Travel safe, we'll be here when you get back. 
LBussy's Straight Razor Shave Journal
- Thread starter LBussy
- Start date
I have a couple days out of town at the end of the month. I am planning on taking that slant. Last time I took a SR and a DE, but still used the SR when I shaved. This time, I may take both again, but I am seriously considering just the slant.
- Thread starter
- #23
My slant is my go-to for sure.
Okay I'm back. I feel older as I was out of town for the birth of my first grandchild. My how time flies!
My straights were staring at me reproachfully this morning but I was not in "the zone" ... rushing to get back to work, to catch up on email ... tomorrow is early morning meetings in front of people I have to impress (and blood never says "trust this guy") so I'll probably DE it again tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow night just to get back in the groove.
Okay I'm back. I feel older as I was out of town for the birth of my first grandchild. My how time flies!
My straights were staring at me reproachfully this morning but I was not in "the zone" ... rushing to get back to work, to catch up on email ... tomorrow is early morning meetings in front of people I have to impress (and blood never says "trust this guy") so I'll probably DE it again tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow night just to get back in the groove.
Welcome back. Good call on waiting for a straight shave, you need to be able to relax and have a good amount of time for that IMO.
We'll be here when you return,
Frank
Congrats on the birth! Children are special precious little bundles.. oh, who am I kidding... they need to stay off my lawn... but I keep hearing many people enjoy them around.. 
j/k
No reason to push the straights. Enjoy the shaves with whatever you grab that day is how I always see it.
j/kNo reason to push the straights. Enjoy the shaves with whatever you grab that day is how I always see it.
- Thread starter
- #26
Pre: 50 Cr[SUB]2[/SUB]O[SUB]3 [/SUB]on balsa, 50 on leather (new Tony Miller!)
Date: 5/18/14 (afternoon)
Prep: Face wash
Soap: Jabónman Ylang-Ylang Patchouli Orange
Brush: Rudy Vey Silvertip (yep a new one!)
Razor: Gold Dollar 208 & Henry Sears and Sons 1865
Post: Osma Alum
A/S: Captain Choice North + alcohol and witch hazel
Lee tried to be a straight blade man,
his van dyke as white as snow,
but every where the cut-throat went,
the alum feared to go!
Okay it wasn't actually that bad but my mind wanders around while shaving and that's what came out. Last time I shaved with a straight I made up a story where the protagonist was "Nick Tragus, the Barber." Maybe I need meds?
I'd been feeling like something was not quite right. I mentioned a trip down the blade before last time with a loupe and seeing some "wire." I did a half-hearted strop and hoped that got it. This time I made sure I did things right. I have a new-to-me Tony Miller strop and since I wanted to not slice it up I moved my hanging point, made sure I "got it right" while stropping, and this time I did 50 passes on the crox first before hitting the leather. Probably three-four times as much stropping as before.
I've also added a new Rudy Vey brush to the lineup:
I started with the GD because I keep thinking that wider is better. It is better and easier to keep the right angle, but it's not a better blade. I can definitely feel the difference. I did the first pass with that, rinsed, lathered again, and did a second with the Henry Sears & Sons. The GD is a good 7/8 and the HS is maybe a hair under 5/8. The second pass was much better for me. Maybe I just need to stick with the HS?
So, as I inferred, this was a two pass shave and I got BBS on my cheeks and jaw, with a moderate DFS on my neck. I did lose my mind and slice into my jawline while trying to edge my van dyke. It made some pink foam for the second pass and closed up just fine with some alum.
My take-aways: Stropping is important! I will be more religious about that. I also still need some work on my stance/grip/movements, still not really clicking and I have to "think" it through. It's been a few weeks since my last straight shave though so I'll cut myself some slack for the lack of coordination.
Date: 5/18/14 (afternoon)
Prep: Face wash
Soap: Jabónman Ylang-Ylang Patchouli Orange
Brush: Rudy Vey Silvertip (yep a new one!)
Razor: Gold Dollar 208 & Henry Sears and Sons 1865
Post: Osma Alum
A/S: Captain Choice North + alcohol and witch hazel
Lee tried to be a straight blade man,
his van dyke as white as snow,
but every where the cut-throat went,
the alum feared to go!
Okay it wasn't actually that bad but my mind wanders around while shaving and that's what came out. Last time I shaved with a straight I made up a story where the protagonist was "Nick Tragus, the Barber." Maybe I need meds?
I'd been feeling like something was not quite right. I mentioned a trip down the blade before last time with a loupe and seeing some "wire." I did a half-hearted strop and hoped that got it. This time I made sure I did things right. I have a new-to-me Tony Miller strop and since I wanted to not slice it up I moved my hanging point, made sure I "got it right" while stropping, and this time I did 50 passes on the crox first before hitting the leather. Probably three-four times as much stropping as before.
I've also added a new Rudy Vey brush to the lineup:
I started with the GD because I keep thinking that wider is better. It is better and easier to keep the right angle, but it's not a better blade. I can definitely feel the difference. I did the first pass with that, rinsed, lathered again, and did a second with the Henry Sears & Sons. The GD is a good 7/8 and the HS is maybe a hair under 5/8. The second pass was much better for me. Maybe I just need to stick with the HS?
So, as I inferred, this was a two pass shave and I got BBS on my cheeks and jaw, with a moderate DFS on my neck. I did lose my mind and slice into my jawline while trying to edge my van dyke. It made some pink foam for the second pass and closed up just fine with some alum.
My take-aways: Stropping is important! I will be more religious about that. I also still need some work on my stance/grip/movements, still not really clicking and I have to "think" it through. It's been a few weeks since my last straight shave though so I'll cut myself some slack for the lack of coordination.
Stick with it Lee, I have cut myself several times too. A narrower blade is definitely easier to use around the goatee or a Van Dyke so that may be why it felt easier to you.
If you need the Henry Sears and Sons touched up, send it back and I will take care of it for you at no charge.
Frank
If you need the Henry Sears and Sons touched up, send it back and I will take care of it for you at no charge.
Frank
Last edited:
I'm glad the TM is working out for you: it's a nice step up, isn't it?
- Thread starter
- #29
Thanks Frank, appreciate it. It's easier there but harder to get the angle right so there's a trade-off. It's probably not bad to keep using both for a while.
It is Tim and thanks again. It also forces me to "do it right" because there's no way I want to put a big slice in it.
Good read so far. I am embarking on this journey myself. Trying to learn from others as I go. Congrats on the grandkid, I know how awesome kids are, have my 15 month old here, and she is my first.
I will keep up with your progress and learn what I can too. Good luck!
I will keep up with your progress and learn what I can too. Good luck!
- Thread starter
- #31
Jeremy I can't imagine having to try a straight while active. More power to ya and thanks for your service!
You joined the Foxhole Shavers yet?
You joined the Foxhole Shavers yet?
Thank you. I have not joined, though I will look into it.
I just got to shore duty, so I am not gonna be trying it underway any time soon. Not sure if I ever will!
- Thread starter
- #33
Pre: 50 Cr2O3 on balsa, 50 on linen, 50 on leather
Date: 5/23/14 (morning)
Prep: Shower
Soap: Jabónman Ylang-Ylang Patchouli Orange
Brush: Rudy Vey Silvertip
Razor: Rangoon 6/8
Post: Osma Alum
A/S: Alcohol and witch hazel
I'm really not sure of the provenance of this blade. It's one I picked up from Frank and the pic in his BST ad told me to buy it. Who knows. The only info I've found was posted in another forum:
My thinking was the GD was not working out but it was easier to keep at the correct angle. The HS shaved better but being narrower was more difficult for me to get the angle. This was wider so I figured what the heck, I'll try it. Since my experience with the other two taught me to strop strop strop, that I did here. I also remembered that I had a linen behind my leather so I used that in between the CROX and the leather.
I'm also noticing that I gravitate towards the Jabónman when I know I will have a challenging shave. Must be the lanolin in there. It's some fine soap - maybe I can talk him into a bitter almond to give me the Cella smell I love in the soap I so obviously reach for,
So this was a two-pass and it went pretty well. I have a bump that might even have been a nick from shaving previously near my ear that I nicked but that closed up almost instantly. I also apparently forgot what I was doing, hesitated and lightly sliced the very bottom of my neck where it meets my chest/shoulders. I REALLY envy those guys that seem to only need to shave their cheeks. For me it's choosing which areas of my body to attack when it comes to hair care or shaving. If I lived on an island I would be hunted for my pelt.
Good shave - still not completely comfortable with the angles and I had some irritation but it went away after a second WH/alcohol splash. All in all this is a shave I would have been happy with on my way to work - all of them so far have been evening shaves so I am free to experiment. Today I decided I needed a four-day weekend so it was a leisurely morning.
I am coming to believe the the GD was either not shave ready, or that I did something to harm the edge. When I look at it with a loupe I'm pretty sure there's an area that the bevel is not properly set but I'm not sure. I should be hanging out with a more experienced straight person next weekend so I'll let him have a look.
Date: 5/23/14 (morning)
Prep: Shower
Soap: Jabónman Ylang-Ylang Patchouli Orange
Brush: Rudy Vey Silvertip
Razor: Rangoon 6/8
Post: Osma Alum
A/S: Alcohol and witch hazel
I'm really not sure of the provenance of this blade. It's one I picked up from Frank and the pic in his BST ad told me to buy it. Who knows. The only info I've found was posted in another forum:
My thinking was the GD was not working out but it was easier to keep at the correct angle. The HS shaved better but being narrower was more difficult for me to get the angle. This was wider so I figured what the heck, I'll try it. Since my experience with the other two taught me to strop strop strop, that I did here. I also remembered that I had a linen behind my leather so I used that in between the CROX and the leather.
I'm also noticing that I gravitate towards the Jabónman when I know I will have a challenging shave. Must be the lanolin in there. It's some fine soap - maybe I can talk him into a bitter almond to give me the Cella smell I love in the soap I so obviously reach for,
So this was a two-pass and it went pretty well. I have a bump that might even have been a nick from shaving previously near my ear that I nicked but that closed up almost instantly. I also apparently forgot what I was doing, hesitated and lightly sliced the very bottom of my neck where it meets my chest/shoulders. I REALLY envy those guys that seem to only need to shave their cheeks. For me it's choosing which areas of my body to attack when it comes to hair care or shaving. If I lived on an island I would be hunted for my pelt.
Good shave - still not completely comfortable with the angles and I had some irritation but it went away after a second WH/alcohol splash. All in all this is a shave I would have been happy with on my way to work - all of them so far have been evening shaves so I am free to experiment. Today I decided I needed a four-day weekend so it was a leisurely morning.
I am coming to believe the the GD was either not shave ready, or that I did something to harm the edge. When I look at it with a loupe I'm pretty sure there's an area that the bevel is not properly set but I'm not sure. I should be hanging out with a more experienced straight person next weekend so I'll let him have a look.
- Thread starter
- #35
I appreciate that Frank. I think the two I got from you are fine but you know what they say ... I don't know enough to know what I don't know. The gentleman I will be seeing next weekend is pretty experienced and has done some overflow work for a vendor or two here. Hopefully he can show me what I need to know or may have missed. There's also the benefit of him looking at them/fixing them and returning them the same day so I won't be without.
It all makes me wonder how guys managed this before we had the Internet.
- Thread starter
- #36
Pre: 50 Cr2O3 on balsa, 50 on linen, 50 on leather
Date: 5/29/14 (morning)
Prep: Shower
Soap: Cella
Brush: Rudy Vey Silvertip
Razor: Rangoon 6/8
Post: Osma Alum
A/S: Alcohol and witch hazel ++
I did not post this yesterday ... day got away from me. Did the same thing but the blade felt dull. I am more than convinced I screwed up these edges somehow. This weekend I address that. I am going to a pyro shoot (you think THIS pastime is expensive?) this weekend and one of our club members is a pretty accomplished razor honer. I have a granite surface plate, lapping films, and absolutely no skill so he's going to show me how to sharpen these up. He's also lending me a Feather so I will have that as a known good sharp reference.
As I said this was not a good shave. I did a minimal first pas and things felt wrong so I did the smart thing and put away the straight and used the slant. A little frustrating but I am looking forward to finding out for sure after this weekend if it's my face/skill or the blades.
A slightly newer development: I purchased some menthol crystals and added some to my home-made splash. Wow!
To say my face froze is an understatement. I'm going to do some more experimentation there but it was pretty interesting.
Date: 5/29/14 (morning)
Prep: Shower
Soap: Cella
Brush: Rudy Vey Silvertip
Razor: Rangoon 6/8
Post: Osma Alum
A/S: Alcohol and witch hazel ++
I did not post this yesterday ... day got away from me. Did the same thing but the blade felt dull. I am more than convinced I screwed up these edges somehow. This weekend I address that. I am going to a pyro shoot (you think THIS pastime is expensive?) this weekend and one of our club members is a pretty accomplished razor honer. I have a granite surface plate, lapping films, and absolutely no skill so he's going to show me how to sharpen these up. He's also lending me a Feather so I will have that as a known good sharp reference.
As I said this was not a good shave. I did a minimal first pas and things felt wrong so I did the smart thing and put away the straight and used the slant. A little frustrating but I am looking forward to finding out for sure after this weekend if it's my face/skill or the blades.
A slightly newer development: I purchased some menthol crystals and added some to my home-made splash. Wow!
To say my face froze is an understatement. I'm going to do some more experimentation there but it was pretty interesting.I keep getting tempted to play with the menthol crystals, myself. Then I realize I have several AS splashes that are already lightly to heavily mentholated. lol
- Thread starter
- #38
Yeah but this way you can have ALL of them mentholated.
Yeah but this way you can have ALL of them mentholated.
I can't think of many that I'd want to add menthol to that I have, honestly. Menthol Veg could be kind of awesome though, that's a thought.
- Thread starter
- #40
Pre: New hone! 5 on Linen, 25 on leather
Date: 6/1/14 (afternoon)
Prep: Face Wash
Soap: Jabónman Ylang-Ylang Patchouli Orange
Brush: Rudy Vey Silvertip
Razor: Gold Dollar 208 & Feather DX
Post: Osma Alum
A/S: Krampert's Frostbite
This was the shave I'd been looking for.
So a lot of things changed here. First, thanks to the assistance of a friend who also happens to be a shaving aficionado, I have learned how to hone my razors. A couple of my razors were fairly sharp but I probably abused them so they needed a touch-up. My GD was in horrible shape and to be honest was probably never adequately prepared and ready for shaving. The first thing I learned was that even though I don't know a Mizuyama from a Mitzubishi, I was thinking there was an issue and there was. I was able to go through a minor touch up on my vintage blades, and re-set the bevel on my GD and take it all the way to "holy sh*t sharp". I learned a lot, got rid of some chips, and learned my fingers are pretty smart when it comes to telling me when a blade is sharp. Said friend also told me I probably did not need the elaborate crox + lots of linen + lots of leather ritual and it may have contributed to my other blades not being as sharp as they should be.
I learned with some time on a DMT and lots and lots of film lapping/honing. I'm stoked that I can now handle my own blades. I also got to hang with my fellow pyros for the weekend so that was a good time.
Big lesson here: Instead of sending the blades out to be sharpened and just really having no idea about how they were sharpened, how they felt, which areas needed touched up and which did not, I learned to "listen" to them and now I know better.
The first pass was with the GD and it went very well. I concentrated on form, taut skin, and reduction not shaving. Excellent first pass. You may have noticed I listed two blades up there. My friend also loaned me a Feather DX - actually one of the Korean repros. Holy crap what a shave! It was effortless and scary sharp. Outstanding second pass to an overall DFS.
All the time spent handling the razors while honing them I think added to my confidence. I was much less tentative and just sort of got it done. Like I said when I opened this was the shave I was looking for all along. I'm pretty stoked. My left hand still doesn't like to do what I tell it but the right is pretty solid.
The bad news: I dropped my 2 year old Osma alum block and it shattered. I was beginning to think I could will that thing to my grandson it had lasted so long. No backup so I have to get another soon. I also tried Krampert's Frostbite. It does not have as much menthol as my home-mix but it was still pretty "bracing". The fragrance is growing on me. I really like the moisturizing aspect of it.
Date: 6/1/14 (afternoon)
Prep: Face Wash
Soap: Jabónman Ylang-Ylang Patchouli Orange
Brush: Rudy Vey Silvertip
Razor: Gold Dollar 208 & Feather DX
Post: Osma Alum
A/S: Krampert's Frostbite
This was the shave I'd been looking for.
So a lot of things changed here. First, thanks to the assistance of a friend who also happens to be a shaving aficionado, I have learned how to hone my razors. A couple of my razors were fairly sharp but I probably abused them so they needed a touch-up. My GD was in horrible shape and to be honest was probably never adequately prepared and ready for shaving. The first thing I learned was that even though I don't know a Mizuyama from a Mitzubishi, I was thinking there was an issue and there was. I was able to go through a minor touch up on my vintage blades, and re-set the bevel on my GD and take it all the way to "holy sh*t sharp". I learned a lot, got rid of some chips, and learned my fingers are pretty smart when it comes to telling me when a blade is sharp. Said friend also told me I probably did not need the elaborate crox + lots of linen + lots of leather ritual and it may have contributed to my other blades not being as sharp as they should be.
I learned with some time on a DMT and lots and lots of film lapping/honing. I'm stoked that I can now handle my own blades. I also got to hang with my fellow pyros for the weekend so that was a good time.
Big lesson here: Instead of sending the blades out to be sharpened and just really having no idea about how they were sharpened, how they felt, which areas needed touched up and which did not, I learned to "listen" to them and now I know better.The first pass was with the GD and it went very well. I concentrated on form, taut skin, and reduction not shaving. Excellent first pass. You may have noticed I listed two blades up there. My friend also loaned me a Feather DX - actually one of the Korean repros. Holy crap what a shave! It was effortless and scary sharp. Outstanding second pass to an overall DFS.
All the time spent handling the razors while honing them I think added to my confidence. I was much less tentative and just sort of got it done. Like I said when I opened this was the shave I was looking for all along. I'm pretty stoked. My left hand still doesn't like to do what I tell it but the right is pretty solid.
The bad news: I dropped my 2 year old Osma alum block and it shattered. I was beginning to think I could will that thing to my grandson it had lasted so long. No backup so I have to get another soon. I also tried Krampert's Frostbite. It does not have as much menthol as my home-mix but it was still pretty "bracing". The fragrance is growing on me. I really like the moisturizing aspect of it.
