Shaving with an SE Wedge Blade

Billy your on a roll this week my friend. Some serious Single edge porn. Another beautiful example to showcase. Really intrigued and excited to hear how well you are getting on with the Heljestrand wedge also. I need to delve deeper and source some of them for myself.
 
CV. Heljestrand Lather Catcher..:p
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Another shot..:)
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Four Shaving Pass Routine..:cool:

Hot Water prep & massage with Coconut Oil
CV. Heljestrand Lather Catcher
NOS Heljestrand Hollow Ground Blade x 4
Semogue Boar Brush
Test Trial Tallow Shaving Soap
Organic Aloe Vera Gel
LOGONA Mann Aftershave Balm (From Germany)

I just had the most wonderful shave this morning with my CV. Heljestrand Lather Catcher & Hollow Ground Blade...An Old Gent from the USA once warned about the Dangers of going down the Hollow Ground Blade Rabbit Hole...He told me that I would be soon selling all my other SEs...Well ..I now know what this Old Timer was talkin about...Well with the exception of my Injectors of course...:D

Anybody that's even thinking about going down this path...Get a CV. Heljestrand Lather Catcher Now...This Swedish work of Art are just the Dogs Danglies...Its a deceptively Aggressive Razor & offered me an all over BBS Result that I would expect from an Early Schick Type E 2 Injector & no bones about it..The CV. Heljestrand Lather Catcher is quite aggressive but ever so smooth & forgiving...My blade was ever so sharp and smooth today...There is not much more to say except the CV. Heljestrand Lather Catcher has just taken the Crown from the Gem Crowned Lather Catcher..;)

Billy
 
Dharte001 said:
That's a lovely razor Billy. Helped by the fact you have the hollow ground wedge that was made to the razors exact specifications. No surprise it turned out the best shave at the end of the day. So jealous.....
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Its interesting that you mentioned that because this blade seats to perfection in this Razor like no other..Tailor made as you say..Simply Awesome..:D

Billy
 
Rolls Razor..:)
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Another shot..:p
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I just pressed the button on this Hollow Ground Blade Rolls Razor...This one has a spare NOS blade an all..I am on a Roll with my Hollow Ground Blade Razors at the moment..:D

A shave report will follow after I get my hands on it and of course what it involves getting these blades shave ready..o_O

Billy
 
I will really watch this thread with interest.
(well, when I get round to it I will read it properly.)
I am keen in the mean time to see how you go with the Rolls.
I got one a while back. It was advertised as really sharp. But it just wasn't.
I had a little go but will watch with interest to see how you get on.
 
grarea said:
I will really watch this thread with interest.
(well, when I get round to it I will read it properly.)
I am keen in the mean time to see how you go with the Rolls.
I got one a while back. It was advertised as really sharp. But it just wasn't.
I had a little go but will watch with interest to see how you get on.
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The thing is...If the blade has lost its edge this set up wont Hone it back...I have spoke to folks about this one...If the user allows the blade to loose its edge it has to be Honed separately like any other Hollow ground blade...:)

As I understand it the Hone & Strop with Rolls Set is designed to be used in Tandem...This System was designed to keep the blade permanently sharp without the need to hone it separately on a honing stone etc...I have just learned that there is a way to do this with any Hollow Ground blade with Chromium Oxide...My brother is sending me some for my Heljestrand hollow ground blades..:eek:

There is an Old gent form the USA that uses this method and he reckons if you don't let your blade loose its edge they never need Honing if you use this Chromium Oxide paste on Balsa wood in tandem with leather stropping...Interesting...I am up for trying his system...This is an elderly gent and apparently he's being doing it for many years... :D

Billy
 
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Hmmm, yes, I assumed that was the case.
I have some stones that I have flatted (Is that the right word?)
I was going to have a go at honing with the stones, but just haven't had the time recently.
I rather like the idea of a straight on a stick which can be kept sharp with little brain power necessary.
All sounds rather interesting.
 
Billy - CrOx will only take you so far - in straight shaving circles it's classed as a refresh i.e. a newly honed razor starts to get dull after use and stropping is no longer producing a shave ready edge - using CrOx will certainly extend the life but a re-hone will be necessary at some stage. Incidentally, it can produce quite a harsh edge so will need a good stropping afterwards. Certainly don't use it daily.
 
UKRob said:
Billy - CrOx will only take you so far - in straight shaving circles it's classed as a refresh i.e. a newly honed razor starts to get dull after use and stropping is no longer producing a shave ready edge - using CrOx will certainly extend the life but a re-hone will be necessary at some stage. Incidentally, it can produce quite a harsh edge so will need a good stropping afterwards. Certainly don't use it daily.
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I was hoping you would offer your thoughts here Rob...You are correct of course...I have been advised that it should be done about once a week and of course wash and strop the blade afterwards...This Old Timer swears that he has used this method for years on a blade without the need to ever having to Hone it...He has been attacked from all Flanks but insists that he has been doing it for many years..o_O

I am a New Comer to this Rabbit Hole so I cant comment on that one...Thank you for Input Rob as its always welcome...:D

Billy
 
Comfort Lather Catcher..:p
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Another shot..:p
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Three Shaving Pass Routine..:cool:

Hot Water prep & massage with Coconut Oil
Comfort Lather Catcher
NOS Heljestrand Hollow Ground Blade x 5
Semogue Boar Brush
Tallow Test Soap Sample
444 Post Shave Gel
LOGONA Mann Aftershave Splash (From Germany)

I had an outing with my Comfort Lather Cather this Morning & Heljestrand Hollow Ground Blade...The Comfort Lather Catcher is quite an Aggressive SE & the shaving angle was a wee bit harder to get a grip with but this razor is the epitome of flat against the face...My blade was very sharp today & this combo offered me an almost all over BBS result with a DFS in places..:eek:

The secret to stropping is all about the correct pressure...Too much pressure will blunt the blade & not enough will not give a sharp edge...That's just a learning curve through trial and error... I have been spoiled with the C. V. Heljestrand on my previous shave..The C. V. Heljestrand is in a class of its own...It is the Rolls Royce of Lather Catchers...;)

I would go as far as suggesting that the C. V. Heljestrand was and is the Absolute Pinnacle of this Shaving System...This thing is Aircraft Engineering standard and whilst the Comfort is a Lovely Shaver it isn't a precision made Shaving Instrument like the The C. V. Heljestrand ....That said the Comfort is a lovely shaver & during its day must have been one of the most comfortable shavers around as its name suggests...I enjoyed my shave this morning...Good Karma...:p

The C. V. Heljestrand is holding the Crown..:D

Billy
 
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French L"Essor..:p
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Another shot..;)
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Four Shaving Pass Routine..:cool:

Hot Water prep & massage with Coconut Oil
French L"Essor
NOS Heljestrand Hollow Ground Blade x 6
Semogue Boar Brush
Biotique Palmyra Shaving Cream
444 Aftershave Gel
LOGONA Mann Aftershave Splash

I had my second outing with the French L"Essor & Heljestrand Hollow Ground Blade this morning..I have managed to figure the French L"Essor ..The French L"Essor is a Milld Razor...A lot of folks are familiar with the Gem Micromatic Family..I would put the French L"Essor in the Gem Bullet Tip Category in terms of aggression..I am just using this as a Analogy of course because the French L"Essor sure aint no Gem Bullet Tip but in terms of the Wedge blade SEs that I have been using recently that's where it would sit..:eek:

In other words it is by far the Mildest of the bunch...You can almost throw the French L"Essor about with Reckless Abandon...I done a Four pass shaving routine this morning & just about achieved a BBS Result...The French L"Essor would make a great daily ATG shaver & I reckon that's what the designers had in mind...Bearing in mind that during the Epoch of the French L"Essor a lot of owners would have a Butler to Hone & Sharpen their blades for them..The French L"Essor would have made a great razor to go ATG on the first pass on a Daily basis...It does take a bit of work to knock down a few days whiskers with it though...That just about Sums Up the French L"Essor...A very mild and forgiving shaver it is...:)

Just some thoughts on blade sharpness...I have heard it said that some folks test the shave readiness of a stropped blade by cutting a single hair with it...Whilst this may show that the blade is sharp it doesn't necessarily mean that it will shave smoothly...The blade has to be both Sharp & Smooth...:eek:

I can always tell how sharp my blade is with the first touch on my top lip area...If the blade is cutting comfortable on the Moustache area I find that's a good test..I now know, however, just by looking at the edge of the blade after stropping it just how sharp & how smooth it will perform...Once you experience a correctly sharpened blade you will never forget the sight of a correctly stropped edge...Its just an experiential knowing...:D

Billy
 
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Injector blade..o_O
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DE Blade..:p
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Hollow ground blade..;)
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These photos are hardly scientific & of course there are changes in the light...I put these up just to show that the edge of a sharpened Hollow ground is almost invisible even to a modern camera lens...Check out the natural curvature of that edge...Its more of a natural edge and its obviously not coated with anything...It just seems to disappear into nothingness...;)

Billy
 
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