McVeyMac Straight Journal

[McVeyMac]

Back to the grind this AM. Tried an efficient 2 pass with the 5/8" Dovo with a cleanup Pass 1 was N-S as always, Pass 2 was S-N over the entire face as much as possible and cleanup was neck/jaw/chin/mouth ATG as much as possible. Overall I would rate the shave as DFS with plenty of BBS thrown in for good measure. Afterward, I think that I can address the problem areas that are only DFS if I pay more atte4ntion to the cleanup just to the sides of my chin going around the jawline and up. I was in and out of the bathroom in 1 hour with everything. I need to try to speed this up a little, but one hour is acceptable for me as this is the amount of time I am allotting to everything. I do strop both before and after the shave. This might be one area to shave some time off if I only strop after or before. I also applied Noxema prior to lathering for the second pass in hopes of obtaining more glide/efficiency in the result. I could not discern any marked improvement in the shave as a result of doing this. So this practice can go away without any problem, I think.

For the rest of the week, focus on getting the two pass and cleanup done quickly and well. I now know the intricacies of my beard growth, and can apply as much of an ATG pass as possible in those areas that are DFS this AM to see if I can get more BBS at the end of the shave.

All in all, another fine shave, no weepers, cuts or irritation.

 

[phat]

Back to the grind this AM. Tried an efficient 2 pass with the 5/8" Dovo with a cleanup Pass 1 was N-S as always, Pass 2 was S-N over the entire face as much as possible and cleanup was neck/jaw/chin/mouth ATG as much as possible. Overall I would rate the shave as DFS with plenty of BBS thrown in for good measure. Afterward, I think that I can address the problem areas that are only DFS if I pay more atte4ntion to the cleanup just to the sides of my chin going around the jawline and up. I was in and out of the bathroom in 1 hour with everything. I need to try to speed this up a little, but one hour is acceptable for me as this is the amount of time I am allotting to everything. I do strop both before and after the shave. This might be one area to shave some time off if I only strop after or before. I also applied Noxema prior to lathering for the second pass in hopes of obtaining more glide/efficiency in the result. I could not discern any marked improvement in the shave as a result of doing this. So this practice can go away without any problem, I think.

For the rest of the week, focus on getting the two pass and cleanup done quickly and well. I now know the intricacies of my beard growth, and can apply as much of an ATG pass as possible in those areas that are DFS this AM to see if I can get more BBS at the end of the shave.

All in all, another fine shave, no weepers, cuts or irritation.

I was in the habit of stropping half after and half before - now I may be moving to all before - using the time to have the lather on my face as prep. I think that may be time well spent, even if it adds a minute or two to my efficient morning routine.

 

[Lmarkow]

That C-Mon is spectacular! Congrats!!

 

[McVeyMac]

That C-Mon is spectacular! Congrats!!

Thanks Larry, and it shaves wonderfully.

Walt

 

[McVeyMac]

I have been thinking about efficiency during the work week. Of particular note was a couple of spots on either side of my chin from the high neck up and around the jawline. Yesterday it was DFS, but by afternoon quite noticable. Today I used a new toy, and tried a slightly different approach.

The new toy was a Georgetown Pottery G20 scuttle. My shaving approach was to do a two pass with a minor cleanup pass on the neck/jawline. First pass was N-S and the second pass was S-N. Cleanup pass was trying a sweeping SW-NE on the left neck problem area, and some against the grain spot buffing on the jawline/sides of chin area.

Result was very good and very satisfying. 95+% BBS with only small areas of DFS. It is clearly getting dialed in, but it clearly is not there yet. I'll attempt the same approach tomorrow paying attention to the DFS areas. Of note, this is probably the closest two pass shave I ever had prior to the neck cleanup. Also, when I rinse off a pass, the result feels very good at first blush, but upon closer inspection with rubbing ATG, I can notice some subtle problem areas that require attention. Although the Dovo has been working better than it ever has of late with the past honing that I performed, I am questioning if one of my better made and finer razors would provide a better result. I might consider switching over to one of my better shave ready options next week to see what results are possible. Also, my honing practice GD razors arrived yesterday, as well as a plain Tim Zowada. It took everything I had not to shave with this one. Look forward to a father/son comparison with the TZ and the NS razors. Look forward to a honing trial between me and phat while honing the GD razors over the next couple of weeks as well.

One small weeper in the mustache area that rinsed away and did not show up again. Alum block reminded me it was there.

 

[McVeyMac]

Yesterday's shave turned out to be much better than I had given it credit for. This AM, there was not a lot of stubble to remove, except in some of the areas that I had pointed to as problematic. The S-N second pass clearly did a good job for me as this direction is ATG over a majority of my face.

Today I attempted the same shave as yesterday using the same everything except for the soap. Today I used Proraso green. Two pass (N-S then S-N) with a ATG cleanup on the neck and jawline. The Proraso was pleasant, and a very nice addition to the Proraso Green Pre/Post treatment. Even the second pass felt a subtle tingle. The shaves are definitely getting dialed in across a majority of my face. But there are still a couple of stragglers hanging around in spots. Yesterday's problem areas are fine due to the increased attention that I gave them today, but other spots that were fine yesterday have some stragglers today. Just cant seem to get 100% right on each shave. I suspect that adding another full pass would clean up a bunch of this, but I am going to continue to try to keep this at a two pass and a cleanup pass on the neck and jawline. As my speed and technique continue to improve, I might add an additional pass or two.

Yesterdays weeper was the result of imperceptible blemish that I tree topped today. Other than this, no cuts or irritation. Mainly BBS today, with some DFS thrown in. Loving the scuttle. I used to float my bowl in the sink with hot water. I would remove it to rinse the razor, then ultimately forget to re-float it, allowing my lather to cool down considerably. The scuttle allows me to shave in an empty sink, and I like it.

 

[McVeyMac]

Felt a little groggy and ambivalent this AM when approaching the shave. I lollygagged about 20 minutes from my usual 6:00 AM start. Not sure if it is more work related than anything else.


Repeated normal routine with Arko and Dovo. I stopped 30 linen and 60 leather before shave. I am no longer stropping after the shave. Warmed up G20 scuttle, showered, Proraso green Pre/Post two pass just as yesterday with a cleanup pass on neck/jaw. No nicks, weepers or cuts.

Evaluating the shave carefully now, and it is really good everywhere with about 98% BBS. Still a little bit of really close stubble on R chin/jaw. Just a very small patch. I am stoked by the way this is coming together. An exceptional quality shave.

 

[McVeyMac]

Dovo and everything else the same this AM as yesterday. Two pass just as yesterday and a cleanup just as yesterday. Changed up my stropping regimen. I had been stropping both fabric and leather before and after the shave. Then I changed to doing it just before the shave. The others pointed out that they strop after to clean the residue from the blade's edge such as residual soap and skin cells, etc. The way I am using this daily razor at present is that I shave with the same razor every day, so stropping just before the shave is probably not problematic. But I agree that it is a good idea to clean the edge and remove any residue. Soap residue might be hygroscopic (attracts water) and it is probably best to remove any that is there. I changed up to 30 laps on fabric after the shave. The next AM I will do 60 on leather right before the shave.

The shave today is not quite as good as yesterday, but it is still a fine shave. The DFS is just larger than yesterday. Over the weekend I am going to try shaving with one of my uber freshly honed (by an expert, not me) and sharp razors and see if applying the same shaving technique results in any difference in the shave. If it does not, then everything I am observing is completely technique. If it improves the result in my two pass plus a cleanup, then perhaps I need a little better edge on the Dovo. It is still shaving comfortably, and no tugging. I am just too new to know if it is optimal or not.

 

[phat]

I'm not sure I can compare technique weekend versus weekday. Maybe with more experience I will. But this week has reminded me that my pamper myself quickly on a weekday is an entirely different horse than the weekend. I don't think it will be a fair comparison to compare two razors and honings to each other where one is weekend and the other not. Your technique will be different

 

[McVeyMac]

You are probably correct. I was thinking that I would pretend that it was a work day, but that probably is not possible.

Perhaps I will just do a relaxing Dove shave and add a pass with a cleanup to see if the result improves.

 

[McVeyMac]

Today I did a small amount of shave with a Gold Dollar that I honed up getting ready to send it to my honing buddy phat. I did a R cheek WITG and R neck WTG and a small amount of R chin ATG. The razor performed very well. Wiped it off, set it down, re-lathered and proceeded to do an easy three pass with my Dovo. Everything was just as last time.

The three passes made a difference in the quality of the shave. The passes were N-S, S-N and third was ATG. I hat one small scar tissue area on my L neck that I touched up with water only. The third pass just does not get everything for me, at least not yet.

But, the resulting shave is by far the best one I have done yet. One tiny spot of DFS on R jawline/chin, but the rest is BBS. I am very pleased!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[phat]

You had a better one than I did.. really wishing for that Gold Dollar now

 

[McVeyMac]

Today it seemed to take me forever to shave. I seem to want to get as good a shave as I got the day before, even though the day before was a day off when I had ample time to add a pass and pay particular attention to touch ups.

Shave today was 5/8" Dovo and everything else as before. Did a N-S and S-N pass, and did an ATG touchup pass on the neck/chin area.

One small nick on the L cheek when doing the ATG touchup on the jawline with stretched skin. All in all not a bad shave, it just is nowhere near the result of yesterday. I had 2 days growth when shaving yesterday, and this morning I felt like I could have skipped a day because the shave was still that good from yesterday. I still wonder what, if any, the 2 days of growth has on the quality of the resulting shave? A part of me thinks I get a closer shave if there is more growth to start with. I know that this was true when I used to cartridge shave. The L neck problem area would more times than not be shaved cleanly on Monday AM after not shaving since Friday. I would then shave daily and that problem area would have stubble every other day of the week, no matter how much attention I paid to it. This was probably due pore to the pull and cut nature of the cartridge than anything else. On one day growth, there probably is not enough whisker to be pulled by the first blade so the second can cut it.

At any rate DFS everywhere with lots of BBS. Just disappointing given yesterdays exceptional shave. I either have to get more efficient with my 2 pass and a cleanup, or learn to accept areas of DFS during the week. Today I was in the den way too long.

 

[phat]

Today it seemed to take me forever to shave. I seem to want to get as good a shave as I got the day before, even though the day before was a day off when I had ample time to add a pass and pay particular attention to touch ups.
......
At any rate DFS everywhere with lots of BBS. Just disappointing given yesterdays exceptional shave. I either have to get more efficient with my 2 pass and a cleanup, or learn to accept areas of DFS during the week. Today I was in the den way too long.

Heh.. Exactly the same problem I had last week. My new personal goal during the week is usually 2 passes in 10 minutes with DFS. if I
end up with BBS in the easy spots, great.. but I can *enjoy* a 10-15 minute 2 pass DFS shave in the morning before work right now.
I do not enjoy attempting to rush a 3 or more pass BBS everywhere shave - heck, I screw it up. (as witnessed by cuts and a dropped razor!)

 

[McVeyMac]

Nothing new, nothing different with hardware or software. Two pass with neck/jawline cleanup as usual. Today I focused on just getting the shave done efficiently and effectively. Was quicker today than yesterday. Result was DFS with plenty of BBS. I did not obsess over getting BBS, just getting it done.

Result was a good shave that is completely acceptable by any account. One small weeper in mustache area with ATG pass. Too much pressure. I have not counted to the number of shaves on this razor, but it has not deteriorated in performance since honing.

 

[StubbleTrouble]

It's definitely nice when the edges start to last longer. Nice for the shaves and a nice indication the technique's getting better too!

 

[McVeyMac]

Took a minimalist approach today. No pre-shave treatment at all of other than facial cleanser in the shower. Arko urinal puck and whipped lather in the scuttle. Then shaved. Two pass N-S and S-N then a neck/jawline cleanup with water only. BBS on the easy flats, DFS everywhere else. Again a weeper in the same spot as yesterday in the moustache area. On Monday-Friday, I am going to focus on getting it done efficiently, and trying to improve the quality as I do it. On the weekends I can take my time and go for the BBS shave by adding the pampered pre shave ritual and adding passes.
Post shave was cold splash and cold water alum followed by green Proraso AS balm as always.

The goal for the next few weeks will be getting better results from the two pass and minimal cleanup in the known problem areas. I might have to experiment with edges a little here, as I think that the more refined and sharp the edge is, the more likely I will have success with this approach. Even if this requires touching up on the stone on the weekends to keep the edge optimal.

 

[McVeyMac]

It's definitely nice when the edges start to last longer. Nice for the shaves and a nice indication the technique's getting better too!

Thanks for chiming in as well as the encouragement.

 

[StubbleTrouble]

Thanks for chiming in as well as the encouragement.

Not too far ahead of yourself, but each and every shave with a straight makes embarking on this trip more and more of a good decision in retrospect. Some of the shaves (or should I say more and more shaves) are simply stellar!

 

[McVeyMac]

Strop: Tim Miller 3", 30 fabric, 60 leather
Razor: Time Since Last Hone: ??? At least 15 shaves
Hones: Chosera 1k, Chosera 3k, Naniwa SS 8k, Apache Strata
Prep: Noxema, Shower with facial cleanser, Proraso Green Pre
Brush: Whipped Dog High Mountain Badger
Software: Arko
Razor: 5/8" Dovo
Growth (days): 1
Method: Two Pass N-S and S-N with ATG. Touchup problems with water only
Post: Proraso Green AS Balm

Results: DFS / No irritation / no redness / no cuts / one small weeper moustache area. Third day in a row

Remarks: Getting a weeper in the same spot three days in a row when ATG. I need to look at the edge to see if there is a razor reason for it.

Questions: Does Stubble Trouble mind that I plagiarized his Journal template? I like organization, and I like this format. I tend to always ask forgiveness rather than permission. Yet another character defect of mine.

Work On: Angle, making the two pass with quick cleanup better. BBS today on the easy parts. DFS overall.