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September 12, 2023
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Brush: Wald Stratos Haunter 29mm A1
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Razor: Ralf Aust 5/8 Full Hollow Spanish Point (Straight Shave 324)
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Lather: Saponificio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Soap (47)
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Post Shave: Saponificio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Aftershave
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Post Shave: Thayers - Rose - Toner
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Fragrance: Saponificio Varesino - 70th Anniversary - Eau de Parfum
3 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
This was the same setup as yesterday but with a refreshed edge. I'm trying a new finishing stone the Black Shadow. This is a natural slate stone, and like all whetstones, you need to learn its personality. Yesterday, I thought my shave was comfortable but should have been closer for a 3-pass shave.
So, last night I took the razor back to the Black Shadow [I mean, you gotta love that name] to see if I could get the edge sharper while maintaining the same level of smoothness.
The stone certainly had more to give. I was able to get sharpness to the same point I can get a Jnat without any degradation to overall edge quality. Today's shave was, again, very comfortable and is fully BBS.
I've seen at least one other person using water with dish soap on a stone. What's the purpose of this? Breaking the surface tension?
Yes. Exactly right. On very hard, flat stones the edge will tend to stick when using plain water. This stickiness can stop movement of the razor across the stone and always impedes a smooth sharpening motion. Many sharpeners use this as a sign that the edge is as sharp as it can get, so they stop. I interpret it as an increase in friction as water is pushed away between the edge and the stone. This messes up my feel for the edge as I move the razor. A tiny amount of dish washing detergent [I used to use glycerin] solves this problem and lets me use sharpness testing to determine where to stop.
Thanks, I see!
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