gcgallant
@gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, January 25th, 2026 (#957) 1 day ago:
I think I’ve been using light pressure
Then you probably have been.
what would a rounded edge feel like while shaving?
It is a very gradual change. It is an edge that feels smooth but is looses its ability to cut well. If the edge feels harsh, and it was not originally that way, then you likely have a breakdown of the edge at the apex. This would look very toothy on one of my microscope photos.
I think I need to start by picking up a finishing stone so that I can try to touch up my own edges.
Another thing you can do is to take some worn, clean denim (cut from an old pair of jeans), stretch it over a 2x4 and apply a light amount of green chromium oxide paste. Then, about every 10 shaves, or so, do 20-30 stropping laps on this “loaded” strop. This will significantly extend the time between honings on your razors.
Though I guess that could help keep you busy! I have no idea what to do if I’m not busy 🤔
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, January 25th, 2026 (#957) 1 day ago:
I think it is mostly a combination of steel and technique. While beard hair diameter may vary greatly, I bet shear resistance has a very narrow distribution.
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, January 25th, 2026 (#957) 1 day ago:
You can typically get about 30 - 40 shaves on a good edge on good steel, but you do have to adapt to the edge as it gets less keen. Stropping can work against you if you are using heavier pressure. It will round the edge. All that said, except for AA challenges, I find myself refreshing edges after 10 to 15 shaves. This is definitely excessive, but here at Hones-R-Us, I need to keep busy.
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 14th, 2026 (#946) 1 week ago:
January 14, 2026
- Brush: Elite Razor Honduran Rosewood Burl 24mm HMW Fan
- Razor: Ale 7/8 Full Hollow Spanish Point
- Lather: Areffa Soap - August Moon - Soap
- Toner: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
- Aftershave: Areffa Soap - August Moon - Aftershave
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
Great test shave with this Ale razor. This was my second use of Areffa Soap August Moon. This has a wonderful soap base (bear tallow) and has a subtle fragrance which opens up beautifully as you use it.
- Comment on Monday SOTD Thread, January 12th, 2026 (#944) 2 weeks ago:
January 12, 2026
- Brush: Chisel & Hound Classic 26mm V23 Fanchurian
- Razor: Thiers Issard Sheffield Best Silver Steel 6/8 Hollow Ground Round Point
- Lather: Elysian Soap Shop - El Dorado - Soap
- Toner: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
- Aftershave: Elysian Soap Shop - El Dorado - Aftershave
- Fragrance: Elysian Soap Shop - El Dorado - Eau de Parfum
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
This was a test shave of the edge that I created on this Thiers Issard razor using a Nakayama Japanese natural stone. I was very pleased with the result.
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, January 11th, 2026 (#943) 2 weeks ago:
January 11, 2026
- Brush: Brad Sears Scotsman XL 28mm Super Badger
- Razor: Thiers Issard Évidé Sonnant 6/8" Extra Hollow
- Lather: Wholly Kaw - Cedrati - Soap
- Toner: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
- Aftershave: Floris London - No. 89 - Aftershave
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
Close comfortable shave. No nicks or irritation.
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 10th, 2026 (#942) 2 weeks ago:
As of this evening’s shave I’ve decided all this fuss about bevel angle (self-generated) is overrated 😂
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 10th, 2026 (#942) 2 weeks ago:
January 10, 2026
- Brush: Elite Razor Neo-resinate 26mm Mother Lode
- Razor: River Razors 6/8 3/4 Hollow
- Lather: Noble Otter - Firefighter - Soap
- Toner: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
- Aftershave: Noble Otter - Firefighter - Aftershave
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
The River Razor 6/8 has a slightly large bevel angle (19 degrees) and I have not had the type of shave that I hoped to have with it. Today, I tried preparing the razor with a Jnat edge (for softness), and using the same “soft touch” technique that I used yesterday with the 22 degree Thiers Issard razor. I’m thrilled to learn that this technique also worked with my River Razor. I may have just learned how to shave.
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 10th, 2026 (#942) 2 weeks ago:
She said it gave her a headache
Ahhh the headache excuse …
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 10th, 2026 (#942) 2 weeks ago:
Hopefully I can do that again!
I guarantee you that you can!
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 10th, 2026 (#942) 2 weeks ago:
I did a little research on this a while back and don’t recall if there is a precise definition. Most people seem to lay the razor down on a measuring tape and measure the distance from the apex to the top of the spine at the center of the razor. I measure the distance from the apex to the grind line on the spine because that is part of the bevel angle calculation.
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 10th, 2026 (#942) 2 weeks ago:
The EdP is a must-have imo. You get all the complexity of the scent that is not present in the soap or splash. I’m always surprised by how good it is.
- Comment on Friday SOTD Thread, January 9th, 2026 (#941) 2 weeks ago:
The struggle is real.
It certainly is! 😂
- Comment on Friday SOTD Thread, January 9th, 2026 (#941) 2 weeks ago:
Ok, here’s (probably) more than you want to know 🙂. An edge is made up of two (bevel) surfaces that come together (intersect) to form a line. This is almost always drawn as two lines that come together at a point (the apex) showing two sides of a triangle.
In cutting, you achieve more precision by narrowing that triangle; think about the difference between an axe and a scalpel.
We call the angle between the two sides the bevel angle. On a straight razor that angle is determined by the width of the spine and the height of the blade.
Generally speaking, smaller angles are better for shaving. Most straight razors that I’ve measured have a bevel angle between 15 and 18 degrees. The challenge I had with this razor, which had a bevel angle of 22 degrees, was, “how can I get it to shave well?”.
Wet shaving turns out to be a terrific hobby and there’s a whole world of safety razors (DE and SE), soaps, splashes, etc. to explore. Straight razors are another rabbit hole to go down within the hobby.
- Comment on Friday SOTD Thread, January 9th, 2026 (#941) 2 weeks ago:
I love that pattern of one soap per week. I would have to seriously thin my collection in order to do that.
- Comment on Friday SOTD Thread, January 9th, 2026 (#941) 2 weeks ago:
January 9, 2026
- Brush: Wild West Brushworks Blue Space 26mm Cashmere
- Razor: Thiers Issard Le Petit Français 5/8 Hollow Ground Round Point
- Lather: Noble Otter - Monarch - Soap
- Toner: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
- Aftershave: Noble Otter - Monarch - Aftershave
- Talc: Pinaud Clubman Finest Powder
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
This Le Petit Français razor has over a 22 degree bevel angle. And it is a new razor! It was sent to me to have a new edge put on it. I chose to use a Jnat to create the edge with that Jnat softness, and then I tried a new technique while shaving to deal with the wide angle. This was very successful for me, and I very much hope that it works for others.
I picked Monarch because its fragrance is modeled on a French market. I thought that was fitting to go with the French razor. Surprisingly great shave today!
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 7th, 2026 (#939) 2 weeks ago:
👍
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 7th, 2026 (#939) 2 weeks ago:
He has been living there for almost 5 years now.
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 7th, 2026 (#939) 2 weeks ago:
Yeah, my son sent me some photos of Paris covered in snow. Amazing looking.
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 7th, 2026 (#939) 2 weeks ago:
Yeah, the Noble Otter splashes don’t get enough praise. Excellent formulation to accompany the great scents.
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 7th, 2026 (#939) 2 weeks ago:
Well, you’re no longer a beginner with a straight 😉
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 7th, 2026 (#939) 2 weeks ago:
January 7, 2026 - A Gentleman’s Nod to Wednesday
- Brush: Wolfman WRB2 Bronze w/AP Shave Co MiG 26mm Premium Hybrid
- Razor: Wolfman Razors WR4/WRH3
- Blade: Feather Artist Club Professional (6)
- Lather: Gentleman’s Nod - Tusitala - Soap
- Toner: Thayers - Cucumber - Toner
- Aftershave: Gentleman’s Nod - Tusitala - Aftershave
- Fragrance: Gentleman’s Nod - Tusitala - Parfum Extrait
- Talc: Yardley Gold
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
Wonderful shave with the WR4 today. I’ve now used all of the razors I have that take AC blades. Tusitala has a fragrance that was created by a perfumer. You can tell. There’s a woody, musky nature to it but there’s also a touch of citrus, tobacco, and spice in there. Even the Parfum Extrait has a mild to medium scent strength to it, but overall, this seems like a sophisticated scent to me.
- Comment on Tuesday SOTD Thread, January 6th, 2026 (#938) 3 weeks ago:
“Nothing personal, it’s just business”
- Comment on Tuesday SOTD Thread, January 6th, 2026 (#938) 3 weeks ago:
I haven’t done a Tabac Tuesday in way too long. I keep forgetting about it, but the Stank™ should not be denied.
- Comment on Tuesday SOTD Thread, January 6th, 2026 (#938) 3 weeks ago:
You might try another round with taping the edge and grinding the spine, only this time use the 2K so you won’t worry so much about the amount of metal your remove. See if the 10K result gets a little better. I bet it will. Also, you can push the the edge on the 10K a bit. Dish soap and water works great for this.
- Comment on Tuesday SOTD Thread, January 6th, 2026 (#938) 3 weeks ago:
January 6, 2026 – Tobacco Tuesday
- Brush: Truefitt & Hill Wellington 24mm Silvertip
- Razor: Blackland Razors Vector
- Blade: Feather Artist Club Professional (5)
- Lather: Elysian Soap Shop - Cherie Tobacco - Soap
- Toner: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
- Aftershave: Elysian Soap Shop - Cherie Tobacco - Aftershave
- Fragrance: Elysian Soap Shop - Cherie Tobacco - Eau de Parfum
- Talc: Yardley Gold
2 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
This was an amazingly close 2-pass shave and exceedingly comfortable. Yesterday I used the Tatara Amakuni which is an AC razor that has a very design that is very similar to the Vector. I had an excellent shave from the Amakuni but today’s there was more blade feel in today’s shave and it felt surprisinly more satisfying. I need to do a side-by-side comparison of these two razors.
Cherie Tobacco absolutely never disappoints. This is one worth having in the trifecta.
- Comment on Free Talk Friday - January 2nd, 2026 3 weeks ago:
I saw that. Always blame the stone or the razor 🤣
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 3rd, 2026 (#935) 3 weeks ago:
I agree. I think as your technique improves, you learn to adapt to different razors. If the average beard hair diameter is 100 microns (Gillette) then only the first 0.5 mm of the edge matters in cutting (I’m making assumptions about 3-sigma).
- Comment on Free Talk Friday - January 2nd, 2026 3 weeks ago:
Congrats on 100 straight razor shaves! According to the rules, you are no longer a beginner 😂
- Comment on Friday SOTD Thread, January 2nd, 2026 (#934) 3 weeks ago:
January 2, 2026
- Brush: Chisel & Hound Raven 26mm V26 Fanchurian
- Razor: Filarmonica 14 Especial Gen 1
- Lather: Ethos Grooming Essentials - Dragonsbeard - Soap
- Toner: Thayers - Coconut - Toner
- Aftershave: Ethos Grooming Essentials - Dragonsbeard Skin Food - Splash
- Fragrance: Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Oud - Eau de Parfum
- Talc: Yardley Gold
3 passes. Face lather. Excellent shave.
This was an interesting comparison shave. Today I used a Fili 14 (Especial) with an Escher edge, and yesterday I used the same razor (Doble Temple) with a Black Shadow edge. I was certain that I would feel no difference between the two razors. Both were equally keen, and both were comfortable, but today’s Escher edge had a softer feel to it. Is this worth the high price of owning an Escher? Not in my opinion.
Dragonsbeard is a wonderful scent and the Ethos F base performed flawlessly. All of this made for a wonderful shave.