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Post by GarnerPW on Oct 2, 2017 19:31:10 GMT -6
Does stropping a modern carbon blade in a Valet razor extend the life of the blade? This is the question I am planning on answering over the course of the month October. I recently acquired a Valet Autostrop VC2 razor in a 3 razor lot from eBay. When I purchased the lot I was wanting the Flying Wing that was in the lot. Before this I knew nothing of Autostrop razors. After I received the lot I thought the Valet was the most intriguing and cleaned up very nicely. Doing a little bit of research I found that Feather made blades that would fit this model of Valet razor. Feather makes both a stainless and carbon steel blades. I purchased a tuck of the stainless blades from Maggard and a tuck of the carbon blades from eBay. Feather FHS-10 stainless blades and Feather Seikan carbon blades Stropping a stainless steel blade does nothing for the blade but carbon steel blades are honed and stropped every day. The strops for an Autostrop razor are readily available on eBay. I was able to pick one up that had no visible issues. Wanting to keep the strop in good condition I had a new strop made at a local tack shop. Now I have used a stainless blade in the Valet and was able to get 6 shaves out of it. Over the course of the month of October I will be using the carbon blades and posting the shaves here. Today was the first shave with a carbon blade. The blade had to be modified to properly fit the razor though. The top blades with the dark color are the carbon blades. The blade in the upper right corner has had some of the metal cut out to to accommodate for the posts on my razor. Below that is a unmodified carbon blade. Then the last razor in the column is a unmodified stainless blade. As you can see the cut outs in the middle of the blades are different between the carbon and stainless blades. The stainless blades fit my razor unmodified. In this photo you can see that the modified blade fits the razor. To truly test the life span of the blade I will first use a blade with out stropping the blade to give me a base line on how long a blade will last. Then I will start stropping the blades after and before each use. I will be posting each shave here with a brief comment about the shave. Today's shave was the first shave with a carbon blade. The shave was a little rough but I don't know if it was the blade or my technique. 2 OCtober First shave of OCtober
Pre-Shave: Hot Shower Brush: 28mm Faux Finest Badger, Frank Shaving (FS) Soap: C. O. Bigelow Razor: Valet VC2, Autostrop Blade: Carbon Steel(CS), Feather Seikan (1) Post-Shave: Cold Water rinse and Clubman AS, Pinaud Photo: This was the first shave using a CS Feather blade. Set the razor and shave up the night before. I'm glad I did, the blade needed some minor modifications to set properly in the razor. Sorry no pics of the mod. Will try tonight to get some of the mod. I also had to clean off what I guess is a couple spots of wax that is placed on the blade to keep the blade wrapped in the paper. As it is Menthol Monday I went with some C.O. Bigelow and the big 28mm Faux Finest from FS. A three pass shave left me with an okay shave for Monday. That's alright though as the Valet and I will be getting to know one another over the course of the month. Finished the shave off with some Clubman AS and I am ready for the start of the work week.
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pj3r
Lather Catcher
Posts: 842
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Post by pj3r on Oct 3, 2017 2:45:08 GMT -6
I never tryed the carbon Feather blade, but I heard that they are just crap.
I will carefully read what are your experiance.
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Post by GarnerPW on Oct 3, 2017 5:20:00 GMT -6
3 OCtober2 nd Shave w/ carbon blade Pre-Shave: Hot Shower Brush: 24mm Silvertip Badger, Frank Shaving (FS) Soap: Castle Forbes Shaving Cream, Lavender Razor: Valet VC2, Autostrop Blade: Carbon Steel(CS), Feather Seikan (2) Post-Shave: Cold Water rinse, OSMA Alum block and Brisk Spice, Avon Photo: Today's shave was as smooth as yesterday was rough. I think it was the blade that need to be broke in a bit. You also get that in other blades as well, some SE and Injector blades come to mind. After three passes I am left with a good shave and I am happy with it. Not the closest shave I have had but a smooth one all the same. On the plus side, it was better than yesterday’s offering.
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RocketMan
Gem Star
RazorAddict
Welcome To The Sharp Side!
Posts: 4,167
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Post by RocketMan on Oct 3, 2017 8:04:50 GMT -6
I have not tried the carbon blades and I find this very interesting. Valet razors are wonderful razors from a design standpoint and can be great fun to strop up. The Feather SS are great blades. I haven't had any for some time now though.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses for you. Good work and thnx for sharing!
Also. How are you modifying the carbons? Drill or snips or?
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Post by GarnerPW on Oct 3, 2017 13:34:42 GMT -6
I have not tried the carbon blades and I find this very interesting. Valet razors are wonderful razors from a design standpoint and can be great fun to strop up. The Feather SS are great blades. I haven't had any for some time now though. I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses for you. Good work and thnx for sharing! Also. How are you modifying the carbons? Drill or snips or? I tried to cut it off with a pair of wire cutters but that did not work so well. I ended up breaking it off with some needle nose pliers and a flat bladed screwdriver. It was past my bed time and the Wife was already snoring. When I get ready to replace the one I am using now I will be a little more careful with what I am doing. If you look close at the picture of the modified blade you can see the blade cracked on me in the corner. The only saving grace was that it cracked on the upper corner and not the blade.
Cracked razor.pdf (60.71 KB)
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RocketMan
Gem Star
RazorAddict
Welcome To The Sharp Side!
Posts: 4,167
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Post by RocketMan on Oct 3, 2017 23:15:51 GMT -6
It seems simple enough. You would need be careful though. Sharp blades those Japanese make.
It is interesting that the two types are different. I would not have thought so.
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Post by GarnerPW on Oct 4, 2017 6:30:08 GMT -6
4 OCtoberWILLIAMS WEDNESDAY!!!Pre-Shave: Hot Shower Brush: 24mm Silvertip Frank Shaving (FS) Soap: Williams Razor: Valet VC2, Autostrop Blade: Feather FAS-10 Carbon Steel(CS), Feather Seikan (3) Post-Shave: Cold Water rinse, OSMA Alum block and Stetson After Shave Photo: It's Williams Wednesday! Today's shave was better than yesterday's. It was smooth and effortless. The only thing missing now is the closeness. I did a three pass shave this morning. I noticed that the shave was smoother and easier than the previous two. I had almost no feedback from the alum block. Finished off with some Stetson AS. Two and half hours later I am smooth but not dolphin skin smooth. Final opinion on the shave would be DFS and would be happy with the shave on any given day. On a side note. I was setting up today's shave last night when I started thinking about what blades would fit this razor. An injector blade would fit and once you had it all closed up the blade stays in place without any visible movement. Also a de-spined SE blade would fit with some modifications made to the razor (file down the studs in blade housing). The other thing I noticed was the blade was starting to rust where I had to remove some of the metal to get the blade to set properly. The rust is not near the edge of the blade so it doesn't affect the performance of the blade. It will have to be watched though as it will affect the life of the blade.
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Post by wchnu on Oct 4, 2017 22:02:16 GMT -6
I have heard some of those razors would not take the modern Feathsr blade. I am lucky all mine do. I never noticed the cut outs on the SS and CS are different. You have my interest here too. Shave on SE Dude. RocketMan if you want to try a CS blade let me know. I have a few I could share.
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Post by GarnerPW on Oct 5, 2017 6:53:40 GMT -6
5 OCtoberPre-Shave: Hot Shower Brush: 24mm Silvertip Frank Shaving (FS) Soap: Port-Au-Prince, Stirling Soap Co. Razor: Valet VC2, Autostrop Blade: Feather FAS-10 Carbon Steel(CS), Feather Seikan (4) Post-Shave: Cold Water rinse, OSMA Alum block and Clubman After Shave Lotion Photo: Last week I ordered the Wife some soap and lip balm from Stirling. Then in the order I sneaked in an Alum block and a 1oz Sample puck of Port-Au-Prince for myself. Is that wrong? I purchased the PAP because it is a mutton tallow soap. I had a tub of Electric Sheep once that I gave away to a co-worker. It was the slickest lather I have ever used. I believed the slickness was in part due to the fact that it was a mutton tallow soap. When talking about slickness I will compare all others to the Sheep. This mornings shave I did a little differently. Instead of long strokes with the razor I did little short stokes. I don't know if it was the short strokes, my technique or the blade has finally settled down but I got a DFS out of it this morning. A little closer than yesterday. Finished it all off with a splash of Clubman and I'm ready for another day at the office. Yesterday I posted that what blades I can make fit in the razor with and with out modifying the razor. Someone asked how an injector blade would fit as it is not as wide as a typical SE blade. I will take photos of what I was talking about and post them here tomorrow.
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Post by GarnerPW on Oct 6, 2017 6:53:12 GMT -6
I most have gotten a closer shave yesterday than I first thought. When I looked in the mirror this morning I really didn't need to shave. By noon though I will have needed too. So no shave report today. The question arose yesterday about how and why blades fit in the razor. I have taken some pictures that show how the carbon, stainless and injector blades fit my razor with its studs. From what I have seen Autostrop made the Valets with different stud locations so the buying public would have to continue to buy their blades. This is true even with in the same razor models. Not all VC2, which what mine is, have the studs at the same loctions. The above photos are with the carbon steel blade. The above photos are with the stainless steel blade. The above photos are with the injector blade. Lastly you have the razor shave ready with the injector blade in place. The blade is an old used blade that is why there is schmutz on the blade. But if you look closer at the blade you will see that the blade actually fits in between the blade stops. When I made my statement yesterday about being able to use an injector blade it was after a quick check to see if it was possible. Then last night when I was setting up these photo I found that yes it is possible to make an injector blade work in the Valet though I would not necessarily recommend it. The blade stays in place with no fear of it falling out of the razor but I was able to move the blade with my fingernail. I would not recommend using an injector blade in the Valet but there have been guys here that have shaved with blades taped to their fingers and to popsicle sticks, so maybe I will give it a try for Mayham.
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Post by wchnu on Oct 7, 2017 3:36:52 GMT -6
I most have gotten a closer shave yesterday than I first thought. When I looked in the mirror this morning I really didn't need to shave. By noon though I will have needed too. So no shave report today. The question arose yesterday about how and why blades fit in the razor. I have taken some pictures that show how the carbon, stainless and injector blades fit my razor with its studs. From what I have seen Autostrop made the Valets with different stud locations so the buying public would have to continue to buy their blades. This is true even with in the same razor models. Not all VC2, which what mine is, have the studs at the same loctions. View Attachment View AttachmentThe above photos are with the carbon steel blade. View Attachment View Attachment The above photos are with the stainless steel blade. View Attachment View AttachmentThe above photos are with the injector blade. View AttachmentLastly you have the razor shave ready with the injector blade in place. The blade is an old used blade that is why there is schmutz on the blade. But if you look closer at the blade you will see that the blade actually fits in between the blade stops. When I made my statement yesterday about being able to use an injector blade it was after a quick check to see if it was possible. Then last night when I was setting up these photo I found that yes it is possible to make an injector blade work in the Valet though I would not necessarily recommend it. The blade stays in place with no fear of it falling out of the razor but I was able to move the blade with my fingernail. I would not recommend using an injector blade in the Valet but there have been guys here that have shaved with blades taped to their fingers and to popsicle sticks, so maybe I will give it a try for Mayham. I am not btave enough to try that injector blade trick. I have been known to shave with a blade on a stick! You always have great pics by the way. I was also thinking.....I have a ER stropping handle for the regular GEM blades. It will work with the same strop the valet uses. Let me know if you want to give it a go too.
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Post by GarnerPW on Oct 7, 2017 10:14:49 GMT -6
I most have gotten a closer shave yesterday than I first thought. When I looked in the mirror this morning I really didn't need to shave. By noon though I will have needed too. So no shave report today. The question arose yesterday about how and why blades fit in the razor. I have taken some pictures that show how the carbon, stainless and injector blades fit my razor with its studs. From what I have seen Autostrop made the Valets with different stud locations so the buying public would have to continue to buy their blades. This is true even with in the same razor models. Not all VC2, which what mine is, have the studs at the same loctions. The above photos are with the carbon steel blade. The above photos are with the stainless steel blade. The above photos are with the injector blade. Lastly you have the razor shave ready with the injector blade in place. The blade is an old used blade that is why there is schmutz on the blade. But if you look closer at the blade you will see that the blade actually fits in between the blade stops. When I made my statement yesterday about being able to use an injector blade it was after a quick check to see if it was possible. Then last night when I was setting up these photo I found that yes it is possible to make an injector blade work in the Valet though I would not necessarily recommend it. The blade stays in place with no fear of it falling out of the razor but I was able to move the blade with my fingernail. I would not recommend using an injector blade in the Valet but there have been guys here that have shaved with blades taped to their fingers and to popsicle sticks, so maybe I will give it a try for Mayham. I am not btave enough to try that injector blade trick. I have been known to shave with a blade on a stick! You always have great pics by the way. I was also thinking.....I have a ER stropping handle for the regular GEM blades. It will work with the same strop the valet uses. Let me know if you want to give it a go too. I may have to take you up on that later. I'm sending Tom some old GEM blades to hone for me.
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Post by GarnerPW on Oct 7, 2017 11:18:30 GMT -6
7 OCtoberPre-Shave: Hot Shower Brush: 30mm Fan Shaped, Maseto Shaving (MS) Finest Badger Soap: Williams/Arko mix Lather Bowl: Sundae Dish, The Pioneer Woman, Walmart Razor: Valet VC2, Autostrop Blade: Feather FAS-10 Carbon Steel(CS), Feather Seikan (5) Post-Shave: Cold Water rinse, OSMA Alum block and Oland After Shave, Avon Photo: I wanted to use the Williams/Arko mix today. I bowl lathered up a whole heap of lather with the big ol' MS brush. The Valet gave a great shave after the first pass when I remembered that I needed to use short strokes. The razor gave me another smooth shave, not quite BBS but DFS. I am thinking that I have gotten the best shaves out of this blade and am afraid that it may be all down hill from here, we shall see. I will have to prep a new blade this weekend because I don't think it will make it through another weeks worth of shaves. I finished the shave off with the Alum block and then the Oland AS. When I first got the Oland I wasn't quite sure about it, but it has definitely grown on me. I find myself reaching for it more and more.
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Post by GarnerPW on Oct 8, 2017 16:00:13 GMT -6
8 OCtoberPre-Shave: Hot Shower Brush: 25mm Maseto Shaving(MS) Synthetic Soap: Smolder Shave Stick(homemade), Blades Grim Razor: Valet VC2, Autostrop Blade: Feather FAS-10 Carbon Steel(CS), Feather Seikan (6) Post-Shave: Cold Water rinse and OSMA Alum block Photo: Today was a lazy Sunday morning shave. At first I was going to skip this mornings shave but after my shower I looked in the mirror and thought way not. With very little stubble and no prep I chose the MS synthetic and a soft soap. I did two passes using short strokes that left me with another DFS. It's been about 8hrs since my shave and I can now see that I need to pay more attention to the area behind my jaw and below my ears. With this razor and blade combo, I didn't think I can achieve a BBS but I'm okay with a DFS though. The Wife was making jokes about my after shave last week so I finished off today with just the Alum block as we were planning on spending the day together. Not having any issues with the blade as of yet so the blade is up again for tomorrows shave.
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Post by GarnerPW on Oct 9, 2017 5:34:11 GMT -6
9 OCtoberMenthol MondayPre-Shave: Hot Shower Brush: 24mm Silvertip Frank Shaving (FS) Soap: C.O. Bigelow Razor: Valet VC2, Autostrop Blade: Feather FAS-10 Carbon Steel(CS), Feather Seikan (7) Post-Shave: Cold Water rinse and "Teddy" Wild Country After Shave, Avon Photo: Seeing how it's Menthol Monday I went with the only menthol like soap I have, C.O. Bigelow. Whipped up a unsatisfying lather in the little glass bowl I use to soak my brush in. Luckily I was still able to get some decent lather after face lathering. I continued with the short strokes on today's shave and minded the spots from yesterday. That being behind my jaw and below my ear. I only did two passes today and it shows, I should have done the third. If I don't get another good shave from the blade tomorrow it will be done. Though 8 shaves off of the blade isn't bad, it ain't great, but isn't bad. It is also a base line/ bench mark for the next blade when I strop. Finished the shave with a little Teddy AS. The Wild Country After Shave has a scent of baby powder to me, not to strong but a slight hint. All in all an okay shave for a Monday.
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