OK, so not a safety razor but I thought that I would get this old girl out and try getting a proper edge on it. Got myself some diamond pastes through the other day and have made up some balsa strops, mainly for knife sharpening but I thought I'd try finishing off the razor on them too. Went with 1 micron to start with before putting in some decent time with 0.5 and wow, is it sharp now, even my fine hairs grabbed off a hair brush just pop and ping off the edge all the way along. Got some decent leather on the way as well and I will be making up a couple more strops, 1 leather with 0.5um paste on and another just bare leather. Oh and my pocket knife edge after playing around with the pasted balsa strops, that can shave curls off the side of a hair without cutting right through...
That picture really doesn't do the celluloid scales justice, they look a little washed out there. Just about to jump in the shower then take it for a test drive edit: Last night's bits and pieces. Pecksniff's Fern soap, cocobolo wood brush by Pens Of The Forest ( http://www.pensoftheforest.co.uk/ ) and of course, a very shiny Flic razor:
So, I've been shaving with a Merkur 38C for 12-18m now, but it's still not always a great shave. I prep well, shower or hot towel everything first, prep a proper lather with a good quality brush and allow the foam to settle for a couple of mins. I no longer get any stubble rash (since day 1 using the DE) but I still sometimes get a scratchy, uncomfortable shave. I'm using Derby extra blades - is anyone else finding these good/bad, average or maybe variable in quality? I've ordered some Japanese feather blades (rumoured to be mad sharp) but am slightly worried I'll slice my ears off...
I only use Feathers now, I went through a LOT of different types to see what worked in my old #66 and the Feathers came out as best. Yes, they are mad sharp but that's not a problem, you won't cut yourself anymore than you will with anything else ie, not at all if you know what you're doing. One tip if you are getting a scratchy feel from a new blade is to cork it. Get a cork (duh) or a block of polystyrene and run the edge of a new blade through lightly before putting it in your razor. This will knock any burr off the edge that might be left over from honing.
I find that the quality of my shave is almost entirely in the prep - your face needs to be warm and damp, and I find that it helps to warm everything else too. My brush, bowl and blade all go into very hot tap water for a few minutes before my shave, and using all the hot equipment is just bliss. Hot lather without a scuttle is win. I'll be going back to my Feather blade for my next shave... used the vintage Wilkinson Sword blade for 3 shaves now and it's much of a muchness with the 7 o'clocks that I used to use...not nearly as sharp as the Feather. As Almightyrastus says, Feathers are fine if you know what you're doing. Good lather, good prep, and a good blade = a good shave.
I only use Feathers as well. Like others have said its all in the prep. Also I think having soft water helps quite a bit. I can never get a good shave at hotels that have hard water.
Cheers guys. I'll have a go with the feather blade tonight and let you know how it goes . Shame I have hard water here...
Feathers are great but if you find them too sharp you could try astra platinum or some sputniks , I hear good things about the blue med prep blades too. My current shave of choice is a sputnik blade and some Wickham cola soft soap, luvverly.
Had a couple of shaves with the feather blades now, one a slight improvement, the other much better. I think I need to refine my technique slightly and use the weight of the razor more than any applied force, but I'm always in a bit of a hurry I guess!
in all honesty the main thing I have learned is the prep, I think even moving the prep over to any razor would improve it.
Had a good few shaves with Feather blades now... I'm converted. No cuts as yet, less irritation and the blade lasts longer. They may cost 4x as much as Derby's but they probably last twice as long.
Yup, same here. Bought a stick of 100 from Amazon a while back and they have kept me ticking over nicely. They work nicely in any of the razors I use, especially my Merkur Future and Gillette #66
I've been contemplating a safety razor for a while now, can't seem to get a good cheekline with cheap disposables, the damn plastic bit get in the way
Safety razors aren't the best for under the nose etc, maybe its just me but even after over two years using a merkur I still struggle under my nose.
