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Single edge woes

I have a collection of Gem single edge razors that include micros and other flip tops. I use Personnas Ted Pella's PTFE stainless steel skillets in them.
I've been experiencing shaving irritation in the neck area. I shave every other day. My shaving angle is nearly flat with little or no pressure applied. I only go with one pass.
I thought maybe corking the blades before using would work. Haven't tried it yet. I use a good homemade pre shaving oil that has good lubrication.
Any suggestions as to how to avoid this problem would be appreciated. The shave with the single edge seems closer than the double edges I've been using. I know this is to be expected.
 
Try shaving with cold water. I don't mean ice cube cold, but cool water. Some guys say their skin relates better to a cold water shave, than to a hot water shave.
 
How long have you been shaving with the gem ptfe blades? I know my face took some time to get used to the more rigid single edge blades. After a while though, my preference for the artist club blades, schick prolines, lead me to sell all of my razors that use the gem ptfe blades.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
You have been shaving for a while and have your technique figured out. Check your beard map to see the direction of your beard grain (some fellows can not shave ATG) . I would stop the preshave with your oil to see if that might be the issue and if the problem still persists it's not the preshave oil. Try shorter strokes with the Gem razor possibly, corking a blade will not hurt you to try IMO(OH, that can stir the pot & some humor thrown in). I like cold water rinses like @santamariasteve suggested.
For a preshave just before lathering I use the clear ALOE VERA GEL(almond size dab) that has been used for 100's+ yrs for soothing the skin for sun burn and damaged skin and my beard skin has never been healthier IMO. I find Aloe Vera makes my skin more pliable and whiskers softer for the blade to do it's job easier and not have oil all over my gear, YMMV.
 
As @Ron R suggested, I would discontinue the homemade preshave. There are many favorite preshave routines depending on who you ask, and I have my favorite too, but a shower or a minute or two of slathering hot water on your face is probably a reasonable baseline.

Also, consider locking down your kit for a month at a time until the problem resolves, or at least a week or two at a time. In other words, pick one preshave routine, one razor, one soap, one brush (or two similar brushes if one is drying). Replace the blade as needed. Change only one part of your kit/routine at a time.

Locking down the kit serves three purposes. First, it allows your skin to calm down and respond to products that work well for you. If you change your kit too rapidly, you might stumble over a good solution and never notice it because even with a good kit, results can take time. Second, even though you are an experienced shaver, you may notice ways to get better results with your components by using them day in and day out for a while. Third, changing one item at a time makes it easy to see where improvements came from.

Finally, what soap or cream are you using? Some of them have "discontinue if irritation occurs" warnings. Your problem might be as simple as changing your soap.

Good luck @two pass!
 
I'm finding this hard to understand - I have DE, AC and GEM razors and the PTFE blades irritate me the least and give me the closest shaves. It may be a question of pressure. Almost all GEMs are around 60g and at that weight it's tempting to apply a little pressure. I'm now using a Rockwell 6C handle on my Ever Ready 1912, attaching it with a 2BA thread, and this takes it up to 80g. At this weight I can use almost no pressure. Since the 1912s are so cheap it would be easy for you to experiment with this. A Bulldog handle would take you up to 94g. Maybe shaving with no pressure would solve your problem.
 
You have been shaving for a while and have your technique figured out. Check your beard map to see the direction of your beard grain (some fellows can not shave ATG) . I would stop the preshave with your oil to see if that might be the issue and if the problem still persists it's not the preshave oil. Try shorter strokes with the Gem razor possibly, corking a blade will not hurt you to try IMO(OH, that can stir the pot & some humor thrown in). I like cold water rinses like @santamariasteve suggested.
For a preshave just before lathering I use the clear ALOE VERA GEL(almond size dab) that has been used for 100's+ yrs for soothing the skin for sun burn and damaged skin and my beard skin has never been healthier IMO. I find Aloe Vera makes my skin more pliable and whiskers softer for the blade to do it's job easier and not have oil all over my gear, YMMV.

Great suggestions!! Mapping your beard may really help in the problem area!
 
Great suggestions!! Mapping your beard may really help in the problem area!
Thank you for all the suggestions. Things are better now. I’ve lessened up on the pressure, got my angle to about 20-30 degrees and am using shorter strokes with only one pass. Shave every other day.
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I am glad that it has worked out for you @two pass, I still have trouble using an SE razor. I just cannot keep the angle correct, I start off at the correct angle but by the time I finish the stroke of the razor I am at the DE angle and scraping my face. I will have another try later on as I do like the look of SE razors and the amount of shaves that you can get out of one blade. But I am not going to lose any sleep over it, I will try again when I feel it is the right time. Again, congratulations on the improved shaving technique.
 
I am glad that it has worked out for you @two pass, I still have trouble using an SE razor. I just cannot keep the angle correct, I start off at the correct angle but by the time I finish the stroke of the razor I am at the DE angle and scraping my face. I will have another try later on as I do like the look of SE razors and the amount of shaves that you can get out of one blade. But I am not going to lose any sleep over it, I will try again when I feel it is the right time. Again, congratulations on the improved shaving technique.
Thanks for the thought. I’m careful not to go over 6 uses per blade though. Don’t want to push my luck.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Lots of times the manuals for the GEM razors are lost and this might help you and others.
Gem instruction manual (2).jpg Gem procedure (2).jpg
 
I am glad that it has worked out for you @two pass, I still have trouble using an SE razor. I just cannot keep the angle correct, I start off at the correct angle but by the time I finish the stroke of the razor I am at the DE angle and scraping my face. I will have another try later on as I do like the look of SE razors and the amount of shaves that you can get out of one blade. But I am not going to lose any sleep over it, I will try again when I feel it is the right time. Again, congratulations on the improved shaving technique.

I hope you get it dialed in to your liking. I use the shave towel you sent from NSW about everyday to photograph the razor of the day.

The GEM prepared me for using a SR. It is a similar if not exact same angle. I find that a loose hold with the fingers allows me to follow the facial contours with the lightest if any pressure both with and against the grain. It's like hovering the razor over my skin.

I think for me the juries verdict of ATG remains out. It's almost an unnatural concept and leave my face a bit irritated.
 
I agree with the hesitation doing ATGs. Too many nooks and crannies.[emoji23]


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Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I hope you get it dialed in to your liking. I use the shave towel you sent from NSW about everyday to photograph the razor of the day.

The GEM prepared me for using a SR. It is a similar if not exact same angle. I find that a loose hold with the fingers allows me to follow the facial contours with the lightest if any pressure both with and against the grain. It's like hovering the razor over my skin.

I think for me the juries verdict of ATG remains out. It's almost an unnatural concept and leave my face a bit irritated.
There are some folks might agree with you @Twelvefret ,on _Bay this fellow did some creative work with a clog pruf. You can still buy it, not sure why he went that route to a basic straight razor? Maybe he liked the idea of easy access to a new blade instead of stropping and honing was what his thought when experimenting?
modified clog pruf (2).jpg
 
I agree with the hesitation doing ATGs.

I disagree! If you are never going to shave ATG, then that's one thing. If are going to shave ATG at some point then why wait, learn the nooks and crannies from the start!

Are you only using pre shave oil for your shave or are you using the oil and cream or soap?

You can double up on the cream or soap to see if that helps.
 
Am using PSO plus soap or cream. My Dermatologist advised against the ATG on my face. Too many trouble spots.


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I disagree! If you are never going to shave ATG, then that's one thing. If are going to shave ATG at some point then why wait, learn the nooks and crannies from the start!

Are you only using pre shave oil for your shave or are you using the oil and cream or soap?

You can double up on the cream or soap to see if that helps.

I think he is saying his skin doesn't like ATG.

With a SR I do ATG on my neck and places where mapping has educated me I need to, but an over all face ATG is not necessary for me. YMMV as they say.
 
There are some folks might agree with you @Twelvefret ,on _Bay this fellow did some creative work with a clog pruf. You can still buy it, not sure why he went that route to a basic straight razor? Maybe he liked the idea of easy access to a new blade instead of stropping and honing was what his thought when experimenting?
View attachment 939865

I modified a MMOC.

IMAG0850_1.jpg

I don't find it to be better though. No safety for a shave that's not any closer. It will deliver a long lasting BBS shave, but so will the MMOC, MMCP or other razors that I have.
 
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