Sotiris' straight razor journal

[JoWolf]

I've seen that too, yet I've also seen experienced shavers mention the use of some pressure to ensure that the edge is engaged in the process. I was going as light as possible, especially with the paddle and did minimum 60 laps every time, yet my edges were becoming uncomfortable too early based on reported standards. I suspect that stropping was the major issue. Anyway, I already shaved 7 times with the current edge, so we'll know soon if I will exceed my typical limit.

Ultimately everything we do to and with the straights will be assessed with the shave. I get a lot of almost there or could be a lot better. The straight learning curve a little more challenging than DE. As much as I love the stones, they are the most challenging to me. Seven hits on the blade sounds real good and promising.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I think that's pretty much it.

Most people mention using the weight of the razor. Assuming that, we are talking about 50-80gr. The method I wrote above leads to around 300gr of "force" on the razor and specifically mentions never to lift the spine throughout the process. This means to me that most of the weight is distributed towards the spine.

I was reading the proposed method on coticule.be earlier. Again it is suggested that 20 strokes are enough, using "gentle pressure" enough to feel the friction and some speed (equivalent of 50-60 strokes per minute).

I probably use more pressure and less speed. The spine pressure significantly deflecting a tensioned strop, but the trailing edge barely touching. Maybe four to five seconds per stroke.

I have no idea if that's an established method, it's just what I've always done. I'm not big on asking the internet how to do things, as more often than not, I find myself disagreeing with it

 

[Rosseforp]

You probably suggest doing so while stropping, correct?

Yes

 

[Sotiris_A]

Ultimately everything we do to and with the straights will be assessed with the shave. I get a lot of almost there or could be a lot better. The straight learning curve a little more challenging than DE. As much as I love the stones, they are the most challenging to me. Seven hits on the blade sounds real good and promising.

Based on your latest posts, I think that you are well on the right track.

For me the shaving part is only a little more challenging, but the maintenance part is whole new world to explore. And the scientist in me wants to try everything.

Fingers crossed I will get more than 18 shaves from it, this time.

 

[Rosseforp]

specifically mentions never to lift the spine throughout the process.

I think this is the most important piece of the puzzle. Even during the flip.

 

[Sotiris_A]

I probably use more pressure and less speed. The spine pressure significantly deflecting a tensioned strop, but the trailing edge barely touching. Maybe four to five seconds per stroke.

I have no idea if that's an established method, it's just what I've always done. I'm not big on asking the internet how to do things, as more often than not, I find myself disagreeing with it

Here is a demonstration

I think that the good old YMMV motto is especially applicable to SRs. The goal is set (get maximum number of close and comfortable shaves per retouch/honing session) and the results are the only way to validate any method.

Perhaps all these factors, number of strokes, pressure and speed, complement each other within certain limits. So, if your method works then why fix it? Once you ask around, you then need to assess all the different opinions you are going to get and sometimes the consensus might not even be useful to you.

 

[JoWolf]

Based on your latest posts, I think that you are well on the right track.

For me the shaving part is only a little more challenging, but the maintenance part is whole new world to explore. And the scientist in me wants to try everything.

Fingers crossed I will get more than 18 shaves from it, this time.

Exactly it’s the maintenance and I am a very long way from being happy or satisfied with my skills. They are improving but I have much to learn and practice. I do enjoy the challenge which was why I got into the straights. I was doing a single pass ATG face and head shave. I’ve gone to two pass face and two pass head shave. The journey started with six passes to two passes and now back up to four passes. I love lathering above else so extra passes are enjoyable if the skin can take it.
Eighteen is nice. A half a month. In the early going you do want to be on the stones at least once a month and more would be better. There is more depth in stones where naturals can really go crazy with combinations that do require every 48 to 72hrs otherwise you lose the nuances and feel. I will never be able to go down that rabbit hole. You pretty much have to be taking in razors for sharpening as quite a few do. So my natural stone odyssey will not happen beyond a 1200 Atoma slurry.

 

[Sotiris_A]

Exactly it’s the maintenance and I am a very long way from being happy or satisfied with my skills. They are improving but I have much to learn and practice. I do enjoy the challenge which was why I got into the straights. I was doing a single pass ATG face and head shave. I’ve gone to two pass face and two pass head shave. The journey started with six passes to two passes and now back up to four passes. I love lathering above else so extra passes are enjoyable if the skin can take it.
Eighteen is nice. A half a month. In the early going you do want to be on the stones at least once a month and more would be better. There is more depth in stones where naturals can really go crazy with combinations that do require every 48 to 72hrs otherwise you lose the nuances and feel. I will never be able to go down that rabbit hole. You pretty much have to be taking in razors for sharpening as quite a few do. So my natural stone odyssey will not happen beyond a 1200 Atoma slurry.

I feel that shaving and stropping technique should come first at this stage. I am not experienced enough to understand the different nuances and for now, a "perfect" edge is less of a priority. I'm just happy that I got through the honing process twice and the subsequent shaves were good, so I know I can do it again.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Here is a demonstration

I think that the good old YMMV motto is especially applicable to SRs. The goal is set (get maximum number of close and comfortable shaves per retouch/honing session) and the results are the only way to validate any method.

Perhaps all these factors, number of strokes, pressure and speed, complement each other within certain limits. So, if your method works then why fix it? Once you ask around, you then need to assess all the different opinions you are going to get and sometimes the consensus might not even be useful to you.

His "slow motion" is faster than how I strop I use a lot more (spine) pressure too. Both give me a good feel of what's happening on the edge. I find the quick strops that most folk seem to do, to not give me enough feedback as to whether there's any scratch from a distorted edge. I don't just want to do a few laps and hope it's alright, I want the feedback there and then, to know the edge is as straight as it should be.

As you say, YMMV

 

[Sotiris_A]

SR Shave #64 (#8):

• Pre-shave: Hot water and soap
• Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 Spanish point
• Brush: Muhle STF xl
• Soap: La Toja
• Scuttle: SWK xl
• ASB: GFT Eucris skin food

• Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG. Right-hand shave only.
• Result: DFS, very comfortable.

Notes:

Stropping: 15 x-strokes on leather, just to be on the safe side. The razor passed easily the HHT. Actually it did so even after the shave.

I woke up and my skin was very dry, so I decided to take it as easy as possible. Meticulous stubble hydration, painting the lather without any vigorous scrubbing, extra care not to over-stretch the skin, use a large angle or apply any pressure. In retrospect, a more moisturizing soap might have been better, however my face feels very good now, so no harm done.

The shave was good, given the circumstances and the razor felt great. Prior experience shows that tomorrow, it will be back to normal.

Happy shaves and have a great day!

 

[JoWolf]

I feel that shaving and stropping technique should come first at this stage. I am not experienced enough to understand the different nuances and for now, a "perfect" edge is less of a priority. I'm just happy that I got through the honing process twice and the subsequent shaves were good, so I know I can do it again.

Yes the elusive perfect edge. We can only try.

 

[Sotiris_A]

SR Shave #65 (#9):

• Pre-shave: Hot water and soap
• Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 Spanish point
• Brush: Semogue 1800
• Soap: La Toja
• Bowl: Omega Via Barberia
• ASL: Lucky Tiger followed by Aqua Velva

• Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG and minor touch-ups. Right-hand shave only.
• Result: As close as it gets and very comfortable.

Notes:

Stropping: 18 x-strokes on leather, just to be on the safe side. The razor passed the HHT easily before the shave.

I think that I was doing the pull stroke (I hope it is called that way) wrongly up to now, because of twisting the wrist. I practiced stropping a lot yesterday with the round point, especially on how to flip the razor with the fingers. I realized that looser pin on that razor is a problem during that motion and it would be better if I tightened it. Other than that, no harm done on the razor. On the contrary, after what was probably more than 200 x-strokes, the HHT distance is now above 2.5 cm all along the edge.

I am keeping up with La Toja and bowl lathering. I am also trying to break in the 1800 further. The shave went great. No hesitation at all. With La Toja, I have to use something to moisturize the skin after the shave, so I tried the Lucky Tiger tonic and finished with some Aqua Velva. My face feels great at the moment.

Happy shaves and enjoy your Thursday!

 

[Sotiris_A]

SR Shave #66 (#10):

• Pre-shave: Shower and face wash
• Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 Spanish point
• Brush: Semogue 820
• Soap: La Toja
• Bowl: Omega Via Barberia
• ASL: Lucky Tiger followed by Speick

• Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG and minor touch-ups. Right-hand shave only.
• Result: Very close and quite comfortable. Minor burning sensation from the soap towards the end and some post-shave tightness experienced. No irritation, though.

Notes:

Stropping: 18 x-strokes on leather.

Good lather again, but I am fed up with the soap. It requires a special treatment from my part (bowl lathering, moisturizer after the shave) and even then the post-shave leaves a lot to be desired. That said, the shaves are close and it is a rather slick soap. I will probably switch to a more moisturizing soap for the next few days.

The razor felt good again. The HHT revealed that the edge is not as sharp as it used to be, but the result wasn't affected. No hesitation at all. Under the loupe, I can see scratches on the bevel, but the edge is still smooth and chip-free. I am tempted to strop it more thoroughly tomorrow and see if improves on the HHT, but I will refrain from it for the sake of the ongoing stropping "experiment".

Happy shaves! The weekend is coming!

 

[Sotiris_A]

SR Shave #67 (#11): Nice shave using the Spanish point, Simpsons Chubby 1 super, Officina Artigiana Oli del Benessere, Lucky Tiger and DR Harris Windsor ASL. Back to face lathering.

SR Shave #68 (#12):

• Pre-shave: Hot water and soap
• Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 Spanish point
• Brush: Simpsons Duke 3 best
• Soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat
• ASL: Lucky Tiger followed by DR Harris Windsor ASL

• Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG and minor touch-ups. Right-hand shave only.
• Result: Very close and comfortable. One of my best shaves with the SR so far.

Notes:

Stropping: 40 x-strokes on leather. I was continuing testing the theory that a few x-strokes on leather suffice for daily stropping, but today I could hear that the edge wasn't there after my typical 18 strokes.

I missed the Fat. Today I felt that my face was in good condition and even attempted face lathering with the Duke 3. The result was great!

I saw the bottom of the container, too. With all the test lathers I did in order to calibrate my lather for SR shaving, I overused it. Good thing I have 7 more pucks in stock.

The razor felt fantastic today. It still passes the HHT easily and I felt no hesitation whatsoever while shaving.

I am also thinking of skipping daily reports. There's not much to write lately.

Happy shaves and have a lovely Sunday!

 

[Billy T.]

I saw the bottom of the container, too. With all the test lathers I did in order to calibrate my lather for SR shaving, I overused it.

Ι can partly relate to this

 

[Sotiris_A]

SR Shave #69 (#13):

• Pre-shave: Face wash and GFT Eucris skin food
• Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 Spanish point
• Brush: Ω evo
• Soap: Officina Artigiana Oli del Benessere
• Bowl: Ω Via Barberia
• ASL: Lucky Tiger
• ASB: Weleda

• Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG
• Result: Super close and comfortable. Minor irritation on the upper lip.

Notes:

Stropping: 30 x-strokes on leather. I was testing my new fishing scale and got carried away.

The weather here has turned colder once again. Snow is rare sight to see in Athens, Greece. Unfortunately this made my face rather sensitive and I skipped yesterday's shave.

For today, I opted for something moisturizing, along with bowl lathering with a soft brush. The result was great. However, I probably opened up the angle on the mustache area too much during the WTG pass and there appeared some minor irritation there. Nothing that the post-shave treatment couldn't handle.

I doubt there will be enough stubble to shave tomorrow. At the same time the cold weather will continue till Thursday, so I will probably skip a day again.

Happy shaves everyone!

 

[Sotiris_A]

SR Shave #70 (#14):

• Pre-shave: Hot water and soap
• Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 Spanish point
• Brush: Ω 10098
• Soap: Tabac
• ASL: Fine American Blend

• Method: 20 x-strokes on leather, 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG. Less skin stretching and lower angle, opting for maximum comfort.
• Result: A very comfortable DFS+. One minor nick that I didn't even feel. The edge feels very sharp and smooth.

 

[hangblague]

Merry Christmas, Athens.

 

[Sotiris_A]

Merry Christmas, Athens.

Yep, the heaviest snowfall of the last 40 years or so they say. Of course, the temperature climbed back at 12 degrees Celcius and there is hardly any snow left now.

 

[Sotiris_A]

SR Shave #71 (#15):

• Pre-shave: Hot water and soap
• Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 Spanish point
• Brush: Semogue 610
• Soap: Tabac
• ASL: Pitralon Classic

• Method: 20 x-strokes on leather, 1st pass WTG/XTG, 2nd ATG. More skin stretching and lower angle. I tried a couple of different strokes, going XTG directly on some spots.
• Result: A very comfortable and close shave. The edge feels very sharp and smooth. No sign of hesitation.