rockviper's journal of shaving, gardening and chess adventures

[rockviper]

I was using straights back in early 2011 and ended up selling them after a mishap or two. Still have the small battlescars, but that didn't deter me from wanting to eventually get back in the game. I thought it would be another 10 years or so, but then a beautiful kami came on the BST last month and I was lucky enough to be first in line. Ended up buying two 8x3 pieces of leather off the 'bay with the intent of making a 2-sided paddlestrop, and also grabbed a GD-66 off of the bay as well along with a Col.Conk/Dovo from the BST. Just need to pick up some paste to go with my DMT 8EE and I think I'm good to go.

Since my friend, brucered, started posting a journal, I guess I will as well. That way, he can also have a laugh at me instead of feeling all silly by himself

Haven't built my paddlestrop yet, so just laid the leather on my desk and stropped the kami for a while. This razor looks and feels great. Gamma put a wickedly keen edge on this. Far sharper than any straight I've used before. Wowser.

Anyways, there's a nice square tip on this blade which gave me just a little nick on a small neckscar (biopsy from years ago), but other than that nice and bloodless. Went with 2 WTG/XTG blended passes and finished the ATG with my DE. No sense pushing my luck the first time back.


Due to time constraints (I shave at 5:30am in the morning), I will probably only be using this on a weekend.... or maybe I'll shift to evening shaves. As the rest of the office seems to only shave once a week, I will still be the cleanest shaven guy there even with a 5 o'clock shadow at 8am.

 

[brucered]

thanks for posting Sam, i'll be following and watching to see what i can learn from the master...or at least from you

i will also probably be a w/end, vacation day, straight shaver for a while. i'm too rushed in the morning and don't want to hack myself up on a daily basis for everyone at the office.

i've also thought about going to night shaves and will consider that an option.

you got a fine looking razor there...very nice.

 

[syngent]

Alright the three of us Can post together,... that way we can push ourselves to improve knowing the other two are right there ready to point a finger and chuckle at their (my) misfortunes !,... Glad to see your first time out was free of skin removal Sam lol good luck with your future shaves !

 

[rockviper]

Shave#2
Azuma kami
Robert Jones 8x3 leather on my desk
Col.Conk Amber
SOC

After playing with my factory Gold Dollar #66 this afternoon on a low grit diamond hone set (think DMT clones) for over an hour, I was tired. Maybe a dremel is a good idea after all

Since the Giants aren't playing until this evening, decided to take my shave 30 mins ago and make good use of the time. Stropped about 30-40 times (not including the stropping from yesterday post-shave) and lathered up nice and wet after a shower. Pass-1 made me think I might have rolled the edge as it was kind of rough. Lots of whiskers came off though and the lather wiped on the cloth was nice and sludgey, so it was cutting.

Pass-2 was a WTG/XTG combo and felt much smoother, so I guess it's just my ineptitude on pass-1 being to blame. Actually, I think all my WTG or XTG passes are a WTG/XTG combo as I use just my right hand (left hand stretching skin of course). Lotsa sludgy lather being wiped this this time as well, so let's repeat for pass-3.

Another WTG/XTG pass and now I'm about where I would be with my slim on 9 after a single WTG pass and I think that's good enough for tonight. I think I'll still be taking my morning shave for work with my slim and I'll see if my skin holds up to taking a kami shave in the evenings. I fully expect to have to take some evenings off, but if my neck is willing, then so am I

Just 2 small weepers to report, nothing that the regular alum block application couldn't fix.

Ordered some Dovo Red & Black paste from Jarrod today and bought a 3" Big Daddy strop from the BST yesterday, so everything seems to be coming together. Have a Dovo / Col.Conk straight to play with as well, but for now I'm going practice with my GD on the DMT 8EE before touching the kami to anything other than leather.

Happy shaving folks!

 

[pcumby]

So you gave up your Berkley and now you've taken up straights

Consider me subscribed

 

[rockviper]

So you gave up your Berkley and now you've taken up straights

Consider me subscribed

Yup, the Berkeley finding a new home is all Foyle's fault The only way I could dedicate time to the boars was if the 46 was out of the house. Even having it packed in the basement didn't stop me from wanting to use it.

This is my 2nd go-round with straights, so I have a small advantage over the true beginners (but not much).

 

[syngent]

Glad things are going well same, it is a pretty blade to have run over your face, hope she feels as good as it looked at Timmies

 

[rockviper]

Shave#3
Azuma kami
Robert Jones 8x3 leather on my desk
Proraso cream - old green tube
SOC

So far so good. Swapped over to Proraso from the Col.Conk in search of some slicker lather with better protection, but seemed to be about the same insofar as results were concerned, but I must say that Proraso is just sooooooo much nicer to use.

Pre-shave, I stropped about 50 times and the edge feels nice and sharp. Can't really do a HHT as I regularly use a set of clippers without a guard and pulling hairs from SWMBO isn't advisable. Hmmm, maybe I should just raid her hairbrush!

1st pass once again is rough and semi-tuggy, which is pretty much what I've come to expect. 2nd and 3rd passes (all WTG/XTG combos) are much smoother and after the third pass tonight, this would be a SAS but far short of what I've come to expect from my DEs. But learning and gradual improvement is what the game is all about.

Haven't done any damage outside of some very minor weepers in any shave so far, which is a BIG step up from early 2011 when I had my first go at straights. Really wishing that I would have held onto my kit from then (especially the Wapi) instead of selling it. But such is life.

Didn't try my hand at honing the Gold Dollar tonight nor the Col.Conk as I went right from work over to a friend's house to help his daughter learn parallel parking. A well spent hour and a half with a young lady who has a bright future is a great way to spend a Monday evening and, for a while, I even forgot about my Giant's loss last night to the dastardly Eagles..... Boooo!

 

[syngent]

Sam i may have missed it, but does the gold dollar have the stabilizers intact ?, as i understand they must go before you can hone them up or they will interfere with the angle a bit

glad to see its all going so well and nothing important has come off !

 

[joshua1970]

Shave#3
Azuma kami
Robert Jones 8x3 leather on my desk
Proraso cream - old green tube
SOC

So far so good. Swapped over to Proraso from the Col.Conk in search of some slicker lather with better protection, but seemed to be about the same insofar as results were concerned, but I must say that Proraso is just sooooooo much nicer to use.

Pre-shave, I stropped about 50 times and the edge feels nice and sharp. Can't really do a HHT as I regularly use a set of clippers without a guard and pulling hairs from SWMBO isn't advisable. Hmmm, maybe I should just raid her hairbrush!

1st pass once again is rough and semi-tuggy, which is pretty much what I've come to expect. 2nd and 3rd passes (all WTG/XTG combos) are much smoother and after the third pass tonight, this would be a SAS but far short of what I've come to expect from my DEs. But learning and gradual improvement is what the game is all about.

Haven't done any damage outside of some very minor weepers in any shave so far, which is a BIG step up from early 2011 when I had my first go at straights. Really wishing that I would have held onto my kit from then (especially the Wapi) instead of selling it. But such is life.

Didn't try my hand at honing the Gold Dollar tonight nor the Col.Conk as I went right from work over to a friend's house to help his daughter learn parallel parking. A well spent hour and a half with a young lady who has a bright future is a great way to spend a Monday evening and, for a while, I even forgot about my Giant's loss last night to the dastardly Eagles..... Boooo!

keep on keeping on! sounds like you are doing great!!!! and shaving with a kamisori to boot. LOVE it! I've honed one up, but still haevn't put it to my face. the heel edge is wicked looking - and being such a short blade it intimidates me a bit - tho I love spanish points etc on the toe of blades, its' that dang point on the heel.


as for hairs for the HHT. I recently started using my Saint Bernard's hair for it - seriously. I wash it of course but his hair is alot longer than mine so I can us the same single strand to test the entire edge


as a friend called it my SBHHT test LMAO

Sam i may have missed it, but does the gold dollar have the stabilizers intact ?, as i understand they must go before you can hone them up or they will interfere with the angle a bit

glad to see its all going so well and nothing important has come off !

correct on the gold Dollars, at least the model 66 which is what most are getting and putting great edges on, needs to have the protruding steel near the heel grinded down to allow even honing - I was sent one from a friend here who did the necessary grinding (and honing) and he's also made a new set of scales for it to boot! that steel is definitely quality (though the design, etching and scales may not be) and can definitely hold an edge, no matter what may be said about it on other forums

so James, any new shave reports yourself? get your strop yet? how's the edge on that Dixie holding up - you are aware you can use newspaper folded and either laid on a flat surface or doubled over a coat hanger or some such and held taught as a surrogate strop until it arrives? - not sure if I mentioned it, but you have the dubious (?) distinction of being the first person aside from myself to use one of my honed edges

 

[syngent]

keep on keeping on! sounds like you are doing great!!!! and shaving with a kamisori to boot. LOVE it! I've honed one up, but still haevn't put it to my face. the heel edge is wicked looking - and being such a short blade it intimidates me a bit - tho I love spanish points etc on the toe of blades, its' that dang point on the heel.


as for hairs for the HHT. I recently started using my Saint Bernard's hair for it - seriously. I wash it of course but his hair is alot longer than mine so I can us the same single strand to test the entire edge


as a friend called it my SBHHT test LMAO



correct on the gold Dollars, at least the model 66 which is what most are getting and putting great edges on, needs to have the protruding steel near the heel grinded down to allow even honing - I was sent one from a friend here who did the necessary grinding (and honing) and he's also made a new set of scales for it to boot! that steel is definitely quality (though the design, etching and scales may not be) and can definitely hold an edge, no matter what may be said about it on other forums

so James, any new shave reports yourself? get your strop yet? how's the edge on that Dixie holding up - you are aware you can use newspaper folded and either laid on a flat surface or doubled over a coat hanger or some such and held taught as a surrogate strop until it arrives? - not sure if I mentioned it, but you have the dubious (?) distinction of being the first person aside from myself to use one of my honed edges

Pssst i already answered all overe --->here<-- lol and i dont want to hijack Sams Journal lol he lives near me,... and has sharp things

 

[joshua1970]

Pssst i already answered all overe --->here<-- lol and i dont want to hijack Sams Journal lol he lives near me,... and has sharp things

oops I skip around B&B, usually while working or multitasking LOL

actually out of laziness, I usually follow posts from the "what's New" page so I do miss alot!! LOL

 

[rockviper]

Hijack away!

Didn't use a straight on Tuesday as I have been morning shaving for work with my Slim and using the Kami at night. Tuesday night was a "give the face a break" period and somehow I fell asleep during last night's debate. Even though I'm Canadian, I do somewhat follow American politics. "Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt" is how one of our past Prime Ministers described the Canadian-US relationship, so it's important for us Northerners to understand what's happening down South.

The Gold Dollar is a #66 and does have hefty heel stabilizers, but I'm working on that with some cheap diamond plates I bought at Princess Auto (<$20). I'm after giving the razor quite a frown (which I think can be fixed later) and am making progress on the heel. Worse case is I'm out $3.50 for the razor and have some stuff to sharpen garden tools and such.

I have some Dovo Red'n'Black paste en route from Jarrod to help out my DMT 8EE when I do get around to honing.

Depending on how I feel after a ~3 hour game of chess (Thursday = Chess club night! Wheee!), I will take another Kami shave.

 

[rockviper]

Shave#4
Azuma kami
Robert Jones 9x3 leather on my desk (thought this was 8x3, but it's 9")
Col.Conk Amber
SOC

Finally got back to a straight again. Tired and some late nights this week meant a few days with my Slim.

Anyways, this morning's shave was pretty nice. my 2 WTG/XTG combo passes were nice enough that I went for an additional ATG pass. Nothing horrendous, but methinks I need to stick with what I've been doing as quite of bit of tugging was there. This inidcates to me that I'm not "clean" enough with my beard reduction yet to try ATGs.

Shave was a CCS unless you feel ATG, but this is more than serviceable for me.

All in all, I have to say that my second try at straights is working out much better than a year ago and I see no reason for me to give it up this time. Just purchased a coti and barber hone from the BST as well. Adding this to my cheap low grit plates, my DMT 8EE and the Dovo Red & Black pastes en route from Jarrod, I think I have a more than adequate setup.

 

[brucered]

good job sam. nice to see it working out for you this go round.

 

[rockviper]

Indeed it is, Bruce.
If you are thinking about giving it up, take my advice and pack everything away for a while rather than sell it. Been there, done that and wish I really hadn't sold my stuff as I'm gonna have a hard time replacing the quality of what I had.

 

[rockviper]

Shave#5
Azuma kami
Robert Jones 9x3 leather on my desk
Col.Conk Amber
SOC

SWMBO was in the shower this morning when I went to shave, so I just did a face wash and started my normal shave routine. At the end of my 3xWTG/XTG passes, my face felt tighter than normal but the quality of the shave was about the same as I've been getting so far.

Popped in the shower and could feel the tightness still there when done and, yup, the trusty alum block says to me: "Sir (he always addresses me that way when not happy), your shave was not the best and you must therefore feel my sting. Apololgies in advance."

No nicks, just the minor weeper or two but, Yowser!, a nice sting. I had begun to think that my alum block was faulty, but this shave says it still works just fine, thank you.

Don't think I will be doing the shave-before-shower thing again for a while.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!..... and "Go Giants!"

 

[rockviper]

Shave#6
Azuma kami (+ some help)
Robert Jones 9x3 leather on my desk
Col.Conk Amber
SOC

Last night, while brushing my teeth post-shower, I noticed lots of little scratch marks on my cheeks, Hmmmmm, not good. Methinks that I need to mute the tip of the kami as I never noticed any cuts while shaving, but the evidence speaks for itself. Anyways, onto this morning's shave....

2 WTG/XTG combo passes as per usual, but used the Slim for a final ATG pass as today is Thanksgiving and needed a slightly cleaner look as guests are coming. The ATG was as easy as if I used my slim for the WTG/XTG passes, so I guess this means that progress is being made with the kami. "Progress, not Perfection" is something my manager says and applies here quite nicely.

Face feels a little tight so I think that I might need either a sharper edge (c'mon US+Can Post with my coti!), even less pressure (I thought I was using little to none already!), or a combination of both.

Going to take a few days off from the kami to little my scratches heal up. "Hi, Mr. Slim!! Miss me? "

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (You 'murcans hold it in the wrong month)

 

[rockviper]

Shave#7
Azuma kami
Star "Big Daddy" strop
Col.Conk Amber
Omega mixed Mighty Midget

Stropped the kami on my newly arrived Star "Big Daddy" from the BST. HUGE strop, but looking to hold lots of potential. Standard application of my stickified Col. Conk and my new Mighty Midget (courtesty of Jarrod) just lathered up a storm with no problem (or funky smell)l.

My normal 2 WTG/XTG combos went well enough, with the "normal" tugging in certain areas. Feels like a DE blade on its 5th or so shave, so maybe my coti needs to hurry up and arrive so I can touch up the edge. The blade caught a little into a previous "cat scratch" but I was smart enough not to push through it and just shaved over the area at a slightly different angle.

Nowhere near the quality of my DE shaves, but as they say, "this too shall pass." All in all, pretty happy .... and it's fun to boot!

 

[sgtd]

Shave#7
Azuma kami
Star "Big Daddy" strop
Col.Conk Amber
Omega mixed Mighty Midget

Stropped the kami on my newly arrived Star "Big Daddy" from the BST. HUGE strop, but looking to hold lots of potential. Standard application of my stickified Col. Conk and my new Mighty Midget (courtesty of Jarrod) just lathered up a storm with no problem (or funky smell)l.

My normal 2 WTG/XTG combos went well enough, with the "normal" tugging in certain areas. Feels like a DE blade on its 5th or so shave, so maybe my coti needs to hurry up and arrive so I can touch up the edge. The blade caught a little into a previous "cat scratch" but I was smart enough not to push through it and just shaved over the area at a slightly different angle.

Nowhere near the quality of my DE shaves, but as they say, "this too shall pass." All in all, pretty happy .... and it's fun to boot!

I'm glad to hear the strop is going to work out for you.