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- #41
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Yes, you are correct.
Farmer Tan's Foray Into SR Shaving
- Thread starter rbscebu
- Start date
use both hands since your new and starting out with a whole new learning curve. (at least thats what I did.)
congrats on taking the plunge Farmer!
as my uncle used to say......"you're ruint."
(which translates into ruined)
camo
congrats on taking the plunge Farmer!
as my uncle used to say......"you're ruint."
(which translates into ruined)
camo
I read (and saw the photos) of the job @Herrenberg did on that razor. Impressive!
If you stick with this SR thing and want to make a 200k/.1u balsa strop (or a whole 50/100/200k progression), I can send you some diamond paste(s). I use 2x3x12" pieces of balsa and avoid the whole 'glue to a backer' hassle. Works for me. No need for stones with regular balsa/leather edge maintenance, as @rbscebu will tell you.
If you stick with this SR thing and want to make a 200k/.1u balsa strop (or a whole 50/100/200k progression), I can send you some diamond paste(s). I use 2x3x12" pieces of balsa and avoid the whole 'glue to a backer' hassle. Works for me. No need for stones with regular balsa/leather edge maintenance, as @rbscebu will tell you.
The first shave seemed like a crazy undertaking. I had no idea how to arrange the razor in 3 dimensional space, and every move and twist seemed strange. My hands seemed slow and stupid. I cut myself a lot.
About 8-10 shaves in, I knew I was in this for the long haul, but I was still in enough doubt that I brought a cartridge along as backup when I traveled. I was still cutting myself every few shaves at this point, but usually without drawing blood, because my hands had learned to react instantly when I felt the blade start to slice.
By 25 shaves, I knew that this was how I would always shave, and was starting to feel confident. Too confident, sometimes. I had to learn what I could do relatively quickly, and what I always had to do slowly. You can see YouTube shavers do this sort of thing too, briskly shaving and then going into super-slow-motion when positioning the blade correctly to shave beside their mouths.
I lost count of my shaves long ago, but I'm still learning, and the more I learn, the more I enjoy the whole process.
Slow is exactly the right way to proceed, for every aspect of this. There's no need to force speed at all; it will come automatically, maybe not as soon as you'd prefer, but it's better to just let it happen when it's going to happen.
I have shave soap cream get too dry on my face all the time, because I live in a desert. I don't reapply, but I do have to rehydrate it on my face frequently.
The Google searches to do would be "Lee's Radium" and "Lee's Radium Gold." You have the fancy one, the Gold. That one seems harder to find, and more sought after, than the regular one. Here's a link from some site that archives past auctions or something; it has a good picture:
Vintage Lee's Radium Gold Straight Razor Stunning! Great Condition Shave Ready! | #479102068
~For Your Consideration~ Up for Auction is a TRULY Beautiful, rare, Lee's Radium Gold straight razor in Excellent condition! What I mean by Shave Ready is that I have personally enjoyed a great shav
www.worthpoint.com
Haven't had any luck finding out when these were made, but I haven't made a study of it.
I don't remember where I learned about the amber scales, but I was already very poised to believe it. I already had the idea that they were unusual. If you squeeze the scales together, they spring back, but not in a super-springy way, as plastic tends to do. When I polished them with some fine-grit 3M sanding pads sold for polishing automotive paint, they looked cleaner, but not super-shiny, and still with a kind of internal haze. Having had some encounters with amber pipe stems, when I read that they were amber, my first thought was "Oh! of course!"
Would love to hear the story of your Uncle and the President.
He was a Character, with a capital "C".The Google searches to do would be "Lee's Radium" and "Lee's Radium Gold." You have the fancy one, the Gold. That one seems harder to find, and more sought after, than the regular one. Here's a link from some site that archives past auctions or something; it has a good picture:
Vintage Lee's Radium Gold Straight Razor Stunning! Great Condition Shave Ready! | #479102068
~For Your Consideration~ Up for Auction is a TRULY Beautiful, rare, Lee's Radium Gold straight razor in Excellent condition! What I mean by Shave Ready is that I have personally enjoyed a great shav
Haven't had any luck finding out when these were made, but I haven't made a study of it.
I don't remember where I learned about the amber scales, but I was already very poised to believe it. I already had the idea that they were unusual. If you squeeze the scales together, they spring back, but not in a super-springy way, as plastic tends to do. When I polished them with some fine-grit 3M sanding pads sold for polishing automotive paint, they looked cleaner, but not super-shiny, and still with a kind of internal haze. Having had some encounters with amber pipe stems, when I read that they were amber, my first thought was "Oh! of course!"
Would love to hear the story of your Uncle and the President.
I have these stories on video from two of his sister's, both recently deceased. True southern belles.
It seems I get my inflated sense of worth from both sides of my family; I always thought it was mostly from my Dad's side.
Anyway, I'll give y'all the "Bonus" story first:
Back in the day (probably this happened during the Great Depression) my uncle was in public Skool, more than likely for where he lived a one room skoolhouse scenario. About 11 years old. The day, according to my Great Aunt's, was always started with "Chapel", and my Great Unk didn't much care for it. He spoke very loudly for the whole class to hear, "they don't have to do this in California!"
Oops! Gotta run! War Department wants me to go with her to the store...
To be continued!
So my Unk got a pass to ride the train from Kentucky to somewhere in California, where he bought a postcard, and the ONLY thing he wrote on it was "I told you so!" and mailed it to his teacher! I suppose an 11 year old boy would think that alone is proof that California in the twenties wouldn't abuse kids by forcing them into Chapel!
Another story the Aunt's told me: Unk came home "shell shocked" as did his younger brother, from WW2.
He decided he wanted to complain to the President. So he got on the train and got off in DC.
He walked up to the "Guard House" or whatever they had in 1945 or 46 and asked to see President Truman. The guard called the White House, and he reported to my Unk that the President was busy, but could see him tomorrow. My Unk said no, that wouldn't do, and went home!
Those were simpler times, but men have been coming home from War (and now women, too) with PTSD since not long after Cain slew Abel, but it's nice to know that at one time a President was actually AT the White House once in awhile and not campaigning nonstop!
- Thread starter
- #48
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
For stropping, nothing beats clean leather. Your flannel won't hurt but will not produce the best edge.
You should seriously consider putting together a diamond pasted balsa strop set. With that setup, you can maintain your shave-ready edge indefinitely without ever having to have the blade honed again.
Remeber that diamond pasted balsa strops do not make an edge shave-ready, they only make an alread shave-ready edge better. Does that sound familiar?
A gentleman on here has just sent me a leather strop, should be here soon. Looks like I have to learn how to use it now!
I just got mine in the mail today. I'll play with it this weekend.
The strop came in today's mail!
Perfectly packaged, I should add. WAY too generous a gift:
The shave: I was tired; LOTS of family stress today. Just the ugly part of life, too many people I love either dieing or being affected by death. Figured a shave would help. Lol, not so much! Face took only two small slices. But still kinda tender.
I used Arko: not again for awhile, until I dial in the method a bit better. Face too dry post shave. Used the special brush hand made by Steve, @Graydog ... he's a gem of a gent.
That strop is going to get lots of love, thank you much for it @RumpleBearskin ! I was shocked when you offered it to me, and even moreso when I saw it. You too are a "Gem of a Gent"!
Hope to give my face a break until Monday evening, I think. Probably use a bit of the "Tabac" next....
Perfectly packaged, I should add. WAY too generous a gift:
The shave: I was tired; LOTS of family stress today. Just the ugly part of life, too many people I love either dieing or being affected by death. Figured a shave would help. Lol, not so much! Face took only two small slices. But still kinda tender.
I used Arko: not again for awhile, until I dial in the method a bit better. Face too dry post shave. Used the special brush hand made by Steve, @Graydog ... he's a gem of a gent.
That strop is going to get lots of love, thank you much for it @RumpleBearskin ! I was shocked when you offered it to me, and even moreso when I saw it. You too are a "Gem of a Gent"!
Hope to give my face a break until Monday evening, I think. Probably use a bit of the "Tabac" next....
So, my lungs finally agreed with my brane and my body took a shower.
This PROBABLY belongs in another thread, but I'm really not qualified to get the folks in my head to come to a consensus, so I'll just go ahead and say it here:
Vintage Avon Blend 7 REALLY makes an EXCELLENT companion to Arko Stick Shaving soap. (How AWESOME would THAT be for an acronym?!?)
Anyway, after I got out of my shower, and saw that the two small pieces of toilet, er "Bathroom Tissue" were no longer stuck to my face, I decided against the hand lotion I was going to apply, and to be safe I figured I'd put some 50+ year old stuff that was used when I bought it from Goodwill on my face to have something to cry about. Imagine my surprise when the burn was not that bad, AND that I had found the elusive PERFECT companion to Arko!
I celebration, the Mead is on yours truly over in the Kingdom of Arkoland!
- Thread starter
- #54
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
That's one of the many joys of SR shaving. You have something new to learn with each shave.
My friend, after only two, I'm not qualified to agree, but I believe you are right! I watched some content on YouTube from @Doc226 and @Slash McCoy and now the idea of actually setting bevels and honing looks kind of RELAXING if that makes any sense?
It is with kitchen knives, pocket knives, and outdoors entertainment knives. No idea with face-fun blades. Either way, pumice soap takes the iron out of hands afterwards.
It makes complete sense to me. I find it so. Sometimes it's hard to decide which I enjoy more, straight razor shaving or straight razor honing. Fortunately there is no need to decide.
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- #58
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
It has been almost a week since we heard from @FarmerTan in this thread. Maybe he has given up on SR shaving or is growing a beard to really test his new skills.
Perhaps it's hard to see the screen/keyboard through all the bandages...?
All right youse guys! Challenge accepted!
I have not shaved with anything since my last shave with grandpappy's straight.
Mother in Law very I'll, and the lovely War Department and I have been busy all week with the more brutal parts of life.
But life is for the living, so as I am still on this side of the sod, and my wife is away, I will shave NOW!
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