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Corking The SR Edge

Yeah, If you absolutely must shave every day you either need to use a duller razor or not do ATG passes. Sharp razors with ATG passes will last 30+ hrs pretty easily. I only am able to daily shave (and actually do anything during the shave) if I'm testing edges out these days. Otherwise I probably avg 4-5x a week.
 

Ravenonrock

I shaved the pig
I SR shave everyday. I would not consider corking a razor or altering its performance. My razors with my abilities at honing provide close comfortable shaves. Not BBS shaves, nor do I work at attaining such a result. My WTG passes are pretty consistent in removing stubble. It’s my second pass that does much of the heavy lifting. Sometimes I like more of a leisurely second pass, no skin stretching, less attention to angles and detail. The relaxed second pass approach allows me the pleasure of two passes without the same closeness a more attentive pass might provide. Perhaps just adjusting technique somewhat might provide the desired results?
 
I built up to three-pass shaves until the BBS result left me with little or nothing to shave the next day.
If hair grows at ~½"/month, that's ~.015" per day. If there is no stubble after 24 hours, were you cutting hair .015" below the surface of your skin, or exfoliating .015" of skin that regenerates at the same rate as the hair growth? I suppose that another explanation would be that swelling is still keeping the hair below the surface.
 
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rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Shave every other day if that is all you need.
Yes, but then I would miss out on seven shave passes a week! Most SR shavers enjoy shaving so much (like me) that they try and get in as many passes as they can each week.
 
Fourteen months ago I started daily shaving exclusively with SR's. Over that period my shaving technique and honing skills have been improving. I built up to three-pass shaves until the BBS result left me with little or nothing to shave the next day. I then dropped back to two-pass shaves (WTG & XTG). Over time the same problem developed with little or northing to shave the next day. I then changed to two-pass (WTG x 2) to were the problem has now again returned. I have tried the B&B "Whisker Growth" treatment. That helped but not enough.

What can I do to keep at least a two-pass daily shave with something to shave each day? I have been thinking that I might be able to adjust my shaving technique to shave just as comfortably but not as close, but in what way? I could possibly stop using diamond pasted balsa strops and just shave off a natural whetstone however, I have a very limited collection of only two Tnats. I am also thinking that maybe corking the edge before each shave may help.

I do not believe that any shaving problem is unique so hopefully some others here have experienced a similar problem. Ideas please.
Maybe I'll come across as oddball, but if you've mastered the SR BBS shave to such a proficiency level... why not shave every other day, instead? So, you can actually do a 3 pass shave, instead of just one or two, with ultimate superior results every time... albeit, only every other day. Would that count?
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Maybe I'll come across as oddball, but if you've mastered the SR BBS shave to such a proficiency level... why not shave every other day, instead? So, you can actually do a 3 pass shave, instead of just one or two, with ultimate superior results every time... albeit, only every other day. Would that count?
No, you are not an oddball. I have considered doing less passes per week but that reduces my pleasure in SR shaving. By early 2020 I was down to 14 (from 21) passes per week to ensure that I had something to shave within the following 24 hours. I would prefer not to reduce my number of passes per week to anything less.
 
No, you are not an oddball. I have considered doing less passes per week but that reduces my pleasure in SR shaving. By early 2020 I was down to 14 (from 21) passes per week to ensure that I had something to shave within the following 24 hours. I would prefer not to reduce my number of passes per week to anything less.
I get it, I totally do - the joy of shaving. Moreover, I can relate to what you're saying although I'm more of a SE guy.

Yesterday, I had one of those Zen shaves, really, I mean REALLY took my time - the prep, the motion, everything. Nice and slow, relaxed, suave shave. I had a 4 day growth and so I went 2 times WTG, then XTG and 2 times ATG, but super SUUUUUUPER gently ATG. WOW, lemme tell ya! I think this was one of the smoothest, closest, nicest, most enjoyable shaves I can recall in a long time.

But then, now more than 24h later I can barely feel any stubble anywhere...

That said, me, I'm a "BBS or nothing" guy, so I prefer to shave every second day. If I think about it numbers wise, I normally do 3-4 passes, so that'd equate - say - 12-15 passes a week, which is about the same as if I shaved 2-pass every day.

So it's kind of "six of one, half dozen of the other" sort of thing, YMMV, etc...
 
Not familiar with the Turkish finishing stones. Any links?

Fwiw I face a similar problem. My beard is just not heavy enough to warrant a shave every day. I get bad shaves if I try it. Skin seems too sensitive the day after to really push it with ATG.

My advice: time machine.
 
If hair grows at ~½"/month, that's ~.015" per day. If there is no stubble after 24 hours, were you cutting hair .015" below the surface of your skin, or exfoliating .015" of skin that regenerates at the same rate as the hair growth? I suppose that another explanation would be that swelling is still keeping the hair below the surface.

That's ~0.36mm. Skin stretching and hair swelling from water should project the hair more than that... So yeah, you were cutting the hair more than that distance below the surface of the skin.

Functionally lathering up a beard strips oil from the hair, lets water penetrate and swell the hairs. This and skin stretching makes them stick out more than they do under normal circumstances.
 
My goal is to get as many comfortable SR passes in per day while still having some stubble to shave each day.

This term "mojo" was new to me and not in my 1977 Oxford dictionary so I looked it up on the internet. It appears to be a mostly American term (noun) meaning a magic spell, hex or charm or magical power. I don't believe that I am suffering from a lack of "mojo" as I probably never had it.

No one has yet suggested a change in my shaving technique or corking the blade. So far this only leaves a change in honing (natural).
I will take credit for coining the term MoJo, I used to mean the unexplainable feeling of a natural edge vs the laboratory feeling of a synth one.


@Seraphim lacks MoJo, this was proved by the Thriller in Manilla (envelopes that is)
 
or failing that settle for a daily one pass DFS. You can always use more passes when circumstances require it.
I use a natural stone and a two pass shave will last me two days. I'd try one pass and see if anything grows the next day.
 
I will take credit for coining the term MoJo, I used to mean the unexplainable feeling of a natural edge vs the laboratory feeling of a synth one.


@Seraphim lacks MoJo, this was proved by the Thriller in Manilla (envelopes that is)

Best explanation of mojo:

 
I too feel like there is really nothing to shave the next day after a two pass shave. There is if you just start shaving, though the WTG pass does almost nothing with so little stubble. Shaving so close daily starts to irritate my skin on the third shave, so I take day of shave rest.

Honestly I love shaving, but I love my day off here and there.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
My goal is to get as many comfortable SR passes in per day while still having some stubble to shave each day.

This term "mojo" was new to me and not in my 1977 Oxford dictionary so I looked it up on the internet. It appears to be a mostly American term (noun) meaning a magic spell, hex or charm or magical power. I don't believe that I am suffering from a lack of "mojo" as I probably never had it.

No one has yet suggested a change in my shaving technique or corking the blade. So far this only leaves a change in honing (natural).
Well, I’m not into mojo or burning balsa. I
enjoy shaving but not honing. Ill commit to five minutes on balsa and a couple of minutes on leather but rarely more. I do only two passes amd if there is a bit of a rough patch when I’m done, so be it. My advice is to simply get older. Beard doesn’t grow any faster but it gets stiffer. I like my super sharp edges and wouldn’t consider corking them. Of course, I look forward to reading your experience. I’ve been packing for three months in anticipation of moving and now I’m relocated and I’m unpacking;
my razors are now available. I’m terribly bored with my shavette and it will be a traditional straight in the morning. Even bought a new cabinet to house them. I’m far away from any city and happy as a pig in do-do thirteen minutes from superb trout streams. I’ll be spending my time tying flies until Spring, not honing razors.
 
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