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My Straight Shaving Journey

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
Jessie, I can't see the picture... :biggrin:

Good going mate!
 
This was it.

Having bought more razors, it makes me feel like getting something to hone with - maybe I'd be able to restore my Yankee I butchered. Naturally, I'd be able to use a nice high grit hone to refresh dulling edges to make the most use of it all. Of course, there runs the risk of me wanting to buy even more razors to practice honing and shaving with.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
This was it.

Having bought more razors, it makes me feel like getting something to hone with - maybe I'd be able to restore my Yankee I butchered. Naturally, I'd be able to use a nice high grit hone to refresh dulling edges to make the most use of it all. Of course, there runs the risk of me wanting to buy even more razors to practice honing and shaving with.

Ah nice!

I'm happy with my little barber hone... I didn't use it much either but it seems to work well on the single razor I used!
 
Shaved during lunch today. Lathered up with a little Tabac and attacked my face with the Genco. DFS in two very quick passes, just about 10 minutes in total. Actually, it was rather comfortable, but I had 3 nicks on my chin. I stropepd on my latigo, and finally noticed a ton of scratches on the pulling stroke. Gah! I'd been using only my horsehide and fabric to smooth it out, so didn't notice at first, but they were there on the horsehide as well.


So,I ordered some neatsfoot oil in order to help hide those scratch marks, since a hand rubbing just isn't gonna cut it. And, since SRP is offering free shipping on orders over $100, I bought a coticule and a slurry stone to accompany it.
 
I didn't feel like dawdling today, so I washed my face with some cold water, ran a Cella face lather, and started shaving with my big ol' Faultless. A simple XTG and BXATG. I'm unsure it it was the low prep, speedy shave, or just plain lack of carefulness, but i ended up with about 5 weepers all over my upper lip and chin. Argh. Only one needed the help of an alum block - which stung, btw. It did take less than 8 minutes, though.
 
Very quick shave today, a single pass, between an across the grain and against the grain. Nice, close, comfortable. No irritation, and only a few minutes shaving & lathering. Didn't even take 5 minutes, but I wish it'd been closer (thought I love havign an absolutely smooth face). It might be something I'd do if I were stressed for time, which I almost never am.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
Very quick shave today, a single pass, between an across the grain and against the grain. Nice, close, comfortable. No irritation, and only a few minutes shaving & lathering. Didn't even take 5 minutes, but I wish it'd been closer (thought I love havign an absolutely smooth face). It might be something I'd do if I were stressed for time, which I almost never am.

This almost sounds like 'The Amazing Race'!
 
Damn it, what number am I on now? 78, I believe. I had the chance to have a hot shower, then combined with a Monsavon face lather. Still breaking in my new Semogue, which feels great on the face, but requires a ton of soap and still a lather hog.

Took out my first and only wedge this morning, and it reminded me of why it's my favorite. It just cuts so buttery smooth, evident by the BBS shave this morning. My neck was completed with a combination of guillotine and scything strokes, everything else was a rather straightforward triple pass shave.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
Good work mate!

How do you find the monsavon? I might get one of those.
 
I think it's a bit better than average. Lots of lavender in it, which kind of irritates my face if I face lather with a badger. No problem with any of my boars, though! Can't suitably lather the way I like in a scuttle. I like a dense cream, so in that regard, it protects and glides a bit better than Proraso at that consistency.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
I think it's a bit better than average. Lots of lavender in it, which kind of irritates my face if I face lather with a badger. No problem with any of my boars, though! Can't suitably lather the way I like in a scuttle. I like a dense cream, so in that regard, it protects and glides a bit better than Proraso at that consistency.

Ah cool! thanks mate!
 
No worries. Actually, I picked up two of them.... the other of which were stolen by my little brother, along with a Semogue 1350, and a Feather Artist Club. My loss, but he's enjoying the heck out of 'em, so I'm happy with how hsi little instant shave den turned out.
 
Shave 79.

Simple face lather with Tabac, and then took my new Faultless 13/16 to my face. Took the triple pass shave to nearly BBS, a couple weepers on my upper lip. Needless to say, I've got a little irritation there, as well as my problem area - the right side of my throat, just above my Adam's Apple. As I only use my right hand to shave with, the size (more the scales, I think) makes it a bit unwieldy.
 
Ran through shave 80 earlier today. Went across the grain, then right against it. Still breaking in the Faultless, and I'm getting used to the extra size of the scales, even though they're not ideal. I really should replace my musgo real, as I hate the smell (and Tabac). Works decent though, so I'm putting up with it until i need more creams and soap. Nearly BBS, but a small nick on my upper lip where an odd pimple is coming in. I've managed tonot rough it up these past few days.
 
Didn't log Saturday's and Monday's shaves. But I'm at shave 83 now, and decided to continue until the century mark.

My coticule came in Monday, which made me very happy, so I decided to try it out on my Yankee Cutlery razor that had the edge ruined by myself and my bathroom floor. I spent a good while lapping the stone, which became much smoother and flatter. I'd already worked out the chips and rolled edges on a stone I use for kitchen knives, so I just used created some slurry and got to work. It took maybe an hour until I was satisfied with the work - using my head for shave testing, as I shave it anyway. It's certainly shave ready now, for myself anyway.; I suppose that's all that matters. I'll rework the edge on my Genco until I love it, the use some chromium oxide on both.

The shave was nice and clean, no irritation of the sort. The edge I'd managed was acceptably sharp (to cut without pulling) and relatively smooth (so I don't scratch my face up) - about the bare minimum I'd expect in a razor. Wonderfully BBS shave today, with the added satisfaction of putting a razor back into rotation through my own honing. I didn't shower first, so I whipped up a hot Proraso lather, scrubbed it into my face and let it sit while making breakfast. Really dries out the skin, but the hair softening works well.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
:lol: Funny, I don't like Musgo either... Tabac, not sure yet and Proraso is my favorite. Took it out this morning, a charm!
 
Well, I don't love Proraso or anything. I'd place it as a perfectly acceptable shaving cream - like the Palmolive shave stick much better in all respects. It softens hair nicely though, and I tend to use it a lot for that.
 
We're at shave 85 now, and 100 is looming so, so far away.

Used my personally-honed Yankee Cutlery straight. It's shaving well, IMO, as I thought the edge Ambrose had put on was almost too sharp, which made me tentative in its use. It's definitely the dullest I've got, but going very smoothly. I used a hot Proraso lather, along with the addition of a couple drops of glycerin. I usually forget to add it, but it helps things glide a bit more than normal.

I think I'm getting better, since I went with an XTG and an ATG and things went awesome. Or maybe the extra hot lather just did wonders with my facial hair. BBS everywhere except a spot on my chin, right on the very front of my face - you know, the easiest spot in the world to get a BBS. I dunno what happened, lol. I didn't bother going over it again, as I was extremely satisfied. Except that I don't think my Semoge LE 2009 is broken in yet, after a couple weeks of every day use.
 
Good going :thumbup:

I've had issues with my LE as well, and I've not even close to the same use of it as you.
Since none of my boars are really broken in yet, I have decided to use them in turn until they perform well (although I can't rule out an occasional visit from a badger :wink2:)

The straight journey of you and Luc is a joy to read. If they show an average picture of the learning curve, I'm only about 60 shaves away :biggrin1:
 
Thanks! It's nice knowing Luc and I aren't just talking to ourselves. Man, that LE has a gloriously long break-in period, doesn't it? Monsavon still isn't lathering in the bowl like it should - like the soap's getting sucked right into the bristles. Everything else is working well with it, though it really isn't as scrubby as I was hoping it would be. The tips are just too soft for it to feel that way; I suppose I'm lucky it's so dense.




Last night I finally finished honing my Genco straight, and it's lovely. Just wished I'd gotten a big 8x3 coticule, instead of 6x2, as it seems like it would help keep contact on the stone better. Well, either that or a Naniwa progression! The edge really does feel smooth, even though the bevel has a real matte finish, like I'd scrubbed it with sand. Workably sharp, but I'd definitely like things to be much sharper. It's probably just honing quality. I've been managing to get a nice BBS (or nearly so), if I do more than 2 passes, and this was no different. After all this time, my touch is only really starting to get lighter. That's what my alum block says, anyway.
 
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