Damn Comfortable Shave

[Twelvefret]

Razor grinders and dogs at work. Nose to the grindstone, anyone?

That was the photo I was thinking about . Horrible

 

[Somerled]

Omega Boar has now had the 3 days cold treatment.

It's starting to look better already and feeling softer.

Now for the long term wet and dry treatment.
Might try shaving with it sometime soon.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Omega Boar has now had the 3 days cold treatment.

View attachment 930183

It's starting to look better already and feeling softer.

Now for the long term wet and dry treatment.
Might try shaving with it sometime soon.

Even damp a few split ends are showing. Good.

 

[Twelvefret]

Never had to do this to any of my brushes

 

[Somerled]

Never had to do this to any of my brushes

I have 4 synthetic brushes that just work straight out of the box.
No Drama's there.

The boar I never liked from day one.

Jim, Mike, and Joel, were kind enough to write up a procedure that may make this boar behave the way I want.
The least I can do is report how it's progressing.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Sunday's shave was a failure, but still it was a learning experience.

This is a vintage 6/8” Boots LTD, hollow ground German razor. I purchased it from johnloc1 on eBay for about $20 + shipping. It was honed by the vendor. Before using it today I ran it on the CrOx'd linen, then the linen strop, then on leather. I have no complaints about the razor. It seemed at least as smooth, comfortable, and sharp as the razors I've honed myself. I like this razor!

Before today's shave I reviewed the various grips, linked and in this thread, hoping to find the best ways to approach my chin and lips.

I'm not even close on my chin and lips. I made a real effort to smooth those areas and thought during the shave that things were going swimmingly. When I dried my face it looked like I'm trying to grow a mustache and shaved my chin hungover and in the dark with a axe.

I was careful and spent considerable time shaving, with good prep, etc. Nobody was rushing me. My wife is off making quilts with her girlfriend so I had the house to myself.

That's not good. It's a failure. Having shaved with the straight razor for every day over an entire week I would have expected more progress than I've made. Worse, I don't know what to try next.

It's also not like my chin feels all that comfortable either.

That's the failure part, but what's good.

• I have many more learn-to-shave straight razor shaves to go in my countdown from a hundred.
• Not a drop of blood today. That's very good. Always very good.
• Other than my chin and lips my shave was pretty decent (not BBS but maybe DFS or close to that) and decently comfortable.
• I enjoyed the process.

Ah, the adventure continues!

Today's soap is an old favorite which went out of favor for a long time (it worked great for me bowl lathering but not face lathering). Because of Cal @Cal's influence and badgering I decided to try it again. It worked pretty well and will go back into my rotation. The soap probably didn't change, but something did. What could it be?

I used a different but very nice splash today. The scent is quite pleasant but not long lasting. The skin feel is both stellar and comfortable from the moment it's applied. It doesn't burn a bit.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

When I dried my face it looked like I'm trying to grow a mustache and shaved my chin hungover and in the dark with a axe.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

View attachment 930369

I wasn't serious, but he probably is. Gotta see him do his upper lip!

 

[Cal]

I'm not even close on my chin and lips.

It makes me feel really squeamish every time you mention "shaving your lips" Jim.

I was careful and spent considerable time shaving, with good prep, etc. Nobody was rushing me. My wife is off making quilts with her girlfriend so I had the house to myself.

That's not good. It's a failure. Having shaved with the straight razor for every day over an entire week I would have expected more progress than I've made. Worse, I don't know what to try next.

Don't you mean "several" straight razors? I think the variety is exacerbating the problem.

Why not pick the SR you like best and do a Fixed Four for all your SR shaves for a month?

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Don't you mean "several" straight razors? I think the variety is exacerbating the problem.

Why not pick the SR you like best and do a Fixed Four for all your SR shaves for a month?

Agreed! You keep moving the goalposts, and never quite getting to understand any individual razor. They'll probably all need driving a little differently, just like other razor types do. What you're doing is like trying to learn to drive with a different car every lesson. Learn with one, then learn what adjustments you need to learn for each of the others.

 

[Esox]

You need to find the ones you like the most first, but that can be difficult when you buy one a week haha.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

It makes me feel really squeamish every time you mention "shaving your lips" Jim.

I understand what you mean.

However, that's the name of these areas.

The pink parts are called the upper and lower vermilion, the border between the skin and the vermilion is called the vermilion border, the wet, shiny inner portion of what people call the "lips" is called the wet vermilion or the mucosa.

Don't you mean "several" straight razors? I think the variety is exacerbating the problem.

Why not pick the SR you like best and do a Fixed Four for all your SR shaves for a month?

I think that's a great idea, Cal. It's the kind of great idea that I should have thought of myself, but then I wouldn't need friends.

As you say, all SR shaves. Not all shaves, or course, but SR shaves. I'll have to consider which SR to use. That's not easy as I don't know much about them yet.

Thank you.

Agreed! You keep moving the goalposts, and never quite getting to understand any individual razor. They'll probably all need driving a little differently, just like other razor types do. What you're doing is like trying to learn to drive with a different car every lesson. Learn with one, then learn what you need to learn for each of the others.

I'm not convinced it will help, but how could it hurt?

You need to find the ones you like the most first, but that can be difficult when you buy one a week haha.

I've not stopped buying them (or, at least, looking with an eye towards maybe buying). However, I'm much more picky now.

I've been very lucky, too. Most of the vintage razors from eBay have turned out better than I thought they might.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Cal]

However, that's the name of these areas.

Well, I didn't know that! Thank you Jim. I'm feeling less squeamish already.

As you say, all SR shaves. Not all shaves, or course, but SR shaves. I'll have to consider which SR to use. That's not easy as I don't know much about them yet.

Your current favorite is the one to use. And of course being an SR thing it'll be a Fixed Three (not a Fixed Four). It's important to use the same brush and soap too (but you knew that).

 

[Somerled]

Good advice from everyone Jim.
It's time to nail this, and get your lips sorted out

Joking aside.

I would pick the one that gives the smoothest shave and you know is sharp.
Knowing whats sharp enough is the hard part, I know this from my own experience.
For that I would use the Feather SS as a reference, even with a guarded blade in it.
It's unlikely you'll ever get a straight as sharp as that, but it's possible to get fairly close.

 

[Twelvefret]

That's true, using a shavette would tell you if its the razor or your technique. A nice Feather Folding SS is nice for travel.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I'll think about the Feather barber razor, but I didn't much like the AC blade in that platform. Of course, that was then and this is now.

 

[Twelvefret]

I'll think about the Feather barber razor, but I didn't much like the AC blade in that platform. Of course, that was then and this is now.

I used the Pro Guard. When I first started I thought they were dull. I know better know.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

In the interest of sharpness and filling in the gaps in my progression I've pulled the trigger on a couple of items.

• The Shapton Kuromaku 5K.
• The Shapton Kuromaku 12K.

According to my understanding these stones are essentially the same as their Pro stones but much cheaper. If there's a difference it's the Pros are designed for the lower humidity of the US. Pretty funny to me because the average humidity where I live is higher than Japan. Take that Shapton.

I sort of have a hodgepodge of stones (by brand) but I'm comfortable with it.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Twelvefret]

My 10-12K Thuringian comes tomorrow from a Canadian source. It's complete with wooden box and slurry stone.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I used the Pro Guard. When I first started I thought they were dull. I know better know.

I have those and others. They're sharp all right. All of 'em.

Right now I can't recall the name of the AC blades I've mostly used which goes to show how much I've been using the SR/injector combo.

Prolines? I think.

Happy shaves,

Jim