I prefer the Clog-pruf, you might just have to get all three Micromatics to make sure... @snooting@sub.wetshaving.social does your MMOC have the raised dots that turn it down a bit?
You know, I've seen you mention this a time or two and I think noticed it elsewhere but still have yet to try it. Next razor I'm going to try and remember to bring some peanuts around. Usually I just try to get it shaving arm hair to determine if a bevel is set and then I cut an unsupported strand of hair as the final test but this does seem more convenient and might offer better feedback for the stages in between.
I looked to your videos for a bit more detail and found this, thanks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieTUQM0YwZA
Also, I'm curious which microscope you use? ...nevermind, you answer in a comment here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmD7UJ6e0II&lc=Ugz6_cFe2Rd5nqrJzZp4AaABAg.A86bp_jlZxrA87yuAG-1oY that it's this one https://www.dinolite.us/products/usb-microscopes/am73515mt8a/
I've had it a while too, just occurred to me it fits well here. I definitely don't do that for 10 minutes but often a few times here and there almost out of superstition where I hope it might clean up a minor foil edge in case I'd used too much pressure. Thanks for the vid, I'd never attempted to ascertain if this was actually doing anything so your experiment is encouraging. Before this document I saw it mentioned in the balsa strop thread at B&B as a "pull stroke".
Great, looking forward to the new decor whenever you get a sec. No hurry of course, never wise to hurry when straight razors are involved.
I tossed in a different thumbnail on the straight razor sub because I was a bit sick of it being the same image but I've not the level of interest in photography your SotD photos clearly exhibit so I'd be happy to see you swap out the super generic banner if you'd still be interested. Also not partial to the thumbnail I chose beyond the general idea that they not be the same thing and that it'd be kind of neat if the thumbnail showed the grind of a razor toe-on as the spine-as-honing-guide is very core to what makes a straight razor.
Oh neat, didn't know they did a titanium one. Was it just that special edition or did it become a regular product at some point?
Unfortunately I think the best we can do with the situation is appreciate that they ever bothered to make the machined ones and that they are almost certainly subsidised by the zamac. Which is also why the price isn't that far apart: few would buy the machined one if they sold it at the same margins as the zinc alloy.
It really is exhausting though. Every time I make a purchase decision I have to be skeptical because I might be getting the zamac-with-fancy-handle version of whatever product or service I'm trying to buy. Avoiding that takes time which is how they sell all this junk at a high margin. Especially with how we've integrated almost every facet of life into the economy. Contributes a bit to a sense of despair. So I try to appreciate the people that do sincere work and, instead of being frustrated by it, try to consider the time it takes to winnow the quality offerings from the grift as doing my part to signal a better direction for society.
That certainly doesn't sound super healthy! And I remembered another one: I think at one point molten lead was used for hardening steel? Bet that has some lovely fumes too.
That's just my own bias. I really don't like videos with a lot of talking and use them mainly on mute just to see a visual demo of what I'm trying to understand. To that end when I was learning how to use a straight razor six or so years ago the video I found most instructive was this one without any speaking at all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci9DT0qB3hc
Also there's a tonne more videos to sift through. I'm happy if someone wants to curate a selection of them but would hope it's a separate section from the texts.
Aha! I knew it! I had this trepidation when I sold this one https://pixelfed.social/i/web/post/748289303255129698 especially because they also took this very similar one https://pixelfed.social/i/web/post/748289996039802817 ...and I guess it's probably for the best I abandon the foolish notions I had when I listed this https://imgur.com/a/mardor-z12y8cw and it was especially foolhardy to have ever considered parting with https://imgur.com/a/chassaigne-k0Fy4tt 🤔
But it's also satisfying to set a new bevel, just not the same if it was already shaving fine (not to mention wasteful). And honing as a service seems less relaxing for myriad reasons. So compromises must be made. Thankfully(?) I've slowed a fair bit since the initial burst when I was getting into it, settling into a bit of an equilibrium with a handful in and out each year.
My honing enthusiasm provided too much rationalisation for razor acquisition and so I have ...several. The winnowing process is ongoing and I'm proud to have sold 5 x 5/8 last week.
6/8 is harder because I like them more. Lately I'm wondering: Do I really need two 6/8 hollow-but-stiff round point French blades?
I'm partial to the Grelot. I do appreciate that it's a bit more hollow and as a Canadian I enjoy the etch. Plus it's my only nice Grelot and there's some cachet there. And it's in better shape. But there's just something to the TI and it's similarly my best TI and the pitting isn't anywhere important so just sorta adds character. And it's more towards a quarter hollow so ...sort of a different thing altogether?
Inconclusive. More study required. Luckily they don't take a lot of space.
Also: I'm always curious to see the grind toe-on every time I see a picture of a straight razor and that shot should somehow always be included in the metadata or something :)
Two other strop makers that seem well regarded and I keep almost buying from are Tony Miller https://heirloomrazorstrop.com/ and Torolf Myklebust https://www.scrupleworks.com/
I find the linen component useful for cleaning up a fresh edge and that actual linen seems to work better for this (and my experience mirrors others that it's particularly noticeable with coticule edges). An acquaintance with a bit of leatherworking skill fashioned me one from some webbing I found on etsy from a link at B&B: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/780497457/linen-tape-by-yard-7cm-wide-tape?ref=yr_purchases
So, typically, I try to hone through any pitting to get a clean edge. I might tolerate some on the bevel, but not right near the edge where the stresses of shaving and stropping might cause it to collapse and break that nice clean line.
However...
I have this one razor. I used it today. I quite like it: it has very little wear and was well ground so it has a very thin bevel. It shaves well and it holds an edge. Indeed, it's one of the few edges I've put a dozen shaves on. But I have a confession: I left a tiny pit at the edge. Because there was probably going to be another and another and... well, usually I'd just take some metal off until we were in reasonable steel. I didn't want to this time, so I left all this (which you can only see at all on one side):
...and while I had a mostly clean edge, it did have a small pit at the edge. But nothing major, it's not a serrated knife or anything. So I went with it to see what happened. Every shave I made a point to see if the heel was giving me more irritation than elsewhere on the blade or anything like that and ...nah. It's fine.
Which reminded me of this post at Science of Sharp where you can see, based on the scale, how very much bigger a hair is than a razor edge. And I think my skin is at least as thick as a hair or I'd be bleeding way more often. A quick search confirms even the thinnest skin (eyelids apparently) has something like 50 microns of epidermis.
So maybe I shouldn't be so surprised that I can't notice a difference from some tiny pit on the edge? Maybe I should more often err on the side of leaving steel on a nice blade even if it's not so great?
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Unfortunately this is complicated by the fact that turmeric is perhaps more likely than most spices to have lead contamination as not only is there the usual possibility of contaminated soil there is also a somewhat common practice of using lead chromate to dye it a brighter colour: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/abs/10.1289/isesisee.2018.P02.3490