Couple questions: 1) What is the proper procedure after using the razor? Shake a few times and set on shelf, or take apart to allow blade to dry? 2) Can't seem to load my pure badger brush properly. I am using the techniques from the mantic59 vids, but seems like all the lather ends up sloshed all over the sides of the wooden bowl the soap cake is in, and not in the brush bristles. I scrape the lather from the sides of the bowl, but this doesn't seem correct. What am I doing wrong?
1: Whatever you prefer. I shake and set it in the holder I made. Been a few years now and haven't had a problem with any of the razors I have or have had. 2: It sounds like you either aren't working it long enough or are using a bit too much water. You may want to start off with a bit drier brush and then add water by a few drips at a time. That is how I do it. Load on a shaken brush and then add water until it is good to go. The beauty of this is that there isn't really a wrong so whatever technique you find to build lather , use that. Just as long as you get good usable lather. The other end is that you may not be loading the brush long enough (not using enough product). Let us know how it goes. And by all means, get in the bathroom and practice lathering! You don't have to wait to shave to practice getting super good and rich lather. This is a bit less important than the above but what soap/cream are you using?
Good advice from Bob, most importantly practice. Start with a soaked-then-drained brush. You can squeeze and twist the water out of the knot. It won't hurt it. Then gradually whip lather, dip brush tips in water quickly, lather, dip brush tips in water, lather until you get just the right amount of water mixture and see a nice, thick lather building. Bounce the brush up and down to load it and get the lather deep into the knot. Just like your shaving technique, different soaps require different methods to get them to do right. Practice and patience.
I will give you some advice on razor care. Get a small sealable cup the size of the head of your razor. Put some 91% or better Isotropyl alcohol in it and every time you finish rising your razor head and blade and shaking it, dunk it in the alcohol before putting it up. That rids the razor of water through quick evaporation. Retained water can cause rust and this will help keep the razor clean from any slight soap residue as well. You can use the alcohol 3 or 4 days before changing it.
well...followed the advice and used less water, which seemed to make a difference in loading the brush with more lather. But, when lathering my face...didn't seem to get much a full application. Some bubbles in the lather, etc. Also...I think I need to apply some sort of pre-shave to my face. Getting there...
1. When done shaving I rinse the soap out of the razor with hot tap water then set the razor on its side on the side of the sink to drip dry while I drain/clean the sink and splash on aftershave. By that time it is sufficiently drip-dried to set into the medicine cabinet-on its side. Works for me. 2. I have 2 water modes with brushes (keeps it simple, which at 5am is important). Mode one is soak the brush under warm water for 5 seconds or so, let it drip 2 seconds, then shake dry once. Mode two is same as mode one, but shake it twice and add a drip here and there while lathering as needed. All of my brushes take mode one, except for my Rooney Stubby 2xl. It holds so much water it takes 2 shakes, otherwise I over hydrate the lather.
