06-29-2018, 11:14 AM
SHARPCO asked "What do you think is the best way to finish for face shaving and wood carving?
Don't know about wood carvers but we've conducted a fair amount of study in the straight edge arena and had a number of conversations with straight edge sharpeners. For the most part, straight edge guys don't like us and at some level, it's understandable. We originally thought that the straight edge market would be a "no brainer" for our product but the "old salts" in that marketplace schooled us on that point. Here's what our takeaway is on the matter.
There is only one good reason to build a three legged stool with 19th century woodworking tools or to shave with 19th century shaving apparatus and that would be because one has a true appreciation for how things used to be done and then act on that appreciation. There could be other sorts of "farfegnugen" reasons for doing so and we understand those reasons as well. After all, we do have one co-worker here who has been known to take long road trips on a motorcycle while leaving a perfectly good SUV parked in his garage. We found that use of electronic edge testers for straight edge users was akin to running electrical service to Roy Underhills's Woodwright Shop (PBS).
All that said SHARPCO, the most common complaint heard from straight edge users concerned a "harsh edge". The term mystified us for sometime and the people who used the term were unable to explain it better either. Apparently, an edge could be both sharp and harsh at the same time. We believe now that this simply applies to the finish on the edge. Highly polished edges are "smooth" and less polished edges are "harsh". Not to be confused with "tooth" however. A harsh edge to a straight razor guy might be considered "highly polished" and tooth-less by a knife guy.
Now to sharpness levels. There are those who claim to sharpen straight edges, using traditional methods, to modern day DE razor blade levels but several experienced straight edge sharpeners say, no, they can't. Our all time best here in the shop, using modern methods, is 65 and that number has never been repeated since. We know that our instruments have been used by customers to measure straight edges but apparently, mostly under the cover of darkness with curtains drawn tight. To this day, we have never had a straight edge sharpener report sharpness levels to us. Most every other kind and sort of cutting/slicing/shearing edge, yes...but never a straight edge razor.
Don't know about wood carvers but we've conducted a fair amount of study in the straight edge arena and had a number of conversations with straight edge sharpeners. For the most part, straight edge guys don't like us and at some level, it's understandable. We originally thought that the straight edge market would be a "no brainer" for our product but the "old salts" in that marketplace schooled us on that point. Here's what our takeaway is on the matter.
There is only one good reason to build a three legged stool with 19th century woodworking tools or to shave with 19th century shaving apparatus and that would be because one has a true appreciation for how things used to be done and then act on that appreciation. There could be other sorts of "farfegnugen" reasons for doing so and we understand those reasons as well. After all, we do have one co-worker here who has been known to take long road trips on a motorcycle while leaving a perfectly good SUV parked in his garage. We found that use of electronic edge testers for straight edge users was akin to running electrical service to Roy Underhills's Woodwright Shop (PBS).
All that said SHARPCO, the most common complaint heard from straight edge users concerned a "harsh edge". The term mystified us for sometime and the people who used the term were unable to explain it better either. Apparently, an edge could be both sharp and harsh at the same time. We believe now that this simply applies to the finish on the edge. Highly polished edges are "smooth" and less polished edges are "harsh". Not to be confused with "tooth" however. A harsh edge to a straight razor guy might be considered "highly polished" and tooth-less by a knife guy.
Now to sharpness levels. There are those who claim to sharpen straight edges, using traditional methods, to modern day DE razor blade levels but several experienced straight edge sharpeners say, no, they can't. Our all time best here in the shop, using modern methods, is 65 and that number has never been repeated since. We know that our instruments have been used by customers to measure straight edges but apparently, mostly under the cover of darkness with curtains drawn tight. To this day, we have never had a straight edge sharpener report sharpness levels to us. Most every other kind and sort of cutting/slicing/shearing edge, yes...but never a straight edge razor.