Congratulations!
Congratulations!
My neck is always less close than the rest of my face, partly due to how flat lying the whiskers are; just about parallel to the skin.
Would a steep angle on my neck help? I'll be testing the theory next shave.
Scraped Face Island
@AimlessWanderer is doing his damnedest to teach me how to levitate a cutting edge over the skin like Aladdin. Maybe that would keep you away from my island?
If you shave shallow with cap pressure or steep with comb pressure and don’t scrape your skin*, you’re already hovering. Hovering and covering.
Maybe it's floating that fills me with fear?
Light touch. Well done.Perma-Sharp #50
Fatip Gentile
Omega 10051
Proraso Green preshave
Cella
3 passes, WTG, XTG, XTG/ATG
The first pass, with a freshly cleaned razor was unremarkable but for the fact that there was no hint of tugging. On the 50th shave.
Second pass, XTG, everything familiar and secure. No irritation.
Pass three and I started out XTG but quickly modified to mostly ATG for the right side of my face. No issues. I forgot to do the same for the left side and remembered in time for a touch of XTG below my cheekbone. XTG/ATG hybrid for the face of my chin (excluding my lower lip) and moustache. Emboldened, I confidently went for an ATG stroke at the base of my neck, left side. The hairs must've been a bit longer here because they felt like they were being plucked. An adjustment with angle smoothed things out a bit and I shaved the base of my neck, right side and centre, ATG with a very light touch and short strokes. The rest was done XTG, WTG/XTG above my adams apple and a few other areas. As I was finishing the shave at the top of my neck I carried the S-N strokes directly into the oncoming growth with just the residual slickness, just for an inch or so, again with a very light touch.
The result is my closest shave without irritation. The right side of my face is BBS abover the jawline, 95% along the jawline, not quite as close left side. The front of my chin and upper lip is 90-95% BBS (except the lower lip). DFS everywhere else.
Perma-Sharp #50
Wow nice run.
Fatip Gentile
Omega 10051
Proraso Green preshave
Cella
3 passes, WTG, XTG, XTG/ATG
The first pass, with a freshly cleaned razor was unremarkable but for the fact that there was no hint of tugging. On the 50th shave.
Second pass, XTG, everything familiar and secure. No irritation.
Perma-Sharp #50
Pass three and I started out XTG but quickly modified to mostly ATG for the right side of my face. No issues. I forgot to do the same for the left side and remembered in time for a touch of XTG below my cheekbone. XTG/ATG hybrid for the face of my chin (excluding my lower lip) and moustache. Emboldened, I confidently went for an ATG stroke at the base of my neck, left side. The hairs must've been a bit longer here because they felt like they were being plucked. An adjustment with angle smoothed things out a bit and I shaved the base of my neck, right side and centre, ATG with a very light touch and short strokes. The rest was done XTG, WTG/XTG above my adams apple and a few other areas. As I was finishing the shave at the top of my neck I carried the S-N strokes directly into the oncoming growth with just the residual slickness, just for an inch or so, again with a very light touch.
The result is my closest shave without irritation. The right side of my face is BBS abover the jawline, 95% along the jawline, not quite as close left side. The front of my chin and upper lip is 90-95% BBS (except the lower lip). DFS everywhere else.
Now take the same light touch and remove firmness from the grip. WTG — and, presumably, XTG — the blade will cut at the correct angle and just pass over the hair and skin if it isn’t just so. ATG, that same loose grip will guide the blade into the skin (I’ve done worse, but don’t recommend this as I was done my shave before the discomfort occurred).
I think as the lay angle becomes more flat, shaving ATG causes the compressive forces grow to the point they bleed when forced back into the root. When stretched taut and shaved WTG, then XTG, there is no weeping as there is less force exerted on the hair shaft being translated into the root.People's lay angle varies, just as their skin and hair composition varies. The ratio of difference in effort needed between the long cut under tensile force, and short cut (maybe half the cross sectional area) under compressive force, may be greater for some folks than others. For me, the extra force needed to go directly against the grain, is MUCH more than the effort to go with the grain. For some folks that difference will be less, for others, it will be more.
I think as the lay angle becomes more flat, shaving ATG causes the compressive forces grow to the point they bleed when forced back into the root. When stretched taut and shaved WTG, then XTG, there is no weeping as there is less force exerted on the hair shaft being translated into the root.
This shows an extreme version of the lift-cut that can happen going WTG.Yes!
I don't have any pre-made illustrations for this, but hopefully some crappy freehand sketches will be sufficient.
We know hair doesn't grow out perpendicularly, and that's why we have a "grain" direction to our beards. We also don't cut those hairs perpendicularly to the hair shaft either.
View attachment 1149859
Left hand blade = with the grain
(exerts a tensile force on the hair whilst cutting - the root is behind the blade)
Right hand blade = against the grain
(exerts a compressive force on the hair whilst cutting - the root is forward of the blade)
The cutting resistance with the grain, makes the blade want to ride up and over the hair, away from the skin. The cutting resistance for directly against the grain, funnels the blade downwards towards the skin.
Also, hair and skin move.
Cutting with the grain, the blade doesn't leave the stubble at the same height it enters, partly as the hair rolls away as it is cut.
View attachment 1149860
The effective cutting path, is more like the dotted line. This takes into account the very tip of the blade flexing (no matter how rigid the rest of the blade is), the hair being tilted forward, and pressed into the yielding skin. This leaves a tapered stump (or fractured if things didn't go well)
View attachment 1149861
The partial hair thickness makes the hair even more flexible than normal, and stroked the same direction the razor went, it will "blend" into the surface of the skin, and not be felt. Stroke the other way, the hair will flex proud and be easily detected. CCS but not BBS
Cross grain passes will thin the stump more from the sides. Oversimplifying, it would look something like this from above, faceted on three sides, with the "tail" still pointing downstream.
View attachment 1149869
What's left easily flexes and is barely discernible in three of the four directions of faceturbating. We're at DFS shave territory chaps!
Now the hair has been significantly thinned, the against the grain pass offers far less resistance, and the influence of the blade towards the skin is greatly reduced. You're only cutting through partial thickness at this point. That's why the ATG pass offers much less cutting resistance in compression after the preliminary passes. That, and the hair structure is stronger in compression, than in tension. Think about the difference lifting the top half of a wall, rather a load bearing down on it.
Which is all tickety boo in broad brushstroke theory, but we are not all the same.
Some people might find it a lot easier to go directly against the grain than others do, for two reasons. Firstly both skin and hair vary from one guy to the next. Coarse hair and delicate skin may well be a recipe for disaster for one chap, but his neighbour with tougher skin might find the blade funnelled onto - not into - the skin, where it rides easier through his less coarse hair.
Then there's the cross sectional area.
Accounting for the natural growth angle, and the roll of the hair, and flex of skin and blade, the blade travels a longer distance through the hair going with the grain after laying it flatter, than against the grain after standing it up.
View attachment 1149874
People's lay angle varies, just as their skin and hair composition varies. The ratio of difference in effort needed between the long cut under tensile force, and short cut (maybe half the cross sectional area) under compressive force, may be greater for some folks than others. For me, the extra force needed to go directly against the grain, is MUCH more than the effort to go with the grain. For some folks that difference will be less, for others, it will be more.
With pre-tensioned skin, and a straight format razor, that I can set with a lower cutting angle than DE, I can get away with it. Not so much with a DE, that's asking for trouble.
Crap! Another "8 page reply". I'm turning Canadian!
Now the hair has been significantly thinned, the against the grain pass offers far less resistance, and the influence of the blade towards the skin is greatly reduced. You're only cutting through partial thickness at this point. That's why the ATG pass offers much less cutting resistance in compression after the preliminary passes. That, and the hair structure is stronger in compression, than in tension. Think about the difference lifting the top half of a wall, rather a load bearing down on it.
Your strategy of mixing steep and shallow per region is pretty intriguing. I hope it continues treating you right.
I‘m sure there are other reasons why ATG can suck, but was wondering if it was something like that.