Micromatic Monday

[GAW9576]

Much appreciated! Thank you! I’m looking forward to using and learning how to use this razor better!

@ouchyfoot is right on with this post. Near ZERO pressure is a magical thing. I'll talk more about this in my next post about yesterday's shave. Hope this helps.

Micromatic Thursday

Razor: GEM Feather Weight
Blade: GEM - Carbon (5)
Brush: Spiffo - D'rargo (Manchurian Two-Band SHD-Fan) 24mm
Pre-Shave: Innisfree - Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam
Lather: Canada Shaving Soap - Unscented
Aftershave: Innisfree - Green Tea Balancing Skin EX (Toner)
Additional Care:
Innisfree - Green Tea Balancing Lotion EX

Feather Weight punching above its class
For some reason I’ve been looking forward to this shave for a week but had a couple of new 1914s that distracted me. When you have a large rotation of razors, some like my Feather Weight, tend to get missed in the shadows.
Not only was I all hyped for my Feather Weight shave, but I was curious to see how it compared to the 1914s with the GEM Carbon blade. Even though it’s known as a mild shaver I took great care in keeping focused, and trying to shave with as little pressure as possible just to see how it would react.

Well “blow me down”. I was rinsing my face before the third pass, and I was already a total BBS. Even my neck!

Gentle + Carbon blade = 2 pass BBS ❤
Im also pretty sure that if I was only allowed to own one shaving soap...this would be the one!

“salutant te qui ad radi”

 

[GAW9576]

So I had to go digging for a quote before I could post yesterday's shave. A member that goes by ShadowsDad on another forums was giving another member some advice. Here is what he said. "Very little pressure is NOT the goal. No pressure is the goal. If your skin deforms under the razor you have too much pressure. I told a friend that for quite some time and he was about to give up. But before he did he had the inspiration to actually put what I'd been telling him into practice. He called me up to tell me that he'd just had the best shave of his life. In his exact words, "When you say no pressure you really do mean no pressure, don't you?". Yup, when I say no pressure that's exactly what I mean."
I struggle with this concept frequently. Especially when I see those last few stubborn hairs on my neck. I tend to start adding more pressure in a attempt to almost dig them out.. So after reading the sage advice above I did my best to apply that advice just concentrating on tickling the hairs away and paying extra attention to shave angle and direction. WOW what a difference. I didn't end up with a total BBS shave but I did end up with a VERY close fantastically comfortable shave. My skin feels much smoother and is visibly happier than usual.

Ever-Ready 1925 AKA Shovel head on a Gem slim Bakelite handle. Great combo. Cella whipped up with a synthetic brush and Aqua Velva 5 in 1 aftershave balm.

 

[ouchyfoot]

If your skin deforms under the razor you have too much pressure

Exactly! Especially neck skin that tends get slacker and less elastic as we age. By putting pressure on the razor we’re encouraging the skin to play the old “rope a dope”.

 

[Jmp63]

@ouchyfoot is right on with this post. Near ZERO pressure is a magical thing. I'll talk more about this in my next post about yesterday's shave. Hope this helps.

Much appreciated! Your follow up post was superb! Thank you kindly!

 

[thombrogan]

Very little pressure is NOT the goal. No pressure is the goal. If your skin deforms under the razor you have too much pressure.

Thank you! @AimlessWanderer has gone above and beyond trying to get this into my head and I sometimes shake it out of my brain and into my razor in time, but not nearly often enough.

Consulting the GEM Calendar (as opposed to the Gregorian one pushed by Gillette), tonight is Monday and I’m looking forward to a great Micromatic Monday shave

 

[GAW9576]

Exactly! Especially neck skin that tends get slacker and less elastic as we age. By putting pressure on the razor we’re encouraging the skin to play the old “rope a dope”.

Yeah and the skin on my neck is were it's most sensitive and also has some of the thickest hairs, on top of that the hairs on most of my neck grow laying flat to my skin making them that much harder to shave. Fun stuff.
But somehow with just enough contact to feel the razor tickle my skin I got one of the best overall shaves in a long time.

Much appreciated! Your follow up post was superb! Thank you kindly!

Thank you and I'm glad you liked it.
Keep us updated on your progress.

Thank you! @AimlessWanderer has gone above and beyond trying to get this into my head and I sometimes shake it out of my brain and into my razor in time, but not nearly often enough.

Consulting the GEM Calendar (as opposed to the Gregorian one pushed by Gillette), tonight is Monday and I’m looking forward to a great Micromatic Monday shave

I like the Gem calendar idea. We should look into getting some custom 7 Monday a week calendars printed with pictures of beautiful ASR razors.

 

[thombrogan]

We should look into getting some custom 7 Monday a week calendars printed with pictures of beautiful ASR razors.

That‘d be sweet

 

[RumpleBearskin]

Fair warning ... Contemplating the FFMM with one of my straights. I may be scarce at Micromatic Mondays for the month of March.

 

[thombrogan]

We’ll miss reading your GEM-enhanced exploits in this thread, but I’m hoping you enjoy the serendipitous discoveries of fine-tuning a single setup for optimal results.

 

[thombrogan]

Hard to believe it’s already Saturday when last night was an excellent Micromatic Monday. GAW9576’s mention that the skin-indent means too much pressure helped me reduce self-inflicted irritation and simultaneously get a closer shave in many places.

Posting AimlessWanderer’s advice to me into this thread in case it helps any other beginners or re-beginners. He’s never used a GEM-style razor and I can’t sell him on the idea of keeping yet another pile of razor blades, but his advice still applies to these fine beasts:

Pressureless shaving is certainly more difficult to learn and master. It's like trying to write without letting any part of your hand touch the page. As Mike was describing earlier, using pressure on cap or comb gives you a datum to lean forward or back from, but you lose that datum when you go pressureless.

However, get pressureless slightly wrong, and you either miss, or scrape lightly. Get a steep/shallow approach with pressure slightly wrong, and you can do a real number on your skin... as you well know.

If you take a pen or something similar, and run the non-writing end down your face, just letting the weight of the pen lean against you, you'll clearly feel it. Now try it again, gripping the pen slightly firmer, and run the pen down your face again, but lighter, so you can barely feel it. You might even be a little unsure whether it lost contact at times. That's the kind of contact feel I aim for.

Lather changes it though, and denser lather can mute the feel, making heavier contact feel like lighter contact, or not really allowing much feel at all. That's why I strive for a thinner lather. Not all soaps and creams retain the slickness I need when the leather is thin enough, so I don't use them.

Trying to maintain that light a contact, and the right angle, throughout all the curves and contours, with no anchor on the face, is not easy. It takes dexterity, patience, and well established muscle memory. Discipline too. It can be very tempting to use pressure simply out of frustration, especially if the angle is wrong, and tugs or snatches. Polsilver blades awoke that dormant frustration in me, as I could not get them to work well when shaving "properly" (my normal developed technique).

It's challenging, frustrating at first, can lead to more tugging and less close shaves until you nail the angle consistently, but is easier on the skin throughout. If you feel you are currently making progress with pressure though, stick with it. If you decide to go pressureless later, the well programmed arm that already knows when/where to drop the elbow, twist the wrist, shift grip etc, may help shorten the transition to pressureless. You can also use your established shave technique as a back up, trying for a clean pressureless shave, and using your established shave to clean up as needed, gradually improving the pressureless approach over time, until the heavy hand is no longer required.

 

[GAW9576]

Well since @Electrif pointed out on another forums that today is the anniversary of the patent date of the wonderful 1912 razor I decided to join in on a celebratory shave.

 

[Ron R]

Well since @Electrif pointed out on another forums that today is the anniversary of the patent date of the wonderful 1912 razor I decided to join in on a celebratory shave.

View attachment 1229445

Sounds like a good razor to use on Micromatic Monday, I haven't used my 1912 Gem Jr Parade with the baton handle for some time. I like using that razor and got a good bargain on it also.

 

[Tanuki]

I like the Gem calendar idea. We should look into getting some custom 7 Monday a week calendars printed

I miss a few Mondays this week and so much good stuff gets posted here. @Jmp63 posted an inaugural MMOC shave, which has me planning to spin the big wheel and pick a MMOC from the crowd for Monday's shave.

So that's it. Not only 7 Mondays in the week, but now my SunMonday razor announcement has been made on SaturMonday. I need that calendar and I need it now! Or by Monday at the latest!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s Micromatic Monday shave was mentholated. The sample puck of Mama Bear Polar had lost some chill in my shower, so I used some Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite after the shave. Since the shave had improved so much there was no aftershave burn, I did it again.

Can’t wait until next Monday night’s Micromatic shave!

 

[Whiterook]

Gem Jr Parade loaded and ready!

 

[ouchyfoot]

I’m going to Treet myself, and maybe even have a little parade.

 

[Chard52142]

Mon SE SOTD
Soap B&M Cheshire 1st Use
Brush Yaqi 24mm Heavy Metal Tuxedo
Razor GEM Clog Pruf
Blade GEM Stainless 14th Use
Post & Aftershaves Ice Water + Thayers + Hyaluronic + Reuzel Wood & Spice
1st use of the soap sample and ohh boy...the scent is amazing even before lathering. Gorgeous and awesome good strength scent! The lather is beautifully creamy and slick too, and as usual, I made way too much...will keep it for the next day. Excellent soap this!! Will sure be on my list now!
Shave with razor paired with the well-used blade was fantastic! I strop the blade prior and wow...crisply smooth and so comfortable for 3passes, even for the usual problem area atg pass on chin & lips with this SE razor. Very close mostly bbs result previously never achieved with the razor. No weepers, creepers nor irritation. Excellent aftershave. Rating 10/10!
At this rate...I may not have to buy more GEM blades...hahaha

 

[VisceralWatch]

March 1, 2021

Brush: Zenith B2 (B03-A26)
Razor: Ever-Ready Streamline
Blade: GEM PTFE (9)
Lather: Wickham Soap Co. - Irish Fern - Soap
Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Balm

My first time using a Wickham soap. Wonderful scent!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night, on Micromatic Monday, took the MMOC out to patrol my mush for whiskers. It found them, but there were plenty it didn’t want to effortlessly cut, so losses were cut instead. The alum was only some heat under the jawline and no tingle or sting.

New blade in the MMOC and a sheet of 1μ polishing paper over acrylic to keep the next PTFE GEM going for more than four and a half more Micromatic Mondays.

 

[chuckd]

Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb, chrome plated, with the two bumps on the baseplate
Blade: GEM by Personna SS PTFE (13)
Brush: Simpson Berkeley 46 Best Badger
Soap: Cella, in the red tub
Rating: 10

Perfect shave yesterday morning on 2 days of growth. Easy BBS after WTG/XTG/ATG passes. No nicks, burning, or irritation. Blade is still going strong. After 14 hours, I still had a DFS+.