newbe 1912, Ted Pellas = Nicks, ouch .

[Alexbel^]

I love the construction and looks of my two , early and late 1912's but I am experiencing some nicks and weepers using them, which is very disappointing .My first shave with the 1912 went rather well , handles beautifully . I had a two 1/2 day heavy beard, and the little thing chopped down my beard in short order, but with more nicks on the chin and neck then with my DE's . the next shave I decided to keep the same blade ( Ted Pellas ) but, I had a much less grown in beard, still got some nicks . Thinking I had made a mistake not to change the blade I went to a fresh blade and a day old beard , I got nicked again . Perhaps I was a little nervous by now, and things did not go well as they should .

Would the Teets carbon be Better for me ???
Please help me to improve my technique I wont to love these razors and not fear them .I have two micromatics on the way a gold O C , and a silver clog coming .
So far the best shave I ever had is with my Merkur vintage slant and that is suppose to be an aggressive razor .

Thank you for all your suggestions
Alex .

 

[dslazar9]

I think the SE is more aggressive than a slant-in my experience. I also have a vintage Merkur slant and love it. With the SE's you want to keep the head of the blade very flat on your face. Of course you want to pay attention to your pressure. The micromatic is a great shaver-if it's open comb it's extremely aggressive-the most aggressive shave for me short of straights. The closed comb is about the same as the 1912. Good luck and stick with it. The Ted Pella is a wonderful blade-it's the only one I've ever used.

 

[Feraud]

Agree with the above advice.

 

[Alexbel^]

I guess, I am NEVER.... to even come close,... to anything like pitching a Gem . Would that be right ? just grade it down ? " short easy strokes " light touch ? I am using Tabac w/ wet face , no pre shave or anything and my Duke 3 !.
looking forward to more comments .

Alex

 

[ouch]

I thought this thread was about Nick and me.

 

[kg4ghn]

shallow angle, no pressure.

It takes a few times to get the hang of it, but I love my 1912.

 

[Swampfox]

I thought this thread was about Nick and me.

So did I......

 

[OV1kenobi]

Sounds like you had good results at least once, so perhaps your technique is inconsistent. Mine was at first, and I also had a great shave amid the bad ones. I even put my 1912 away for awhile.

When I went back it took me a little while to get used to the angle as compared to a DE, but I quickly got the hang of it after sticking with it for a straight week or two dedicated to nothing but the 1912. Also, I made sure to take it slow and pay attention to what I was doing.

As others have mentioned before, start by keeping the head of the razor flat against your face and do one pass. Nothing? Increase the angle ever so slightly and try it again. You'll know you have it right when you can actually hear the whiskers being cut.

At least one member of this forum has even posted a tutorial/detailed description on shaving with a SE, so you might want to do a search and see what you come up with

You have great equipment, including the blades, so probably nothing wrong there.

Good luck and stick with it.

David

 

[Oldguy]

..............

As others have mentioned before, start by keeping the head of the razor flat against your face and do one pass. Nothing? Increase the angle ever so slightly and try it again. You'll know you have it right when you can actually hear the whiskers being cut. .............

David

This is the way to do it. This works for just about any razor I can think of. Don't give up and good luck with it.

Len

 

[Dave Deluxe]

"I have two micromatics on the way a gold O C , and a silver clog coming ."

It would probably be a good idea to perfect the 1912 shaves before moving on to the OC Micromatic.

DD

 

[michiganlover]

It's already been covered, but the proper angle to use is a few degrees above having the head of the razor flat against your face.

Once you get the angle right, I think you will find the Gems to give you wonderful shaves.

The blade should be good for at least a half dozen shaves by the way.

In general I have found Single Edge blades, (and Injector blades as well) to have much greater longevity than a Double Edge blade (which for me is good for 3 good shaves, and one not so good shave; so I pitch them after three shaves).

 

[Brownbear]

Angle and touch, very, very light touch work for me. I'm new to it, but I get wonderful shaves from my 1912. Have only tried GEM blades so far because that is what the local Fred Meyers sells, I guess you could try a different blade.

I am just beginning my exploration of SE's so a selection of blades is in the cards on my next shaving order.

 

[Alexbel^]

Thank you ALL, so much for your in put .
I got the micromatics and have been trying them . The clog pruf is the best shaver for me at this point and the ever-ready so beautiful ,( 1920's? back flip ) but so hard to handle I put it away, bites me on the neck like a vampire . the longer handles helps and over all design I guess give the micromatics the advantage now . even the gold toothed one is so , so aggressive but I was able to handle it fairly reasonably well, the first ,and only time so far .
I am going to practice with my 1912 today .

AB

 

[Im_leary]

I have always used the technique recommended in the instruction sheet, which came with the razor. No doubt, the instruction sheet is seen far less frequently than the razor. I happened upon this instruction tag while I was looking at a few eBay auctions. Go to this item: http://cgi.ebay.com/GEM-Micromatic-Razor-5-Blades-Never-Used-/140456428653?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20b3db046d#ht_500wt_1154
and follow the instructions. It works for me...

 

[Bit2]

Try the Walgreen GEM blades and/or the TREET blades.
For some reason, the Ted Pella blades just do not agree with my face either.

Also, short strokes is the key.
You should be able to hear the whiskers being hacked.
Lastly, do NOT use pressure, unless you like using styptic pencils.

John

 

[Alexbel^]

I followed the advice of the directions and you all , and I got the closes shave I think I am able to get . I kept it flat most of the time except at a few spots ( I will need to get better at this ) NO nicks , fresh blade , my chin was tricky I am not sure how best to do it but,..... it shined when finished! I never saw that happen before . I also greatly improved my lather making, with ( Taboc ) .
Tomorrow I will go to a silver Micromatic clog pruf . The gold OC will wait till I am more experienced ??, soon or
Yesterday I went zip zip with a Gillette tech fat handle (love it ) in 4 minutes with ingram cream and no brush . Fun and no nicks w/feather.
AB

 

[Telecaster52]

Would the Teets carbon be Better for me ???

Freudian slip?


I like the Pal Blue Blades, myself. Carbon steel sharp, like the Treets, but a bit more rust-resistant because of the bluing

 

[Disburden]

Use it daily for a few weeks and you should pick up the technique you need in no time. Light light light touch, like holding a feather in your fingertips, is what I would advise.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Stick with one razor until you perfect it, jumping around is only going to slow your learning curve.

 

[Alexbel^]

Freudian slip?


I like the Pal Blue Blades, myself. Carbon steel sharp, like the Treets, but a bit more rust-resistant because of the bluing

I would love to try a blue , where should I look to find them on the web ?

Thanks .

The Gem pella's, I have 200 of them which works out to about 14 cents a blade