February 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

I feel some shenanigans coming on!

 

Maybe I am remembering wrong, but I think the good captain's BR is actually clove-less. It is also one of a few that I really like.

 

I feel some shenanigans coming on!

 

Sounds like CT material. Oh wait.....

 

Thank you, Clint!

 

Yeah, this. It is the shape of the head that matters, not the angle of the dangle.

 

Hi SD gang,
I was going to be a behind the scenes participant but I started commenting about my daily shaves in another thread and was suggested to come here.

For My Feb '17 Rules/Focus I will be doing a Rule month with the following:
Razor: Merkur 34c HD Merkur Blade that came with razor. will switch when worn to Wilkington Sword Classics (only blade available in the area - sample kit still on route)
Brush: AOS Pure Badge that came in the medium kit
Preshave: AOS PreShave Oil Sandalwood
Cream: AOS Sandalwood
Astringent: Alum Deodorant stick
Post Shave: AOS AS Balm

Sorry guys but that is all I have. This is the remains of a Medium kit that got me started. I was using it with an electric Panasonic 8243A and getting better results when I started using this cream/kit. Edge Sensitive shaving cream was nowhere near as good. It was my go to cream until I got the AOS but I had no idea how poor a performer it was. Thankfully, electrics were forgiving. Since the above are the remains of a medium kit that I have been using since the middle of Dec, I will migrate to the unscented large kit for AOS to finish out the month. My TOBS Sandalwood is late in delivery so that is all I have for now.

I do have a '61 Q3 Fatboy and a '66 Q3 Slim but I have elected to do my Rule month with the Merkur.

Feb 1: 3 passes WTG, ATG and ATG. No weeps. good shave but not perfect. Can feel some stubble ATG. Lather: V.Good but now I know it was a little dry
Feb 2: 3 Passes WTG, ATG and ATG. One or two weeps but closed up on rinsing. Better shave. Blade felt like it was bumping along the face. Lather: Perfect! This was the best lather to date. Shiny, firm like Stiff peak merringue.
Feb 3: 3+ Passes WTG, ATG and ATG and every which way. Lather: way too wet. No large bubbles and it was very shiny. Could stand the brush up but it felt thin compared to the day before. I added more cream but I still felt it was a 6/10 compared to the day before. Was suggested to vary the angle of the razor until I felt 'Velcro ripping' which I did but I got a poor ATG pass. Blade might be dulling. I did not feel any pulling and did feel the sensation of Velco ripping but I could not get a smooth shave. Did adjust the angle of the blade to get a better shave as suggested on Feb 2. Neck is definitely red and I think pressure was increasing out of frustration. Might make another run with this blade tomorrow to verify its status before the WSC go in. I'm cheap and do not fully know what a worn blade feel like. Have not felt any burn from Alum until today. A Light tingle at best up to this point. Been using it as a objective test of my shave and it says I over did it today and have some irritation.

First item in need of help: Shaving a pointy chin. Jawline isn't bad, I just open my mouth and close my mouth and I can cover the area without issue. I am hessitant to make a ATG pass on the chin and tend to only do WTG and XTG and ever so slightly ATG. Upper lip is OK, for now. Chinb is worse so let's work on one thing at a time.

Frank

 

Adding the url from google photo wont work as google requires the use of their own viewer. Check out my post above for using Imgsafe. of if you are using a mobile device check out Tapatalk

 

That could be true. If has any it cloves it can't be much because I don't like cloves. I would have noticed

 

Keep in mind that the angle of the blade to your face is what matters. Using the angle of the handle as a reference will help, but that angle will vary between head designs, and between settings on an adjustable. Its easier for me to visualize this, due to using straights, but the angle of the blade on your face is what makes the big difference.

 

Neal, I'm glad you enjoyed your first use of the Fatty!

 

Never apologize about gear. Everything you are using is good quality kit. People here shave with razor blades stapled between popsicle sticks. The motto is "Technique Trumps Tools".

Without seeing it it is hard to know, but shiny lather with no bubbles is perfect. There is a lot of preference involved, but you should forget all the pictures you see of giant billowing clouds of foam, or brushes loaded with cake frosting. Those are great for lather porn, but generally unrealistic for shaving. At first, your biggest concern should just be slickness, and shiny means slick.

As far as working on your chin, start by just breaking it up into flat areas, even if they are tiny. That may mean 25 little strokes, but it will avoid nicks as you try to adjust angle around corners, valleys etc..

Glad you decided to join us.

 

Hi frank, I think there might have been a bit of miscommunication. It should sound like Velcro ripping not necessarily feel like Velcro ripping. For your chin it may help if you use your off had to push on the skin above your chin to tighten up the skin on the area that you are shaving thus giving you less angles that you have to work with. On a side note I only shave WTG on my neck because XTG and ATG causes a lot of irritation and ingrown hairs for me. Lastly, a wet shiny lather is a good thing that you will actually come to appreciate as you continue with your journey. You will discover that if the lather is too dry the razor wont glide as easily along the skin. The wetter the lather is the slicker it will be.

 

Frank it sounds like you are doing pretty well. The kit you are using is pretty much the same that I started with. However, you are a better man than I was. I couldn't make it through the first shave with the Merkur blade. This is my advise for starting out. Do not get caught up on the results in the beginning. The 2 big things to work out are making a decent lather and developing muscle memory. On the lather, practice makes prefect. Nothing says you have to wait until you shave to practice lathering. AOS Sandalwood is a great cream so don't switch to TOBS when it comes in. Changing things around all the time just screws everything up. On the shaving it sounds as if you have found the angle and are having decent results. Just decide on the order of you passes and go with it for the next 30 days. By keeping things the same you will be able to tell small improvements at the same time you are building muscle memory. After 30 days you will be surprised at the results you achieve on a daily basis.

I really don't go ATG on the point of my chin either. I do up until the point but then alternate XTG directions on the passes to get the results I want.

 

I stand corrected. Parallel/perpendicular is there really a difference? I have corrected my original post!

 

Agree completely. The angle of each razor is a bit different, and is completely dependent on the head geometry.

 

Welcome to the thread, Frank!

 

This is basically what I do as well, and seems to work well.

 

Good picture Andrew. I really like that brush.

 

Thank you Doug, I'm quite proud of it. Now if I can only get it to stop stinking.