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Checking in & seeking maintenance tips

Intro:

I’ve been lurking several forums related to DE shaving for several months and finally last week decided to jump onboard, buy my first DE kit based on all the reviews and advices I've read and join the B&B forum :)

I'm 33 years old. I started wet shaving with 16 or so. I have strong beard and sensitive skin, a combination that doesn’t go well when shaving is concerned, especially not with electric shavers. They peel of my skin but my beard stands strong :) For that reason wet shaving was and is the only option. Since my skin is sensitive growing a beard is not an option and I can't shave every day because it will irritate the skin. I'm stuck with shaving every 3 to 4 days. Colognes are also not an option. I'm using a specialized medical cream after shaving - Cicaplast Baume B5 which I highly recommend if anyone is in the same boat as me with the skin issues.

For over a decade I've been using modern razors and shaving foams or gels. I was never fully satisfied with them but they got the job done. Last week I finally decided to treat my skin with DE razor, shaving brush and shaving cream which is a night and day difference when compared to the shaving foams and gels sold in the supermarkets.

For the 1st shave I started with the Rockwell S6 size 1 (just to make sure I don't preform a surgery on my face) but immediately switched to size 3 because size 1 wasn't providing a proper shave for me. In the future I might try size 4 or 5, but for the first few shaves I'll stick with the size 3. It provides a decent shave and protection from cuts and irritation. The shave went smooth and the result was more than pleasing. Only minor negative element was a small irritation on a part of the neck because I wasn't paying attention and applied too much pressure. I still need to learn the proper technique and train my wrist to compensate for curves of the face where modern razors were using their joint to do the same.


Questions:

1. I'm really pleased with my first choice of the shaving cream (Taylor of Old Bond Street "Jermyn Street"). Does anyone know if there is a perfume with the same fragrance as the cream?

2. How does one properly maintain the razor after shaving? Do I need to take it apart every time after a shave to do the cleaning? I noticed that there was a thick cluster of dirt within the razor after the shave so I took it apart and rinsed it with water while using my nails to scratch the dirt of the blade. I didn't feel comfortable removing the dirt from the blade with my nails. Is there a special tool to do so or a better technique? My guess is that the dirt was a combination of my 3-4 days long beard and the shaving cream which wasn't properly diluted with water (I got a much better ratio on my 2nd pass).

3. I live in a town which has rather limescale water and I'm afraid it might ruin the razor after a certain time. What is the proper way to maintain the razor to keep it in pristine condition?
 
Welcome to B&B. The Razorock has a great reputation, although I haven't used one. All I do with my razor is rinse it well in warm water to get all the shaving cream off. It seems to work fine. As for the water, some folks buy distilled water for making shaving cream. Oh, and I haven't tried the TOBS, so I really can't comment on it.
 
Welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard. In regard to your questions:

1. I don't know, but I agree that the Jermyn Street cream is excellent in both performance and scent.
2. I just rinse with warm/hot water. I disassemble and clean the razor when I change blades.
3. Try soaking the razor in white vinegar or use some of the cleaning liquid that cleans scale off of bathroom fixtures, like CLR.
 
Hello and welcome. Great to have you here on B&B. Wander on over to the Hall of Fame and introduce yourself.
 
Welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard. In regard to your questions:

1. I don't know, but I agree that the Jermyn Street cream is excellent in both performance and scent.
2. I just rinse with warm/hot water. I disassemble and clean the razor when I change blades.
3. Try soaking the razor in white vinegar or use some of the cleaning liquid that cleans scale off of bathroom fixtures, like CLR.

Good advice.

Welcome to B&B and for the info on the balm.

 
Hello and welcome
I enjoy every TOBS I get my hands on.
I have very hard water. I just rinse my razor and give it a vinegar soak once a week.
 
Hi, welcome to B&B

1. Never tried TOBs products

2. Hard water is not to be taken lightly..............
I live in Mallorca, the tap water is some of the worst in Spain, it's very hard and contains a cocktail of chemicals including lead, fluoride, nitrates and quadruple the recommended level of chlorine, a necessary addition to control the e-coli level.
The chlorine leaves a white residue on metal surfaces and if left unchecked can corrode chrome plating on a razor.
Needless to say I look after my razors by scrubbing them under the hot tap and drying them on a towel after every use. I use the blade in a different razor every time I shave, and alternate between TTO and 3-Piece razors.
The best way I've found for getting gunk off the blades is to rinse them under the cold tap at full pressure, then blow hard to get rid of excess moisture.
It only takes about 30 seconds and saves a lot of time and elbow grease in the long run

3. Taking care of your razor on a daily basis will prevent corrosion and limescale damage and keep it in good condition.
A 3-Piece tazor is easy to maintain, but with all the will in the world, a TTO will eventually get gunked up in the mechanism and all the hard to reach nooks and crannies.
I do an occasional deep clean by leaving the razor in a plastic container covered with baby shampoo for 10-15 minutes, scrubbing with a nailbrush (very slippery), then covering with hot water and leaving the razor to soak for a further 10 minutes, then scrubbing again before rinsing off and drying. A small amount of toothpaste on a piece of cotton wool is ideal for polishing the razor and leaving the plating gleaming.

If the mechanism gets stiff, soaking overnight in washing up liquid and hot water frees it up - you'll be surprised how much crud and gunk is left at the bottom of the container when you take the razor out !!
After a quick deep clean and polish the razor is as good as new
 
Thank you all for the tips and making me feel welcome :)

To answer my own questions #2 and #3 :) I did some research and according to the Kickstarter page for the Rockwell 6s it is made of 316L steel. It has no moving parts and this is one of the reasons I decided to purchase it. On the Stainless Steel Information Center of North America I've found a PDF describing 316L and several tips on its maintenance. Main tips are:

  • "Stainless steels are easily cleaned by many different methods. They actually thrive with frequent cleaning, and, unlike some other materials, it is impossible to “wear out” stainless steel by excessive cleaning."
  • For cleaning one can use "warm water, bristle brushes, sponges, or clean cloths."
  • "Ordinary carbon steel brushes or steel wool should be avoided as they may leave particles embedded on the surface which can lead to RUSTING."
  • "For more aggressive cleaning, a small amount of vinegar can be added to the scouring powder." Alexo noted in this thread that he's using a ratio of 1:4 (vinegar : hot water).
  • "Cleaning should always be followed by rinsing in clean hot water."
  • "When water contains mineral solids, which leave water spots, it is advisable to wipe the surface completely with dry towels."
  • To remove stains and fingerprints they suggest using "a glass cleaner or by gentle rubbing with a paste of soda ash (sodium carbonate) and water applied with a soft rag."
  • To remove grease "Non-halgenated solvents, such as acetone, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, methyl ethyl ketone, benzene, isopropyl alcohol, toluene, mineral spirits, and turpentine work well."
Further info can be found in the PDF.

TL;DR
Clean it often. Use hot water and dry with towel. If that doesn't fix it try something from the above listed, depending on the type of cleaning that needs to be done.
 
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Welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard. In regard to your questions:

1. I don't know, but I agree that the Jermyn Street cream is excellent in both performance and scent.
2. I just rinse with warm/hot water. I disassemble and clean the razor when I change blades.
3. Try soaking the razor in white vinegar or use some of the cleaning liquid that cleans scale off of bathroom fixtures, like CLR.

+1, the only step I add in there is after I rinse the razor I dip mine in some rubbing alcohol that's in a small jar, this helps displace any water in the nooks and crannies. Else when I change blades it gets a good scrubbing with an old toothbrush and some anti bacterial soap.
 
Glad to have you with us. I'm a little fussy; I disassemble my razor each time of use and clean off razor and blade let air dry. Never like crud build up in my razor even if its my crud.
 
welcome to the club. Glad to have you aboard. In regard to your questions:

1. I don't know, but i agree that the jermyn street cream is excellent in both performance and scent.
2. I just rinse with warm/hot water. I disassemble and clean the razor when i change blades.
3. Try soaking the razor in white vinegar or use some of the cleaning liquid that cleans scale off of bathroom fixtures, like clr.
x1
 
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