Wanton destruction

[KQY61]

Hi,

Well, not a Prophet but an engineer and son of a toolmaker who is no stranger to the machine shop.

And, that quote is from a thread started by Jake and he finds all the oddball razor designs.

Stan

 

[PLANofMAN]

Hi,

Well, not a Prophet but an engineer and son of a toolmaker who is no stranger to the machine shop.

And, that quote is from a thread started by Jake and he finds all the oddball razor designs.

Stan

In my experience, most "oddball razor designs" usually shave better than the typical Gillette razor. Or at the very least, offer a unique shaving experience.

Edit: oops. I meant to say, "All hail the prophet Stan, disciple of Jake, whose coming was foretold by Instagram. Let us heed his words of wisdom."

 

[KQY61]

Hi,

Ha!

Actually, I wish I could Profit rather than Prophet!

I always seem to pay more for old shaving gear than I get for it when I sell it off.

Stan

 

[jmudrick]

Wanton destruction in the house .

 

[SharpieB]

Wanton destruction in the house .

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

I have an almost identical Gillette. Mine is a weapon of mass destruction. Destroys my face every time.

 

[PLANofMAN]

I have an almost identical Gillette. Mine is a weapon of mass destruction. Destroys my face every time.

That's a big reason why the Gillette Old Type was the razor of choice for this project. This changes the way it shaves. I'd say it "fixes" it, but people might get offended.

Well... more offended.

 

[KQY61]

Hi,

I have a Thin Cap (and baseplate) Old Type. Was my Mom's Dad's. So, I won't fix it. But it is the harshest razor of any I have, or have had. I use it to trim my sideburns as my Double Slant is no good for that. Some days, I dry shave a couple spots in the evening when I don't want those patches showing. It's great for dry shaving. It's actually less harsh than when used wet.

But, yeah. You've gone and Done It now. Fixed OTs, indeed!

Stan

 

[Clouds]

Wanton destruction in the house .

You Wanton Destroyer You

 

[twhite]

Thought I would post the VERY FIRST Gillette slant. First successful skantifycation that is. As I was the maker of the jig for the Wanton Destroyer guy. It is WWI model
Nice smooth shaves now.

 

[THall]

When I first saw this post and the other, I really didn’t know what to think. Didn’t have much of an opinion since I believe if you own something, you can do whatever you want with it.

The more I thought about it though, the more I started thinking about how just very recently I was showing my 4 year old how to ride a bike. I used training wheels myself starting out, but read up on how to avoid doing so. I still remember from that age feeling down about having to rely on training wheels and didn’t want my son to feel that way.

Ultimately they sell bikes now without pedals so that children can learn how to balance correctly before riding and pedaling the real thing. My son really took to it, learned balance like a champ but when it came time to ride the real thing, he still needed the training wheels for a time. I came to the conclusion immediately that there was nothing wrong with using the training wheels and he shouldn’t have to feel down about relying on them. We all get there some day.

After thinking about razor modification further, I feel that it would probably be unfair for someone else not to get the same level of enjoyment out of any razor I love. If this means modifying the razor so they can can get the quality of shave I get out of that same razor, so be it.

I look forward to hearing in the future about any other possible setups which could modify other popular razor materials. Some razors take a while to learn and master. For some reason, it took me about 3 weeks to really get a handle on my Timeless .95 OC in stainless.

Kudos gentleman, keep up the good work.

 

[jmudrick]

Gillette Old Type Slant #001 / BIC /MWF. Didn't expect that a little slant n torque would make the Old Type such a better shaver. Indeed it does.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[nemo]

Gillette Old Type Slant #001 / BIC /MWF. Didn't expect that a little slant n torque would make the Old Type such a better shaver. Indeed it does.

OK, that does it. I'm sending one of mine out too for destruction.

 

[twhite]

OK, that does it. I'm sending one of mine out too for destruction.

Welcome to the club!

 

[PLANofMAN]

When I first saw this post and the other, I really didn’t know what to think. Didn’t have much of an opinion since I believe if you own something, you can do whatever you want with it.

The more I thought about it though, the more I started thinking about how just very recently I was showing my 4 year old how to ride a bike. I used training wheels myself starting out, but read up on how to avoid doing so. I still remember from that age feeling down about having to rely on training wheels and didn’t want my son to feel that way.

Ultimately they sell bikes now without pedals so that children can learn how to balance correctly before riding and pedaling the real thing. My son really took to it, learned balance like a champ but when it came time to ride the real thing, he still needed the training wheels for a time. I came to the conclusion immediately that there was nothing wrong with using the training wheels and he shouldn’t have to feel down about relying on them. We all get there some day.

After thinking about razor modification further, I feel that it would probably be unfair for someone else not to get the same level of enjoyment out of any razor I love. If this means modifying the razor so they can can get the quality of shave I get out of that same razor, so be it.

I look forward to hearing in the future about any other possible setups which could modify other popular razor materials. Some razors take a while to learn and master. For some reason, it took me about 3 weeks to really get a handle on my Timeless .95 OC in stainless.

Kudos gentleman, keep up the good work.

This has got to be the first time in the history of shaving that someone has referred to a slant as "training wheels" for a regular razor.

I ordered a few old types off of eBay to continue my slanting experiments. One of the sets came with an absolutely immaculate 1918 (non government contract) serialized head. That will be combined with the U.S. Service Set with an unsplit handle, and sent off to its new owner sans modifications. Had he wanted it slanted, I would have done my best to discourage him. I have strong feelings regarding altering good condition razor sets.

Edit: I'm going to try it out first, since I've never actually shaved with an unaltered Old Type. Should be an interesting outing.

 

[PLANofMAN]

...
Edit: I'm going to try it out first, since I've never actually shaved with an unaltered Old Type. Should be an interesting outing.

1st shave with an actual Gillette Old Type
Razor: Gillette 1918 thin cap old type on a 1920's New ball end handle.
Blade: Feather
Brush: Wolf Whiskers/Shavemac D01 two band
Soap: Kiss my Face Limes shave cream

I can see why modification to this razor would make some folks grumpy. I found the shave to be fairly mild, and not terribly efficient. I had to go back and do a second pass on my neck, rather than my usual touchups after the first pass.

To me, it didn't feel particularly rough, but in comparison to a Gillette old type slant, it's the difference between driving on smooth gravel versus driving on pavement.

To me, the slanted version of this razor feels very different, with a more intuitive shaving angle and a smoother, more efficient shave. YMMV

 

[PLANofMAN]

Having slanted a number of razors now, one thing I can say is that the brass Gillette used is very inconsistent. Some of it is much harder than others, and it's a bit of a crapshoot to know what it's going to be. Sometimes the baseplate is harder and sometimes it's the cap. It's easy to see why people break the teeth on these razors when they try to fix them.

Generally, the older the razor, the softer the brass. I wouldn't try to fix the teeth on any old type without annealing it first, but if I was going to skip annealing, the pre-1919 serial numbered razors would be the safest option.

 

[THall]

This has got to be the first time in the history of shaving that someone has referred to a slant as "training wheels" for a regular razor.

Didn’t mean to imply that by any means but was referring to any mod to any razor. If it helps, you should use it. There is nothing wrong with making something easier. People do this all the time with blade selection, weight, materials, shims, soaps/creams, etc.

I would definitely recommend Slants to anyone with sensitive skin. They also are very efficient cutters by nature which is helpful as there isn’t much concern over angle. They are also great for people like me with coarse beards.

The trick with a Slant is to use zero, like “nothing” pressure. When I see people talking about the mildness of a Slant, I get worried. They are supposed to feel mild by design but this is due to their efficiency of cutting that hair and less impact on your skin.

 

[DougK]

This has got to be the first time in the history of shaving that someone has referred to a slant as "training wheels" for a regular razor.

I ordered a few old types off of eBay to continue my slanting experiments. One of the sets came with an absolutely immaculate 1918 (non government contract) serialized head. That will be combined with the U.S. Service Set with an unsplit handle, and sent off to its new owner sans modifications. Had he wanted it slanted, I would have done my best to discourage him. I have strong feelings regarding altering good condition razor sets.

Edit: I'm going to try it out first, since I've never actually shaved with an unaltered Old Type. Should be an interesting outing.

Honestly, I think this post alone puts the lie to the idea of "wanton destruction," since you're not modifying anything that's collectible or worthy of maintaining in unmodified condition. I say have fun and keep on keeping on.

 

[PLANofMAN]

Didn’t mean to imply that by any means but was referring to any mod to any razor. If it helps, you should use it. There is nothing wrong with making something easier. People do this all the time with blade selection, weight, materials, shims, soaps/creams, etc.

I would definitely recommend Slants to anyone with sensitive skin. They also are very efficient cutters by nature which is helpful as there isn’t much concern over angle. They are also great for people like me with coarse beards.

The trick with a Slant is to use zero, like “nothing” pressure. When I see people talking about the mildness of a Slant, I get worried. They are supposed to feel mild by design but this is due to their efficiency of cutting that hair and less impact on your skin.

I usually describe that kind of stuff by "more or less efficient." Mildness is hard to define anyways, and is better served by using it to describe blades rather than razors.

I honestly don't even think about pressure during a shave anymore. At a certain level it becomes instinctive.

 

[PLANofMAN]

Honestly, I think this post alone puts the lie to the idea of "wanton destruction," since you're not modifying anything that's collectible or worthy of maintaining in unmodified condition. I say have fun and keep on keeping on.

We won't talk about the Cooper MonoBilt. It still shaves nice, but it was better unmodified. In fact, that U.S. Service set is going to a gentleman who offered to sell or trade me for his Cooper MonoBilt. Without knowing I had a spare in the wings, as it were, I would have never touched the MonoBilt.

...probably.

But there's just something about saying "one piece TTO slant razor," that is very, very cool.

Edit: and I do consider the MonoBilts to be collectible, if not as rare as Apollo Red Rings or Darwins.