Flask's newbie adventure

[Guido75]

But let's say it together. "I'm not a collector" "I'm not a collector" "I'm not a collector"

and "Ich bin kein Sammler" just for good measure.

Haha! Love the German part as well. And I’m not actually. Collectors do it for the display, I do it for the shave so I am a hobbyist.

Not sure which is more dangerous to my wallet though. I think collector because they would want the pristine stuff. But even the hobbyist stuff can really rack up some numbers!!

 

[lasta]

That's a beautiful boar!

Keep using it, it will get much better.

Unlike other shiny shiny's, the more you smack a boar, the happier it gets.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I'm glad I didn't get into traditional wet shaving to save money, that's for sure.

 

[thombrogan]

the more you smack a boar, the happier it gets.

As an imperialist, American pig-dog, I can confirm

 

[thombrogan]

Also, lurv the looks of the Copper Scrubby both with and without patina, @flask28 Hoping you enjoy its behavior

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Really nice photo of great boar choices!

I am not a collector. I am a hobbyist. I am a "scientist."

Also, in case there is any doubt, I am fully BOSC.

That said, I have a rather sizable "collection."

(Most of which might be rentals rather than permanent purchases, and would certainly be were I not so lazy.)

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[flask28]

Also, lurv the looks of the Copper Scrubby both with and without patina, @flask28 Hoping you enjoy its behavior

Thank you sir - I am!

And this brings me to a potentially controversial observation I wanted to make - And I'm fully prepared to be ridiculed for it. I bet some newbie brings up this point every couple months and I know there's been a relatively recent thread on this. That had a wide spectrum of feedback.

I feel like combing some brushes, during break in, helps. As in, actually makes a difference and makes it feel better, faster.

Crazy, right?

This was another of my "follow in @Phoenixkh's footsteps" moments. He linked to this coarse Kent comb in one of his posts on this subject and it caught my eye. I'm a hair brush guy normally, but I'd been wanting a hair comb for my small travel bag and I liked the look (and low cost) of these Kents. So I got one for my kit (which I like) and as I was ordering from Amazon, I idly added the 12T thinking I'd try this brush combing thing myself.

Once it arrived, I brought out my brushes, put on some Lawrence Welk and started brushing out all my brushes. Well, not the synthetics. I was surprised at the results.

Omega Jade Boar
I've been using this brush for several months now and while scrubby it's not what I'd call super dense. Combing this brush felt smooth from the get go and seems to have zero effect.

Zenith B33 - 27x57 bleached boar
This brush has a really dense knot compared to the omega, with finer hairs. It was pretty stiff out of the box - really stiff. It was a stiff hair tube. A few wet/dry cycles helped a little....but it was still more like boot brush than a shaving brush.

Once I got the 12T I tried this brush first and WOW. Combing this brush made a big difference in how it felt. There was a LOT of initial resistance to the comb, as if those fine hairs were...I don't want to use the word tangled. But at least somewhat intertwined. After a few passes with the comb all the resistance dissipated and it became as effortless to comb as the Omega.

Trying the brush out afterwards the difference was significant. The hair tube characteristic was gone, it was much less stiff and it was suddenly starting to bloom as if a few weeks of break in had gone by. Subsequent additional combing never made that type of impact again.

Zenith Unbleached boar
This is a less dense knot than the bleached Zenith with coarser hairs. After a few cycles I used the comb. There was some initial resistance that was quickly worked out, but nothing like the bleached boar. It made a smaller, but noticeable, difference in the stiffness of the brush and I'd say equally promoted blooming

Omega Mighty Mite Boar
Like the Omega Jade, combing this bush had little to no impact on it's feel or performance.

Semogue SOC Mistrua
This brush reacted similarly as the unbleached Zenith boar in that there was some initial resistance that was worked out and resulted in a somewhat less stiff, better feeling brush. I noticed the knots shape really improved with combing though, it bloomed out into a much more defined bulb shape.

Zenith B36 Copper Scrubby, 28x50
This stiff oddly proportioned brush (pictured above) reacted much as the B33 Bleached brush. After the first cycle I tried combing it and it was like trying to brush a matted up poodle. I thought I was going to tear the knot out at first. But I kept at it, gently and deliberately.

After some time the resistance finally went away and I was rewarded with a MUCH more relaxed and brushy looking knot. And it felt tons better. So much so I'm stupidly excited about this brush now. It might become my favorite boar!


So...what. I'm coming around to the idea that combing can help accelerate the break in of denser, finer knots? Maybe?

I'll be adding the 12T to my brush break in routine I think, knowing that it's not going to help every type of knot. Or even most knots. But that it might help the knots that can be the biggest challenges to break in the most.

I'm ready for your ridicule! Combing mumbo jumbo!

And for the record, I think Lawrence was firmly in the Pro-Comb camp.

 

[thombrogan]

I think Lawrence was firmly in the Pro-Comb camp.

Wunnerful, wunnerful!

I comb some of my brushes. The natural fibers and the G5A synth all seem to benefit.

Whatever keeps us off the streets, right?

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

This comb, purchased from Aliexpress, is heavy and stainless steel. It was very expensive. With shipping it cost me $1.66.

There has been some inflation since it arrived, but it still works great for combing brushes. I believe it was mis-marketed as a pet comb.

Truth is I use it very infrequently, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't use it more.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[flask28]

I am not a collector. I am a hobbyist. I am a "scientist."

Also, in case there is any doubt, I am fully BOSC.

That said, I have a rather sizable "collection."

(Most of which might be rentals rather than permanent purchases, and would certainly be were I not so lazy.)

Happy shaves,

Jim

I keep forgetting that, thank you. I am a scientist!

 

[flask28]

View attachment 1615399


This comb, purchased from Aliexpress, is heavy and stainless steel. It was very expensive. With shipping it cost me $1.66.

There has been some inflation since it arrived, but it still works great for combing brushes. I believe it was mis-marketed as a pet comb.

Truth is I use it very infrequently, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't use it more.


View attachment 1615403


Happy shaves,

Jim

You are such a spluger Jim! $1.66, how is that even possible. But that looks like a perfect choice for brush grooming. Or pet grooming. Or it seems like you could use it as an improvised weapon.

I appreciate your and @thombrogan's support here. But I want to make it clear I'm not sitting around combing my brushes all day like they were cooing tribbles. These are hogs! As @lasta so eloquently put it

the more you smack a boar, the happier it gets.

 

[Tanuki]

OK, just combed out my short lofted, bleached Zenith. For science!

Before . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . After

Visually, no big deal.

Too bad I just shaved. And that the brush is already denbroken.

 

[flask28]

OK, just combed out my short lofted, bleached Zenith. For science!

Before . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . After
View attachment 1615479View attachment 1615480
Visually, no big deal.

Too bad I just shaved. And that the brush is already denbroken.

This was your chance to say it turned it into a Varlet knot! We could have started a whole thing, like putting your boar in the freezer for a week.

Did it seem to feel resistant at first and then get easy, as if you were freeing things up in there by combing it? Or was it just easy the whole time? That looks just like the knots I felt a change in when I tried it.

Science!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Big Nurse is calling.

 

[Esox]

Ahh. This is why. Thank you @Esox!! Your post was written in such a way I felt these concepts start to "click" in my head as I read it. Well, as I read it the third time.

You're welcome. If you liked that, the post below is from the time I had gotten my head around the theory but hadnt yet proved it. This proved to me the theory was correct and that a stable blade equals a smooth shave.

Should you be “committed” to the BOSC (Brotherhood of Shaving Crazies)?

So I broke my rules and CHANGED THREE OF MY FIXED FOUR. :w00t: I thought the X, Y and Z axis were always variables? :tongue_sm

www.badgerandblade.com

There are several aspects that relate to a smooth shave but, in my experience, baseplate design and the amount of support given to the blade from the design of the baseplate is the most critical part of the equation. If the blade doesnt have adequate support, the only choice left is to alter technique while shaving, as I was forced to do with my R41.

 

[Esox]

I don’t want to hijack your journal @flask28 but I want to inquire with @Esox further.


I know you prefer MMOC and enjoyed high-clamp/no-gap razors like the FaTip Grande, but I’m curious… at what point (numerically or in brand of razor) did you find gap to be a problem? I have felt like the GameChanger gave me excellent and confident shaves, and I’m sure their gap is higher than say, a Slim on 7 which (in my limited practice) has caused me some discomfort.

I would hypothesize the Slim perhaps has greater blade exposure and I did not have sufficient skill or practice to adjust accordingly. But I’m curious to hear your take on when blade gap starts to be really problematic for you. For example, I don’t think I’d ever personally seek a razor above the .95 I’m currently using, but I’m not as experienced on this subject (obviously)

I've had issues with blade gap even with a New SC, which is a truly excellent razor, but as I became more proficient with it that went away. The Slim and most Fatboys have a design element to help stabilize the blade to lessen vibration.

Theres a single design element Gillette Slims and most Fatboys have that the other Gillette TTO's do not have. Look at the blade tray of your various TTO's and you'll see this or a variation of same.

A basically flat, typical blade tray. On the Slim however, you'll see this.

What they do is clamp the blade against the inside of the doors with the extra 1/4 turn when you close the razor. What that does is make the blade more rigidly held which results in a smoother shave. The difference in my experience is dramatic.

I dont have a Fatboy and have never used one so I cant speak to gaps or the resulting change in blade exposure. It was common for Gillette to use the same razor heads on different handles although there are generational differences between the TTO heads.

I've used my Slim on 9, easily, but it is more comfortable at 5. Set to 7 or higher, I need to make my strokes slower to give my skin adequate time to slip through the increased gap without bunching up and causing irritation. The same can be accomplished with less pressure but as gap increases, so does the pressure on the skin as it travels through the gap so you get to a point of diminishing returns and I'm impatient at best and prefer to shave quickly. With the Slim on 5, and even 4, I can shave as quickly as with my Grande, although, because of the Slim having less blade exposure, its not as efficient. The Slim secures the blade so well, that set to 4 and 5 I can even shave single pass ATG but its not as easy as with my Grande. Its nearly equal to the New SC but doesnt quite hold the blade as stable so its not as effortless a shave.

You might find this of interest.

Blade exposure is far more important to me in regards to efficiency.

My New SC left and my Fatip Grande right illustrating their respective blade gaps.



Gaps and exposures.

My Grande is easily twice as efficient as my New SC and more gentle on my skin because my skin doesnt have to flow through the blade gap or be forced into the blades edge at a steeper angle because of it.

As blade gap increases, all else being equal, as does blade exposure. What also increases is the angle of edge to skin. Thats why a larger gap can give a more effective shave. A razors gap offers a mechanical advantage.

My skin doesnt tolerate blade gap. Even the modest .023" gap of the New SC can be too much. As gap increases, my skin reacts by the degree of irritation that accumulates with number of passes. A three pass shave with my New SC is the limit for me. A three pass shave with my Slim on 9 is beyond the limit and leaves my neck fire engine red. Yet with my Grande, I can shave ATG first pass, and cleanups if needed, to 4 full ATG passes with a Kai blade, and my skin showed no redness or warmth.

Thats the effect of increasing blade gap on my skin. As my technique improved, so did my shaves but theres no getting around the fact that I dont like blade gap, in a DE razor. In my GEM's, isnt hasnt been an issue, at all. The MMOC and Bullet Tip both have what could be considered a large blade gap. However, GEM SE blades are fully twice as thick as DE blades and because of that, are inherently more stable and smooth. I think, when my skin travels through a razors blade gap, the edge of the DE blade becomes unstable and thats why my irritation accumulated over successive passes. Think about that blade edge on a microscopic level vibrating as your skin is passing through the gap. Thats why gap causes me irritation with a DE but, because the GEM blades are inherently more stable, I get no irritation, at all. Not even single pass ATG at 100 hours growth.

I didnt record my last shave here, but it was Monday evening or night. I dont remember.

MMOC/PTFE for its 4th shave.

WK.

Maggard Synthetic.

~100 hours since last shave. I dont think it would matter if it was around 200 hours.

Single buffing pass ATG. One clean up. The MMOC is all business and this was business as usual.

Nice comfy BBS. What more could be asked for.

 

[desertcat]

Thank you for the thorough reply @Esox it's very enlightening!

 

[flask28]

Thank you @Esox! So insightful. I'm just hitting 2019 in your journal now (thanks for the tip @thombrogan) and am stunned at how observant, reasoned and well written you are.

I've used my Slim on 9, easily, but it is more comfortable at 5. Set to 7 or higher, I need to make my strokes slower to give my skin adequate time to slip through the increased gap without bunching up and causing irritation. The same can be accomplished with less pressure but as gap increases, so does the pressure on the skin as it travels through the gap so you get to a point of diminishing returns and I'm impatient at best and prefer to shave quickly. With the Slim on 5, and even 4, I can shave as quickly as with my Grande, although, because of the Slim having less blade exposure, its not as efficient. The Slim secures the blade so well, that set to 4 and 5 I can even shave single pass ATG but its not as easy as with my Grande. Its nearly equal to the New SC but doesnt quite hold the blade as stable so its not as effortless a shave.

I'm looking at my Slim (and all my other razors) in a whole new light now. Before your posts I've never visualized how my skin gets squeezed and pushed up in the gap like a wave on a pond - if I'm going too fast or using too much pressure.

THANK YOU! Total light bulb moment.

 

[flask28]

You're welcome. If you liked that, the post below is from the time I had gotten my head around the theory but hadnt yet proved it. This proved to me the theory was correct and that a stable blade equals a smooth shave.

Should you be “committed” to the BOSC (Brotherhood of Shaving Crazies)?

So I broke my rules and CHANGED THREE OF MY FIXED FOUR. :w00t: I thought the X, Y and Z axis were always variables? :tongue_sm

www.badgerandblade.com

There are several aspects that relate to a smooth shave but, in my experience, baseplate design and the amount of support given to the blade from the design of the baseplate is the most critical part of the equation. If the blade doesnt have adequate support, the only choice left is to alter technique while shaving, as I was forced to do with my R41.

I get it. I'm getting it. Slowly I've never understood exactly how important baseplate blade support design was in how we experience, and use razors. This was a great writeup you did, it was obviously a almost refined vision at that point.

 

[flask28]

FFFMM Shave 2
SWS Shave 3

Alpha: Hot Shower
Preshave: The Cube 2.0 applied with a brush, 1x
Razor: Razorock GameChanger 68-P with RR UFO handle
Blade: Gillette Platinum (1)
Brush: Omega Jade boar
Soap: Mike's Natural Barber Shop

After the last few days of dissuasion by the cabal of sage shaving shamans that suddenly, awesomely, manifested here to help me understand everything I wasn't - and taking it a step further to show me just how much I didn't know I didn't know, I approached my shave with a different perspective today.

After some experimentation I made some adjustments in my grip for WTG, moving the thumb and finger pinpoint higher near the head and really cementing my pinky to the ball end of the handle. I was looking to better control both my angle and my pressure.

What's been made clear to me is that I've been shaving too steep in general and with the GC particularly as well as not taking the advice (command!) of "zero pressure" seriously enough. This morning I tried to envision scything the growth over the skin, not scraping it off. Not that I was trying to scrap it before, but in hindsight I was moving in the direction of "the more blade song the better" which I realize now is wildly not correct.

For a few strokes it happened. I felt the magic of the right angle, zeroish pressure, experienced-informed pass directionality and short controlled strokes all come together. The first time I thought I might have accidentally rode all the way to the cap because it was so smooth. But the telltale lather was gone, it was a cutting stroke for sure. Then a few strokes later it happened again and I started to realize that now after six months of seriously working at this I've finally, briefly, experienced how doing it right feels like.

I wish I had to shave five times a day so I could try to groove in the feeling of getting the pieces all aligned like that. Ok, not really. That would have been like living out Teen Wolf 2 probably. But I'm certainly impatient to build that muscle memory - I want to stay in the batting cage, I still have tokens, come on man.

It was a great shave. Smooth and irritation free, although I did catch nick XTG on my endearing chin birthmark. I'm still wrestling with XTG passes with the GC, I need to be more deliberate about my grip for that pass I think. It's sort of whatever right now which is not helping maintain a neutral, slicing angle.

I really appreciate all the time and mental energy that....ok, I started listing all of you that have been so helpful and it started looking like a radio show call out. And there's there that whole "hey look at my post" factor with tagging that's a little...you know. So let's not.

Rather I'll just say thank you!! B&B is an amazing place, I'm glad I found you all. I mean, mostly glad. Now when I take my semi-daily 5k walk I take a backpack full of shaving gear because maybe I might want to take a SOTD photo.

So there's that. I can't really make fun of my sister for taking photos of her food constantly anymore!