What's new

Farmer Tan's Foray Into SR Shaving

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Mother in Law is actually very ILL, lol. Though it's not something I'LL Laugh Out Loud about, if it weren't for Otto Korreck.

Any hoo, finished my shave. Must have gotten either lazy or proud, as I saved my cuts until my last two strokes of the shave: first near my right sideburn (barely visible) and the last near my right corner of my mouth. THAT one stung enough to make me fear for my incredibly handsome face, let me tell you!

I THINK I will try this again tomorrow, just so's I can develop muscle memory quicker.

I used the boar brush from @shavefan and the OLD Old Spice from @Tanuki just in case anyone at home is keeping score

LESSONS LEARNED: I think I am beginning to get the angle down, and if this str8 had a "cap" I was riding it too much in my previous shaves.

STUPID THING TO SAY: (because I will undoubtedly pay for it next shave) I'm absolutely amazed that I'm doing as well at this as I am, ESPECIALLY above my lip, or is it under my nose? Either way, my nicks and cuts there have been minimal.

Thanks for tuning in, folks!
 
Mother in Law is actually very ILL, lol. Though it's not something I'LL Laugh Out Loud about, if it weren't for Otto Korreck.

Any hoo, finished my shave. Must have gotten either lazy or proud, as I saved my cuts until my last two strokes of the shave: first near my right sideburn (barely visible) and the last near my right corner of my mouth. THAT one stung enough to make me fear for my incredibly handsome face, let me tell you!

I THINK I will try this again tomorrow, just so's I can develop muscle memory quicker.

I used the boar brush from @shavefan and the OLD Old Spice from @Tanuki just in case anyone at home is keeping score

LESSONS LEARNED: I think I am beginning to get the angle down, and if this str8 had a "cap" I was riding it too much in my previous shaves.

STUPID THING TO SAY: (because I will undoubtedly pay for it next shave) I'm absolutely amazed that I'm doing as well at this as I am, ESPECIALLY above my lip, or is it under my nose? Either way, my nicks and cuts there have been minimal.

Thanks for tuning in, folks!
Prayers for your mother-in-law.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
SR's have a habit of letting you know when you concentration lapses and you get a little cocksure of yourself. I learnt that the hard way.
I was going to describe myself as "cocky" but figured that Mr Otto Korreck would bleep me out. I'm 70% sure it was a lapse in concentration actually.

My wife and brother in law had fun at my expense, so at least l someone got a laugh out of it! That fact that I take Coumadin didn't help me any. We had a social engagement, and I was able to say that I got the cut from using a straight razor. Ha! That impressed a few folks, and a few just thought I was stupid for not using a "Mach 18" or whatever is the latest blade count!
 
If there is a straight razor shaver who has never cut himself during a moment of overconfidence, I'd donate to a shrine worshipping him. I doubt I will ever have to make that donation.

The longer I am away from cartridges, the more silly they seem. That's especially true because I have a beard. There are lots of little places -- next to the mouth edges, just above the beard on my chin, that are simply impossible to shave with something that engages with the skin with a flat rectangle. So I didn't shave them, and did my best with scissors. It really kind of sucked. Especially considering that there was a tool waiting out there that would be perfect for all of that, if only I had the wit to pick it up, and the persistence to learn how to use and maintain it.

All those stockpiled cartridges are great for my wife's legs, though, so they're not going to waste. And, bonus, the whole "did you use my razor for your legs, it got dull since yesterday" issue is gone from our marriage.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
@FarmerTan you’ve learned the most important thing: It isn’t that hard. Keep it up, it gets a LOT better.

Get a good stretch, keep the blade angle low, and use light pressure and short strokes. Keep the lather wet. You should not have any cuts of concern. We do all get a few tiny nicks learning chins and around mouths, that’s pretty normal.

If you need an edge or a razor, I’ll help out, just PM me.

You’re also going to lose a lot of vocabulary. A competent SR user with a competent edge doesn’t have ‘weepers’, need to ‘seal’ any wound, doesn’t get ‘razor burn’ or have ‘bad shaves’. We don’t need to let our faces ‘rest up’ for a couple of days so we can shave again. An exceptional edge and shave will have you close and smooth, no AS burn, and your 5 o’clock shadow comes in at 10:00.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
@FarmerTan you’ve learned the most important thing: It isn’t that hard. Keep it up, it gets a LOT better.

Get a good stretch, keep the blade angle low, and use light pressure and short strokes. Keep the lather wet. You should not have any cuts of concern. We do all get a few tiny nicks learning chins and around mouths, that’s pretty normal.

If you need an edge or a razor, I’ll help out, just PM me.

You’re also going to lose a lot of vocabulary. A competent SR user with a competent edge doesn’t have ‘weepers’, need to ‘seal’ any wound, doesn’t get ‘razor burn’ or have ‘bad shaves’. We don’t need to let our faces ‘rest up’ for a couple of days so we can shave again. An exceptional edge and shave will have you close and smooth, no AS burn, and your 5 o’clock shadow comes in at 10:00.
Thank you so much for reaching out.

I'm not EASILY made to quit. And just before I read your post I was feeling my incredibly handsome face. Tho I didn't accomplish a BBS yesterday, the whiskers were "softer" feeling, if that makes sense, today. But the way they felt made NOT picking up a DE easier.
 
Last edited:

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
So @Steve56 : any tips are welcome. I feel arrogant for thinking I know ANYTHING about this, but I think my blade is either a 4/8 or a 5/8..... but for some reason I feel like I will end up being better served by using a WIDER blade. It just SEEMS to me that I would have an easier time getting my "angle of attack" for a smoother shave.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
You can easily measure the size of your SR. The size is the width of the blade (distance from edge to top of spine). A 4/8 blade is ½" (about 12mm), 5/8 is ⅝" (about 16mm), 6/8 is ¾" (about 19mm) and 7/8 is ⅞" (about 22mm). Just gently lay the blade across a ruler and measure it.

Generally the larger the blade, the easier it is to guage the blade angle against the skin. Also a larger blade (of similar grind) has more mass which assists in the blade cutting through tougher/thicker whiskers. The downside of a larger blade is that some find it more difficult to get into tighter areas for shaving.

Most SR shavers prefer a 5/8 or 6/8 blade when starting out. They may later develop a preference for larger or smaller blades. It is entirely a personal preference thing.

After over 500 SR shaves, I still prefer a 6/8 blade but also have a few 7/8 that I like to use.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Now for some tips.

Not all soaps that are good for DE shaving are good for SR shaving. Arko is one of the better SR shaving soaps. It is also relatively cheap.

Try shaving with different lather "wetnesses". SR shaving requires a wetter lather than DE shaving. Initially I found that a very wet lather (almost dripping off my face) was best for my SR shaving. As my technique improved, I found that a less wet lather was better. My preferred lather now is about halfway between an almost dripping lather and a normal DE shaving lather.

Keep your edge sharp. The sharper your edge, the less chance of seeing blood. Also the sharper the edge the lower the blade angle to the skin should be used. If you haven't already done so, put together a set of three diamond pasted balsa strops. Well worth the effort and when properly used will keep your edge(s) sharp indefinitely. No honing ever more required.

Map your beard. Learn in which direction your whiskers grow. This will help you achieve closer shaves.

Practice different skin stretching techniques. Everyone is different. What is best for you is best for you.

Don't shave for a BBS finish. Just shave to cleanly remove the lather. Don't worry, the whiskers will be cut with it. As your technique improved, your finish will improve.

Shave at least daily, whether you need to or not. Daily shaving will more quickly improve your technique better than anything else.

If you draw blood, try and determine why so that you hopefully don't make the same mistake twice.

Concentrate fully on every shave. Learn something new from every shave. What you learn you can post here to help others and further reinforce it into your memory.
 
Last edited:

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
I like widths from 11/16 to 7/8 or 15/16. I stay away from heavy grinds in the wider razors simply because the razor gets too heavy for my liking though many others like them. Razor width (and nose style) is mostly just personal preference and you’ll just have to try different razors to see which you like - and what you like may change with time! But there are plenty of cheap razors and it’s kind of fun to try out different ones. 6/8 is a very popular size and easy to find both new and vintage. This width is an excellent compromise between stability and maneuverability.

I find that I like a good shaving razor - no surprise right? I haven’t found this to be related to width, country of origin (with a few exceptions), or the grind. Some razors just shave better than others, even if the same brand and model. Finding one is easy and a lot of fun.

If you decide to learn to hone, don’t learn on the family heirloom!

@rbscebu has a pretty good take on lather, I’ll also add that ‘cushion’ and ‘glide’ aren’t used when straight razor shaving, only ‘slick’ has much meaning. That’s because you no longer need cushion to keep that nasty machine made edge away from your Hollywood skin. /H Arko is OK, but you can find better SR soaps about as cheap.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Just finished another shave, using modern Williams as a stick. In other words, I applied it as if it were a stick, by rubbing the puck on my face as if it were a stick.

I have much to learn. I went much slower. I REALLY tried to remember to use no pressure, and just act like I was only removing the soap.

I also didn't have it wet enough. But I cured that by reapplication of foam from the brush.

Only had one tiny nick, went away with application of aftershave.

I'm probably going to use a synthetic neck shave, and maybe a cream soap.

Thanks for all the help my friends, Dave
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Just finished another shave, using modern Williams as a stick. In other words, I applied it as if it were a stick, by rubbing the puck on my face as if it were a stick.

I have much to learn. I went much slower. I REALLY tried to remember to use no pressure, and just act like I was only removing the soap.

I also didn't have it wet enough. But I cured that by reapplication of foam from the brush.

Only had one tiny nick, went away with application of aftershave.

I'm probably going to use a synthetic neck shave, and maybe a cream soap.

Thanks for all the help my friends, Dave
I read that and thought to myself, "Huh. Wonder what I planned to do with a synthetic neck?". Then after about 5 seconds I realized I must have been thinking about using a synthetic brush NEXT time. That feller Otto Korreck and mild dyslexia sometimes get together with my brane bleeds and give me the gift of a good laugh!

Face feels really nice. I'm HOPING to try not to cut myself again tomorrow, as I had so much fun this afternoon.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
When/if using a synthetic brush, remember that you will need much less cream/soap than you did with natural hair brushes. Synthetic does not hog lather.
Thank you for the reminder my friend. I think it will help with the dryness of my lather. Seems my board are thirsty lately.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Prayers for your mother-in-law.
Thank you, all of you.

She went to live this AM with Jesus.

The lovely "War Department" and I visited her yesterday, and I decided to bring a stethoscope. She had just refused some morphine right before we arrived, but she was clearly agitated. I listened to her heart, and it was steady (but around 200 beats per minute) which was surprising, since she has AFib. So I asked her nurse to try again, and Ma took it. Five minutes later she was at 130 beats/minute, but irregular, so I had a feeling about today.

I'm pretty sure from what the staff told my wife that she went as peacefully as she could have hoped. I'm pretty sure it was a stroke or a massive heart attack. She undoubtedly threw a clot and was absent from the body within seconds.

So praise God! He is still on His throne, and still not asking for all the advice I give Him.

Thank you ALL for the prayers, Dave
 
Top Bottom