Daily Learning curve of having Great shaves!

Discussion in 'Shave School' started by Ron R, Mar 10, 2018.

  1. PumperNickel-BageL

    PumperNickel-BageL Active Member

    I agree and its too bad people keep recommending to newbies to get a Merkur 34c or DE89 when in reality an adjustable razor is much more versatile and higher probability that they will find their comfort zone

    Since I got my Rockwell 6c I havent even picked up any of my other razors.
     
    Ron R likes this.
  2. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    "I prefer adjustable DE razors, too (though for the past year I've been fixated on SE razors , specifically the Colonial General). Just curious, which one is your favorite adjustable?"
    Dennis

    I only have Two for now that are Ming shi 2000 and Gillette slim, They both give me excellent shaves but the Slim gets under the nose easier but the Ming shi 2000 has no blade overhang. Slim slightly wins between the two because it also has small lather grooves on the safety bar also and a little easier to load.
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2018
  3. Biglou

    Biglou Active Member

    I’ve only ever shaved with a fixed DE. I’d be interested in trying an adjustable DE. What brand DEs do you prefer for a newbie to adjustables?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  4. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Other nice adjustables that are worth mentioning are Parker Variant , Merkur progress, Rex Ambassador, Gillette fatboy & slim and Rockwell 6s,6c to name a few and others are coming forward like the Q-shave Parthenon and Rockwell model T will be out in the next year or two.
     
  5. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Soaps should have 3 or more good charactristics that I like to look for are Scent+ slickness+ cushion volume+postshave+cost per oz.
    Soaps are a very large topic and I have Browsed hrs looking for information on great soaps when I started DE shaving and I was looking at another forum that this fellow (Martin)complied a interesting spread sheet that must of took hrs to complete. I do not have S.A.D(Soap accusation disorder) yet and hope to keep it that way, I also contributed to this survey when he was compiling it and it is a reasonable reference.
    My favorite soaps are Tabac, Arko, TOBS sandal wood,Razorock XXX , Razorock Amici, Haslinger Schafmilch and Nivea shaving cream in a tube.
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    Last edited: Mar 30, 2018
  6. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Blade banks are great to have so you do not have sharp blades laying around for curious children to play with like when I was a child. The homemade one blurs whats in there and the magnetic business card holds my current blade using, made that one when first started DE shaving and that is one is my go to, the dice stays on top to count the # of shaves for that blade. The tall one is a piggy bank the wife bought me at a garage sale and it will hold enough blades for a generation or two:lyrtuy5:, it could disappear some day to another garage sale or another use. The nice thing about biggy banks they come in all size and shapes. The third one is a plastic Personna blade holder and on the back of it is a spent blade compartment that can hold over 50 spent blades from what I have been told(i got over 52 recently). "DON'T THROW SPENT BLADE INTO WASTE BASKET IF NOT WRAPPED SOME UNKNOWING PERSON COULD GET SERIOUSLY HURT"
    There are all kinds of neat blade banks that people like because of their oddites and also have a practical purpose, some of the older medicine cabinets had a slot in the back for blades to drop in the wall studs void.(out of site out of mind!:eek:)
    Have some good shaves!

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    Last edited: May 27, 2018
  7. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Shaving Technique and razor angle(25-30degrees) is so important to start off blade-angle (2).jpg
    and the basic 3 basic pass system for most are WTG, XTG and ATG for most folks. Not all shavers can go Against the grain (ATG) because of skin issues. My routine is WTG + ATG+ clean up=DFS>BBS daily and it seems to work for me. Less passes usally means less nicks,weepers and irritation when daily shaving. For me to explain technique is not easy so "Nick shaves "on Youtube does a better job than I would and come across properly to Newbies and some seasoned shavers who are maybe struggling with what ever.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2018
    brit likes this.
  8. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Astringents like witch Hazel and Alum are used by some folks to help the skin in post shave by reducing inflammation and to tighten up the skin to help keep small lesions(weepers)seal up created by the razor blade and to keep moisture in the skin and calm the skin down.
    Witch hazel also has other healing properties that are good for the skin but I'm focused on shaving benefits, you can buy witch hazel without Alcohol also to reduce drying out of your skin, but the alcohol also disinfects the skin that can also be a benefit. Witch hazel uses about 14 %-20 % of denatured alcohol from distilling process depending on the brand or just buy it without alcohol with different scents as a great skin toner.
    I also use alochol Witch hazel to dilute my stronger scented aftershaves to a more likable strength for me and the wife.
    Alum is basically potassium salt that is used after a shave to tighten the skin and seal up small lesions and scraps and it also indicates how your over all shave went with slight stinging sensation were blade scarped away to much skin. Always use cold rinses before and after 30-45 seconds of applying alum to get the best results for your skin.
    I have been using these two products alternating days and my skin has never looked and felt better in years.
    Alum is very inexpensive also and can be used only as post shave application and the same as witch hazel with alcohol for good skin results.
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    Last edited: May 21, 2018
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  9. Django

    Django Member

    Hi Ron, I like the idea of the razor rack you made , rustic wood looks great against shiny razors, nice one!
     
    Ron R likes this.
  10. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Corking is a controversial subject that is seldom used is my jest of it. I have used this method just recently to test on a blade that always starts out a little ruff and then becomes a great blade into about the 3-4 shave. The two common materials are cork and Styrofoam and I used cork for my blade. From my research lots of folks have tried it on feather blades and a few others.
    The blade I tried it on was the Polsilver SI and just did 1 shallow swipe 1/8" deep & and same on the other side and it did smooth the blade out for first use but you more than likely lose 1 shave doing this?. All my other blades I have no issues with and it seems a stupid procedure but if you have 100 blades and the blade is uncomfortable on the first shave it might be alternative. When they put the coating on the blade they use a sputtering machine for this process and maybe the dried coating is a little rough until you strop the blade with your beard on the first shave?:confused:
    You would only cork on a new blade before first use and that is it or go to another blade alternative.

    The blades stuck in the materials are all spent blades from my blade bank and are used for visuals only.
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    Last edited: Nov 19, 2018
    Django likes this.
  11. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Balm's for shaving are really nice for keeping the skin moisturized in winter months when the air is dryer. I have been using Nivea balm's and they last a long time are reasonably priced IMO.
    Some balms are made to match the after shave and soap used for your shave but you $pay a premium for that of course (Proraso products ). Nivea is easy to buy at your local pharmacy's and has been around and does the job for me and millions of others. It is not necessary to use a balm but if you can afford it is a nice touch for dry climate airs (Desert's & winter months, salt water, sun, ........ )
    Nivea (pea or almond size is all that is needed )
    The formula is quick absorbing, has no drying alcohol added, and enriched with Chamomile and Vitamin E to care for the skin.

    • Instant soothing feeling
    • Alleviates redness due to dry skin
    • Skin looks healthier and cared for
    • Skin feels comfortable and smooth
    • Dermatologically tested by men with sensitive skin
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    Last edited: Apr 6, 2018
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  12. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Natural haired shaving brushes, good practice to always soak before use in warm water for a least 2 minutes.
    The reason for soaking is to keep the hair bristles pliable, soften and to absorb water for the lather.
    If you do not soak and go directly to soap it tends to break the hairs and so brush loses its useful life quicker.
    Synthetic brushes do not need a 2 minute soaking and can be directly applied to soap when just moistened.
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    Last edited: Apr 6, 2018
  13. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Full Growth beards can be a real challenge for folks who want to remove it for a change and how to go about it.
    There are a couple of excellent ways to remove longer growth and 1st way is to get some clippers out and reduce the length first and then go to a DE(double edge) blade or better straight edge razor so it does not plug up so easy. I remember removing my beard with a Gillette proglide(5 blades) and it would just plug up all the time and it was not that enjoyable in my mind I recall and my skin reminded me of that blunder yrs before starting DE shaving. Well for me to explain a better method I went to Youtube and attached this video for folks who like to remove their long growth beards, he likes to use slant razors or adjustable's that have deep safety bars for the whiskers to collect in front of the blade. He does not recommend Open comb razors because from his experience the hairs tangle up in the teeth of the razor, he explains that in this video!

     
  14. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Cuts, weepers, pimples, moles....... how to avoid nicking them over the lather when applied is a interesting objective challenge task for some & myself.
    What I do is mark the sore area with my finger in the lathered beard to mark the target area and try to avoid that spot if at possible and most of the time it works for me.
    If it is a cut or pimple It usually gets a little isopropyl alcohol to kill what ever germs lurking around that small area after shaving and it seems to heal up in no time. 20180407_103914_crop_455x235.jpg
     
  15. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Cleaning Razors should be done every once in a while and that goes for cartridge razors also IMO. Rinsing razor with water is a minimal chore and is important of course in hygiene of your face well being. Cleaning with a old tooth brush with anti bacterial soap will get most of the job done (Very recommended for hard to reach and knurling) and when collecting old vintage razors its a good idea to scrub with brush and soap and go one step further and dunk in 99% isoproply alcohol minimal or even better Barbicide solution for a half an hour. I bought this old Barbicide container at a garage sale and cleaned it up for cleaning what ever, very nice container and well made. Most of the time I use alcohol and it dries fast and kills germs and keep it in mason jar which seals well.
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    I recently just used some of this Weiman stove top glass cleaner and does than but a shine back on my old razors like Nickel , chrome & stainless. It will remove brass and copper oxides also so if you want to keep a brass patina do not use it because with a little tooth brush work they disappear quickly to produce the naked metal(very nice to see brass and copper also). I also found those stubborn stains you get with some Vintage razors it seems to remove them. Rinse well afterwards with water and let dry and then with a dry tooth brush soft micro cloth clean and polish any residual paste for a finish that looks like a new razor. Might not work well on some finishes like the Mingshi 2000(have not tried it) .
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    Last edited: Nov 12, 2018
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  16. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Audio razor feed back has to be one of the most important parts of good razor technique. The audio lets you know when you are applying the right angle and very light pressure to get the results desired. (Love the sound of scrapping toast)
    Some razors have more audio feedback because of their design of holding the blade(Ming shi 2000 or Merkur futur & Open combs) and I would not own a razor that would not give me a good Audio. (Cartridge razors have very little Audio because of their 2-6 blade systems.)
    Using your 4 senses (sight+feel+hearing+judgement) will give you a good technique with outstanding results.
     
  17. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    Once you figure out what blades you prefer it does make sense to purchase 100 pc blade bundle or even 50 pc blade bundle for just economics to keep your cost of shipping and going out and possibly buying a lot of other shaving products that might not be to your liking because you ran out of a tuck of 5 blades. A tuck of 5 at the grocery store runs around $5-6 dollars where you can buy a 100 blades for around $10-20 dollars at your online shaving supplier with $3-4 shipping (you also get a better selection of quality blades). Lots of suppliers have offers of free shipping if you buy over $50-60 dollars of bought goods.
     
  18. brit

    brit in a box

    perfect use for nickels,cool i have bowl that will work perfect in.
     
    Ron R likes this.
  19. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    When shaving and you will notice that the soap lather has started drying out on the face before you can get to it with the razor, just do what most will and dip the tip of the brush with a little water and re-moisten lather or what I started doing with my new Razorock SLOC(self lubricating open comb) razor is increase the rinse cycle of clearing the soap off the razor thus bringing more trapped razor water to the face to activate the slickness of soap lather.
    Buy increasing the rinse cycle with out shaking off residual water it seems to reactivate the drying soap caused by the heat of your face thus brings the slickness back to glide of the razor.
    This works for any razor but some hold residual water better than others!- don't shake water off.
    To prove this point of thought just rinse lather off after each pass and notice the slickness of soap that is still there with the added water.
    Have some great shaves;). 20180422_082348_crop_576x448.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2018
  20. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    You might try a blade or razor that just does not work that day you shave, nicks weepers ...... who knows what happened.
    It could be your technique is not quite there yet or had a drinking bender night before or lack of sleep.
    Don't throw out the blades or razor yet, re-visit them later and try one more time and if results are not what you want then make a decision to visit buy sell or trade area.
     

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