JUNE 2015 30 Day Rule/Focus Pic & Discussion Thread

Razor: Gillette Flare Tip D2 1958
Blade: Gillette, Platinum (1)
Brush: Semogue 1305 Boar Tri Colored Wood Handle.
Soap: RazoRock XXX Fresh and clean, a cross between classic Italian Colonial and old school barbershop.
Mug: Soak my brush in the Old Spice coffee mug for about a minute.
A/S: Captain's Choice Sandalwood


I haven't used my boar brush very much so it would be unfair to pass judgement on it today. I will say that I needed more soap for my third pass. It seemed to load very well with the RazoRock XXX soap. I soaked the brush for a few minutes prior to loading the wet soap. I wrung it out like I do my badger brushes and that might have been a mistake. I did soak the soap in a couple teaspoons of water first.
I did have a DFS with 3 passes and a cleanup.

 

Eric, as you continue to get these SR shaves on a regular basis, you'll find your muscle memory will begin to take over and your technique with the razor will improve. The likelihood of those little jabs and nicks from the spike or square points diminish as you learn to keep your hand closer to your face throughout the shave.
Audible feedback is a desired part of SR shaves for many as the sound reinforces the feeling that whiskers ARE being whacked off and when its time to move onto another area.

 

Day 11 - 12 May 2015

30 Day Rule with a Cadet OC!​

A fresh blade today brought a great 2 pass shave. My routine has become rock solid with this razor, and more soap is definitely the key to Williams. Decided to keep it old school today, so I broke out the AV Musk and even a little Pinaud Clubman Hair Tonic. Today was the most quiet alum application all month, so that's the proof ...DFS with no irritation!

Have a great weekend!
​

 

How is the lower angle of attack in the blade? Are you riding the cap now?

 

The part of injector shaving I like best is the audio feedback. It's neat to hear the hairs snap off under the pressure of the blade.

 

I agree whole heartily. Great shave product made with TLC.

 

Well, I think so.

I know we discussed that term in this thread, so I've been trying it or thought I was. But today I seemed to take it further to where the handle was nearly perpendicular (not quite) to my face (and parallel to the floor).

Looking at the razor from the side, my sense is that riding the cap is the opposite of 'riding the safety bar?'

By bringing the razor to the face with the handle nearly parallel to the floor, the blade leads the cap through the whisker. By contrast if the handle is closer to parallel to the wall and brought to the face the safety bar would hit the face first and require pressure to press the bar into the skin in order for the blade to cut.

So with my handle nearly parallel to the floor, I'm riding the cap as the blade "leads" the cap down the face.

So I'm hoping that I have this right now? Or am I still astray in the woods?

 

No clue. I've been straight shaving too much lately.

 

Kevin, I blame your Wosty pics for my forays onto straight razor shopping sites. Love the looks of those things.

 

Careful now..it is a veritable minefield….
I used to tell Bruce (@Stroker ) that all HIS daily photos of his fine collection of straight razors lured me onto the SR path….
Once in, there was no turning back.
The evident simplicity of a single blade for shaving is mitigated by the difficultly in learning to use one properly and to properly maintain it.
With DE razors, you merely switch out to a new desired blade of choice when shaving gets uncomfortable.
SRs require a commitment to daily maintenance and care of the instrument.
But there is NOTHING in wet-shaving—at least that I've discovered— that matches both pleasure and self-satisfaction of a good SR shave.

 

World Tournament of Blades - Russia vs. the World!!
June 12, 2015
Prep - Hot shower and towel
Brush - Vie Long 12705
Soap - Tabac
Razor - '59 Gillette Superspeed
Van Der Hagen, which is of course the Weishi 9306
Blade - (1)
Post - Alum, Nivea Balm

The tournament continues with the World contenders. Today, the Bic Chrome Platinum from Greece which actually features polymeric, chrome platinum and Teflon coatings. It's a blade recommended to me by @Jasman and the times I've used it I was impressed. So, let's put it through the paces.

The razor of choice today was the '59 Gillette Superspeed. I didn't load it ahead of time and grabbed the razor of my desk where I've been cleaning them to take along for the shave. Loaded the Bic and looked at the razor as something didn't seem quite right.....oh......DUH.....I picked up the Weishi instead of the SS that was right beside it. Too much trouble to go back and change so what the heck. They shave similarly and the Weishi is milder. The soap/brush combo today is Tabac with the horse. Great lather and have I mentioned I love the feel of the Vie Long? Yeah, I know, you know I have.

First pass was very very very smooth and the blade really did a great job. The Bic is a sharp blade, no doubt about it but not over the top sharp like a Feather. Lathered up again (love the Tabac scent) and went XTG. Very nice result on the face and surprisingly good on my neck. Did a neck lather and pass on neck only doing my usual Gillette Slide and a bit of buffing and finished with a very nice DFS. Very enjoyable. So, here is the scoring. Sharpness....the Bic is sharp. Gotta give it a 1 because of how well it performed especially in a mild razor. It wasn't shy about cutting the beard. Smoothness....very comfortable, no drag, no pulling and it just felt great. Gotta give it a 1. Irritation...thought this might be a problem since I did do extra on the neck. Hit it with alum and........quiet, oh so quiet. Give it a 1. Finally the result....DFS for the 2. Total is a 5!

Really a great shave and the Bic has a definite shot at the title with a score like that. Now, the next time it's in play will likely be a different razor but I'm impressed and fairly confident it can give the rest of the competition a run for its money! And its first competitor tomorrow for the right to advance to the Elite Eight? The Super-Max Super Platinum. Can't wait.

 

Saturday and I have time to for it so..... I wanted to see how good I could get with 3 passes versus yesterday's 2 pass then finish with a Lather Catcher. I decided to go with my top (favourite) accoutrements.

Proraso pre-post for the prep
QCS Ice Key Lime cream
Thater 2 band
Dovo Bismarck #2 6/8 carbon blade with ebony wood scales.
Drygulch classic american bridle strop with linen.
Alum block to keep my fingers dry
Home made vodka AS with alllllooooot of menthol.
Speick ASB
SMN Acqua di Cuba but after the freezing QCS and given it's a hot muggy day I decided to go with Creed Himalaya. (changed my mind right after the shave and I am too lazy to take a new picture)

The first two passes were smooth and free of irritation, I am getting pretty consistent up to this point and then magic the 3rd pass went smoothly too! No irritation and not even one tiny weeper. I was feeling cock so did a clean up and still no blood! Checked with the alum and just a tiny bit of sting. Definitely the least irritation ever for 3 passes with a straight. This was also the closest shave with a straight, I finally achieved a DFS. I am still not to BBS yet but I am encouraged.

The 30 day focus thread is a huge help to me, thank you to all my supportive shave brothers.

 

You are most correct in your description. You would be riding the cap now!

Here's my thinking. Per earlier posts, you are now taking advantage of a couple of things. As you raise the handle (ride the cap), more of the mass of the razor handle rests on your skin. The razor cap presents a larger area to support the increased pessure on the skin. These two things work together and actually deform the skin to a more "flattened" profile, all the while directing the forces onto the curved cap surface and away from the lead edge of the blade. The blade is traveling on a more shallow path than the cap (and also leading the cap) slicing the hairs as the skin goes taut from the increased mass, putting everything in line for a clean slice. "Riding the safety bar" puts the blade behind the point of most contact, dragging it over the skin, leading to issues.

Next cap riding tip: Holding a razor at the end of the handle increases pressure against the skin by increasing the amount of the razor's mass resting on your skin. Holding near the head of the razor reduces the effective pressure of a razor on the skin. However, it should be noted that holding near the cap can yield greater control, but the razor will be less forgiving if you try to take long strokes.

 

Wow this is huge for me now @Bama Samurai !

I'm an engineer, but a plodder. I can eventually get the technical aspect of process, but it takes a bit of trial and error before the light bulb turns on.

My take-away is to continue to explore "riding the cap" to find the optimal blade angle. As much as possible, this will be accompanied by gradually adjusting my grip closer to the razor head to attempt better control while continuing my regimen of short strokes.

Thanks much. The affirmation and guidance of my newbie reasoning is much appreciated. This continues to pave the way forward for me.

Cheers!
RT

 

Truth! Me too.

You are most welcome. I've used a Tech quite a bit, though I didn't learn DE on it. It's been cool to see you learn it as a first DE, it's very different than the Utopia I learned on. I am focusing on this exact same stuff in my daily shave. The reason I am doing the Cadet OC is because it was the first razor that really exposed my poor technique. It was SOTD on 31 October, 2014. I went from the mild easy Utopia (EJ89/R89 head type), straight to this Cadet. I had no idea how to manage the greater blade gap of the more aggressive Cadet. @maltedmilk has written about his experience with the Fattip Piccolo, a really aggressive OC. His threads on that kinda stuff allowed me to figure out I needed to be riding the cap. It's a technique that maximizes smoothness in mild razors like a Tech, making them glide and cut with ease, almost as if they just cut on their own. It will also test your lather! Welcome to the more fun parts of the learning. The days of bloody and irritating DE shaves are probably over!

 

6/13/15 - A Month of Proraso!!!

Proraso Red Sandalwood
WSP Monarch Silvertip
1921 Gillette Single-Ring
Pol-Silver Blade (6)
Clubman Pinaud

Probably going to change blades for tomorrow's shave. Which means a different razor. I got a BBS with today's setup, but just a little bit scratchy. I can pull off a 7 day with a Pol, but it's best if I change after 5.

 

I'm part of the way through my blade focus. So far this month, every shave has been with a Big Ben Super Stainless blade. Each blade has provided about 4 shaves - head and face - and the blade was fine in my Weber, Gillette New SC and LC. I have a 2nd LC that doesn't have the "Patent" information on it and that razor has never really worked well for me - just a bit more aggressive and it always gives me at least 1 nick and several weepers, so I am going to retire it and just use the others. I have 1 more Big Ben blade to use and it will be traveling with me to Nebraska this weekend. Next up will be the Gillette Nacet while I am in the Cornhusker State. I am only packing my New SC so the Nacet will get a fair bit of use.

 

06/13/2015
Razor – Gillette Red & Black New Deluxe
Blade – Feather (3)
Brush – Rubberset 400 unmarked with Omega Boar
Lather – Mystic Water Lime
Post - Witch Hazel & Myrsol Limon Sample



Another great shave with the New Deluxe. I find it very similar to the New LC. Perhaps it is a touch more aggressive and for me certainly a little more efficient. Up next will be the ATT M2 on loan from my best friend. It will be interesting to compare vintage OC with a modern OC. Whipped a pretty decent lather of Mystic Water Lime using my 400 omega boar. I don't use a boar brush very often so it always takes me a few minutes to figure it out. Finished up with a Myrsol Limon from my sample pack. Overall a great way to start a Saturday.

 

Day #2 of 5; 30-Days of June
The second day using one of my favorite razors, this time in conjunction with the usually temperamental puck of Mitchell's Wool Fat. The Fat (or MWF) has garnered a reputation among many wet-shavers as a difficult to lather soap. This has been the case with a number of TSD shavers here as well whom choose to use the plentiful alternatives on the market—other quality soaps that yield good lather without the hassle and fuss MWF can present. Conversely, there are many users who find the quality, scent and efficacy of the MWF lather worth the effort. I find myself in that latter group.

The 'secret' for me to getting this tallow-based soap to yield good, slick, paint-the-face-thickly lather is use a minimum of water.
With the Mitchells, too much water will quickly lead to bubbly foam with no enduring slickness. I have also discovered the synthetic brushes seem a better match for this less-water-is-more soap.
My typical approach in using this soap: Just prior to making lather, a quick splash of water over the dry puck (no presoaking or saturating with water the puck beforehand). With a dry (synthetic) brush, begin swirling on the puck, rather aggressively. Initially, the airy foaminess is present, but after 20-30 seconds of vigorous brush swirling, the lather begin to thicken and the foaming dissipates into the desired consistency. The brush should be adequately loaded at tis point for one or two passes. Apply to a wet face. The lather should paint on rather thickly (think white enamel), a dip of the brush end in water and continue with brush on there face until satisfied with the result.

The SHAVE: With a good slick base of MWF lather applied, the big Wosty blade simply glides over the surface with ease. The larger, slightly angled toe of the blade I find very useful in getting those tight spaces when 'manicuring' around my mustache and lower lip. This can be especially tricky with some razors in the tight, narrow space between the nostrils and columella, and top of a large mustache. Three full passes, plus a little touch-up under the jawline and throat (typical) left me in near-BBS territory. I do enjoy the clean, light scent of the MWF lather. I ended the shave with the bracing CHILL and BITE of the Fine Snake Bite.

Tomorrow's shave will be on the road as I'm heading out of town to Monterey for my nephew's wedding tonight.

 

I will be scarce this weekend. Hope everybody has a great weekend!