Karve Shaving Co. A new DE Brass razor to market.

I used a bench polisher,  but you could use a dremel if that's what you have.   I didn't touch anything under the cap so as to avoid disrupting tolerances. I started with black compound to cut the bead blast.  Then brown compound to remove the scratches left by the first step.  I polished with white compound.  Go slowly to obtain a uniform finish before proceeding to each finer grit.

I used liver of sulfur to force the patina.   It's a concoction of sulfur containing oxidants that does beautiful things to copper, the major ingredient in bronze and brass.  Read about how to use it safely because it is an oxidant and also releases hydrogen sulfide, which in addition to smelling like bad eggs, is toxic.

After forcing the patina you can enjoy it as is, or use a mild brass polish to selectively remove tarnish and give the piece a more natural worn look.

Don't use ammonia.  It's too corrosive and won't give you the look you want. I've heard of people sealing the metal in a plastic bag with hard boiled egg yolks,  but I've never tried that myself and I don't know if or how it works.

If you end up not liking the look,  it's easy to remove all of the tarnish with a mild brass polish.

Good luck!

Way too advanced for me. Lol
Would you consider charging for a service?

I prefer the F plate with the 3” handle , it’s definitely (along with the Dart ) the best bang for your buck IMHO

I prefer that setup as well. I originally bought the D plate, but it didn’t have enough blade feel, so I couldn’t get an irritation free shave. I traded for the F plate and it still doesn’t have much blade feel, but it has enough that I know it’s there, so my shaves are a lot better.

One of the best on the market. I think D is generally sufficient and comfortable but I use E on days where I'm dealing with more growth.

I bought both the 3 and 3.5 handles with C and E plates. I prefer the 3.5, but I think 3.25” to 3.375” would be perfect.

I sometimes use the C when I want a quick and easy, carefree shave. Then half the time, I end up retouching a few spots with the E or Dart anyway. The E could definitely be a one-and-only, and a KAI will kick it up a notch if needed. I have ordered the F to try, though.

The E with KAI makes it easy to get date-night close in just a few passes for less irritation. She noticed .... I prefer the Personna Red overall though.

I’m still shaving with the wrong hand due to a badly-torn rotator cuff, and will be for a while (surgery next week). I get a few nicks with the E that I wouldn’t get shaving normally, but those are always oops moments due to awkwardness and erratic technique.

but I think 3.25” to 3.375” would be perfect.

I couldn't agree more. I swapped my 3.5" for a 3" with somebody to borrow for a while while we decide if we're going to trade or not. The 3.5" is just a tad too long and makes the razor feel a little handle heavy balance-wise. I prefer the balance and shave of the 3", but it just feels too short for my preference. I need to decide if I'm going to get my original handle back or go through with the trade, but I think that a 3.25" option would be perfect as well.

but I think 3.25” to 3.375” would be perfect.

I couldn't agree more. I swapped my 3.5" for a 3" with somebody to borrow for a while while we decide if we're going to trade or not. The 3.5" is just a tad too long and makes the razor feel a little handle heavy balance-wise. I prefer the balance and shave of the 3", but it just feels too short for my preference. I need to decide if I'm going to get my original handle back or go through with the trade, but I think that a 3.25" option would be perfect as well.

It's stainless steel rather than brass but there are blemished Weber razor handles currently available on Ebay for $15 (plus $4-5 shipping). The Bulldog is 3 1/8 in and the Class is 3 7/8 in.

So far, I have avoided trying any non-Karve handles on it. I know most modern metric handles would fit the 10-32 threads close enough. The brass threads are just so beautifully machined and fit together so perfectly and smoothly. It just seems wrong to use anything else even if Goldilocks is missing one bowl of porridge.

From my last shave with the Karve and E plate, I decided to give myself a couple of days of growth and see how the F plate would fair. I used the same Astra SP blade with one shave on it and got set up. I wasn’t expecting equal smoothness to the D or E plate and honestly I wanted a step up in efficiency and blade feel and wouldn’t mind sacrificing a bit of smoothness to get it.

Well, I got what I wanted and in spades. Yet, to me the F plate still gave me a relatively smooth feeling shave that was comfortable and easy to manage with sound technique. No, you don’t need Ikon Tech touch or technique, far from it but, you still have to show a tad of awareness cause if you slip up, it can bite a bit. I was actually quite surprised and pleased at the amount of hair it removed on the first pass alone. Like I said very good efficient feel with a nice forward blade feel to it. Not aggressive gents, just nice blade feel and a nice sounding cutting action.

I can’t compare the Karve with some of the Higher end razors such as a Timeless .95 SB/OC, Charcoal Goods L2 or L3 or any Wolfman in .80/.86 gaps for I don’t have either one of those. Plus the Gents that have posted prior to me here have given excellent renderings with the razors I’ve mentioned on comparison values to the Karve. I don’t have a high end DE to compare it to besides a Dart & Blackbird and a Rex Ambassador. The first 2 Blackland razors I get a bit more in blade feel and efficiency with just a whisker less smoothness compared to the Karve. With the Rex I get a bit less blade feel, but almost if not equally smooth to the Karve. Actually, the only razor that I have that actually feels like the Karve “F” in both efficiency and smoothness is an SE, the Cobra Classic. The Cobra feels like it hugs my face more but, they are very similar in feel and shave action.

To sum it up, it’s just an excellent shave system with perhaps the best bang pound for pound for your hard earned $$$. It stacks up very well with any razor I have in my den regardless of format, including straights. I’m going to put in a full months work of shaves just to fiddle with it a bit but, I know the outcome. It’s a hell of a razor.....

Since you mentioned the Rex what would be comparable setting numbers on the Rex, in your opinion vs which plate on the karve ?

At this point, the Karve, Rex, and Dart are the only 3 I’m using. I still have a Variant stashed at my fiancee’s house, and it’s certainly no slouch (quite good, in fact), but I generally take one of The Three if I’ll be there more than a day.