shaves backed down from exceptional during the first 3 or 4 days, and has remained pretty steady since then. Comfort increased, though, and the combination of comfort and closeness that I'm getting from this entire setup has been stunning. After the shave, I still have BBS everywhere except around my Adam's Apple, but that area dries down to BBS after about 20 minutes. It is very difficult rate this experience anything but "Excellent".

Tomorrow I'll make my third microscope photo of the edge.

August 18, 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving 31mm x 57mm Moar Boar

• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 14 Full Hollow Square Point

• Lather: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Guerlain - Jicky - Eau de Toilette

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave. $headless $FriodomRiders #NoStrop

Edge Condition Album

To all of you who honed your straight razors this weekend: Congrats! Especially those who are newer to the honing process. To those who are old hands, I say, "Why bother?!". Get rid of that vintage carbon stuff and get you some of this new fangled stainless! No honing or stropping needed and I (at least) get more (18 so far) comfortable BBS shaves from a stainless straight than I do from a DE blade (10-12 - @[email protected] not withstanding).

[ Ok, admittedly, I've never had more than ~15 shaves on a DE blade. I notice a softening of the edge around this point. The issue is that, once you get your technique down, shaves with a straight razor are much more comfortable than shaves with a manufactured blade. (IMO, YMMV, smoke 'em if you got 'em) ]

Your no strop project seems to show a bit of edge deterioration, if I read your SOTDs right.

The edge has become more comfortable over time, and closeness has just started to diminish but it's a very small change that I only notice hours after the shave. I think that Str8_Razor is having a similar experience. I'm thinking that this is wear resistance of the steel.

August 17, 2024

• Brush: Zenith r/Wetshaving 31mm x 57mm Moar Boar

• Razor: J.A. Henckels Friodur 14 Full Hollow Square Point

• Lather: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Soap

• Toner: Thayers - Lavender - Toner

• Aftershave: Chicago Grooming - AG 1889 - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Guerlain - Jicky - Eau de Toilette

2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave. $headless $FriodomRiders #NoStrop

Edge Condition Album

Here we are 17 days without a hone or any stropping and, if anything, the edge is more comfortable than it was a week ago. Closeness is very slowly diminishing, but I can only tell this 4 to 5 hours after the shave. I continue to be astonished. I mean, why bother honing or stropping at all?!

give the Frio a fresh new edge

Have you noticed much change in the edge over time?