So good. Some days I get more tobacco out of it, and I love it even more those days. Yesterday was one of them.
5/18/24
- Brush: Muninn Woodworks w/ TNS 28mm M7 Fan
- Razor: Iberia 14 Doble Temple 8/8, Extra Hollow Square Point
- Lather: House of Mammoth - Shire 2
- Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Shire 2 Aftershave Splash
Close and comfortable shave, no nicks or irritation.
Yeah that price tag is a little of a 😬
But that stone is probably top tier. Not only really rare, it's kinda collectable I suppose too, as it has both Maruichi and Maruka stamps. Probably stamped during the transition of ownership from Kato (Maruichi) to Hatanaka (Maruka). Either way, either of those stamps guarantee quality.
You might be able to find something more reasonably priced, however. Ozuku, for example, are typically pretty damn hard. I don't think I've ever met a soft one (though admittedly I haven't met a lot 🤣). Other mines like Shobu and Aiiwatani are also pretty solid. You could find a really good stone for only a couple hundred to begin with.
One of the bigger price hikes on stones is mostly looks, believe it or not, over fineness. With exceptions, of course, like in the case of the rare and venerable Nakayama.
I look forward to when you take the plunge.
I go by feel mostly, but always have my microscope for that extra verification of consistency. I'm probably a lot more anal about it than I need to be.
That sounds like a solid progression!
from what I understand natural stones are a little bit on the soft side for honing stainless steel
You can definitely get some super hard jnats that work wonders with stainless. My Nakayama is 5++ and it married super well with Infernals 17.
I hope you try some naturals at some point. They're fascinating, doubly so jnats imo.
5/15/24
- Brush: Farvour Turn Crafts w/ C&H v12 Fanchurian
- Razor: Raido Star 10/8, Full Hollow French Point
- Lather: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth! Roman Spice
- Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth! Roman Spice Aftershave Splash
- Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving - Seaforth! Roman Spice EdT
Damn this Roman Spice is some good stuff. There's only a couple of scents in my den that smell nice to Mrs. Pudding every day. This is one of them. She really likes this one.
My Roman Kamlash razor came back home the other day after being out on loan. I'm glad to have it back home. This chopper is a real joy to shave with.
Nice shave this morning.
Man, you had some solid stuff come in!
Solid haul and great job on the cleanup! That Henckels really is the star of that show. I'm sure that's going to make for a nice shaver.
Bummer about the 72½. That's great to hear it still shaves well, though. Vintage hunting can be such a crap shoot. Some issues are so hard to spot from pictures, and some people are really sneaky about concealing them.
What's your honing progression looking like?
Oh yeah, this one is 100% a keeper. Felt great.
I originally set out to find myself one nice razor to add to my collection. At first I was looking for a western grind Iwasaki kamisori, but then I found that NOS Iberia within my budget and jumped.
The Kobar 7 day was just happenstance. I had seen the lot on a small auction site and tossed a bid out there and ended up winning.
This razor was pure accident. I had just stumbled on it and just knew I just had to have it.
Only had the factory bevel on it by the time I got to it! This morning was it's first use in almost 100 years!
The Yoshihiro's I'd actually picked up quite some years before even getting in to wetshaving. I had originally grabbed them for my woodworking tools and kitchen knives. They had come recommended to me at the time from a gentleman I used to talk with quite a bit. The set came in 1k, 3k, 8k. They've been great stones. Very consistent. I have really enjoyed them.
Hey thanks for trying! I ended up getting help from a gentleman over on SRP for dating. Between 1925 - 1932!
5/19/24
Man I love this scent. I wish I had it in a frag, I'd wear it all the time.