(Slaps link to thread) You Can Fit So Much Wrong In This Journal

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
Micromatic Open Comb
Personna GEM PTFE (3)
Ω10048 boar brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave face wash with shave binky
Post-shave: Alum block

I thought my touch was light and that I kept the lather fresh and hydrated throughout my 1 pass shave. The alum said not quite.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
Micromatic Open Comb
Personna GEM PTFE (4)
Maggards 30mm synthetic brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave face wash with shave binky
Post-shave: Alum block

Did mostly better at design shallow/hovering. Used the synthetic to make a very richly hydrated lather. Managed to get a weeper on the right hand side of my lips that disappeared while washing my face.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

This morning’s shave
Micromatic Open Comb
Personna GEM PTFE (5)
Maggards 30mm synthetic brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave face wash with shave binky
Post-shave: Alum block
Post-shave: CeraVe Moisturizer

Showered in the afternoon when stubble hadn’t grown back enough for shave (was playing with lawnmower and playing with garbage at the dump and it was hot out - ucky). At night, the reruns of “Young Sheldon” wouldn’t watch themselves, so no shave at normal time.

Every shave this week has been on sunburned skin. Going back to hovering was not a conscious idea, but it probably helped.

Lather was very wet and thin and perfect. Razor and skin enjoyed hanging out. Stubble so disgusted it left.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
Blackland Blackbird
Personna Lab Blue (3)
Vie Long 24mm honse
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: Face-lathered three times and rinsed off each time
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave: Alum block
Post-shave: hot shower
Aftershave: Ulm Nom

Went steep WTG and ATG. Did a little buffing on the sides of neck below the back of jawbone and got weepers there. Personna Lab Blue doesn’t seem to cut stubble well, but my skin feels velvety afterwards. Even with the curlbacks on partially cut stubble. I have an Astra Stainless in it for next time.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
Micromatic Open Comb
Personna GEM PTFE (6)
Ω10048 boar brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: Face-lathered three times and rinsed off each time
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave: Alum block
Post-shave: hot shower
Aftershave: Ulm Nom

This style of face-prep; stolen from @Tanuki ; feels like it works for me. Whiskers get hydrated without fogging up the mirror and relaxing me too much and better than when I’m hunched over the sink counting hippopotamuses. Further breaking in my piggy brush or moving to an even softer synthetic did cross my mind, though.

MMOC worked a treat as I moved it at design shallow and did my best to cover and use j-hook/scything strokes where grain growth meanders (everywhere below my sideburns…).

Couldn’t tell if the alum was saying “AP ShaveCo. Synbad, Cashmere, Gelousy, idk…” or “enough with the cleanup work, already!,” but it spoke.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
Blackland Blackbird
Astra Stainless (1)
DS Cosmetics Silvertip brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: Face-lathered three times and rinsed off each time
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave: Alum block
Post-shave: hot shower
Aftershave: Ulm Nom

Steep WTG, ATG, and ATG cleanup. Closer than last time and only one nick on side of neck (and weeper on upper lip) this time. Nape of neck smoov as heck. Will try shallower next time this leaps to hand.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
Blackland Blackbird
Astra Stainless (2)
Maggards 30mm synthetic brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: Face-lathered three times and rinsed off each time
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave: hot shower

Shallower worked gentler, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as I expected. Also, I’m less gentle than I thought when face-lathering, so it might just be a boon I can’t properly exploit. Moved the Astra Stainless to the Fatip Grande for some reason.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
Micromatic Open Comb
Personna GEM PTFE (7)
Vie Long 24mm honse
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: Noxzema face wash
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave: Alum block
Post-shave: hot shower
Aftershave: Ulm Nom

This felt better. Maybe I’ll try my PdP bath soap instead of Noxzema next time.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
Herold 142Ri2 calfhide strop
My grandpa’s straight razor
Maggards 30mm synthetic brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: face wash with PdP Milk bath soap
Lather: Col Conk Unscented
Post-shave: Alum block
Aftershave; Ulm Nom
Post-shave: hot shower

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
Herold 142Ri2 calfhide strop
My grandpa’s straight razor
Micromatic Open Comb
Personna GEM PTFE (8)
Maggards 30mm synthetic brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: face wash with PdP Milk bath soap
Lather: Col Conk Unscented
Aftershave; Ulm Nom
Post-shave: hot shower

First pass, WTG with skin stretching and spine-riding wherever possible. Accidentally touched edge to skin beside right upper lip. Ouch. Oops. Carried on and it barely bled. Second pass, also WTG. No issues this time. Noticed barely any stubble was cut in first two passes unlike single pass the night before. Also, I was letting the lather go dry as I was moving pokier than normal. Tried a third pass, mostly ATG/XTG under the jawline.

Okay. Bad edge. It went back to the 0.5μ diamond strop this morning for all of the x-strokes. My arm hair says I’m doing it wrong. Orange barber razor for while I figure it out or…

Fourth pass, last night. Loaded brush with a few swirls on puck, applied to face, added water. More than water. More than that. Would’ve been too much if I hadn’t reloaded my brush. MMOC to the rescue. The runny soap solution protected my skin as my also too dull GEM blade followed its shallow path of whisker annihilation. Were it still my straight razor, I would’ve worried for its pivot, but it was chromed brass holding coated stainless on the road to victory.

NO burn from the aftershave. Only chill.

My next shave’s plans don’t involve my straight or barber razor anymore and I’m sad that I don’t feel bad.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[Esox]

My grandpa’s straight razor

 

[Sotiris_A]

Last night’s shave
Herold 142Ri2 calfhide strop
My grandpa’s straight razor
Micromatic Open Comb
Personna GEM PTFE (8)
Maggards 30mm synthetic brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: face wash with PdP Milk bath soap
Lather: Col Conk Unscented
Aftershave; Ulm Nom
Post-shave: hot shower

First pass, WTG with skin stretching and spine-riding wherever possible. Accidentally touched edge to skin beside right upper lip. Ouch. Oops. Carried on and it barely bled. Second pass, also WTG. No issues this time. Noticed barely any stubble was cut in first two passes unlike single pass the night before. Also, I was letting the lather go dry as I was moving pokier than normal. Tried a third pass, mostly ATG/XTG under the jawline.

Okay. Bad edge. It went back to the 0.5μ diamond strop this morning for all of the x-strokes. My arm hair says I’m doing it wrong. Orange barber razor for while I figure it out or…

Fourth pass, last night. Loaded brush with a few swirls on puck, applied to face, added water. More than water. More than that. Would’ve been too much if I hadn’t reloaded my brush. MMOC to the rescue. The runny soap solution protected my skin as my also too dull GEM blade followed its shallow path of whisker annihilation. Were it still my straight razor, I would’ve worried for its pivot, but it was chromed brass holding coated stainless on the road to victory.

NO burn from the aftershave. Only chill.

My next shave’s plans don’t involve my straight or barber razor anymore and I’m sad that I don’t feel bad.

Happy shaves, everyone!

Was the single pass you did the night before an acceptable one? Did the edge feel OK and all of a sudden it wasn't cutting your stubble today?

IMHO, the various tests do not necessarily help evaluate the quality of an edge. But if it shaves badly, then there is something wrong. I would have probably started from a way coarser medium than 0.5μ.

At the end of the day, use whatever makes you happy. Someday, I might try a MMOC. One of the few safety razors that intrigue me these days.

 

[thombrogan]

@Sotiris_A , I set the bevel raising and removing burrs on 15μ and 5μ silicon carbide lapping film and buzzed along with 1μ and 0.3μ aluminum oxide lapping film. I must’ve overdid it with the finer grits and made more of a fin edge and then repeated it when I polished with the diamond paste.

Would you think a waterstone in the 4,000-8,000 grit range be coarse enough or would 1,200 girt be more appropriate?

 

[Sotiris_A]

For me, better do less and if you're not satisfied, go back to the hones, than overdo it. I normally do less than 10 passes on Chromox when I finish a razor and don't go back at it between retouches. But diamond pastes might be working differently. What type of strop do you use for pastes?

I have no experience with lapping films and diamond pastes, but your experience makes me think that you probably had some fin edge that was removed after the first pass and you ended up with a somewhat average edge. That or you need to work on your stropping technique. Anyhow, I would first seek input from the guys in the SR forum, especially from members experienced with "the method". It works for a lot of people, so no need to buy any stones before trying to get better with what you already have in hand.

Bevel setting is very important so if you decide to get into stones, I would suggest buying any of the popular ones (Naniwa 1k pro, Shapton 2k, Atoma 1.2k?). 4k is too fine for bevel setting, but should be enough for bevel correction. Sometimes, I would retouch a razor using a 3k and 8k pyramid before moving to the finishing stone.

I hope that helps.

 

[thombrogan]

Thank you, @Sotiris_A

The diamond strops are balsa wood lapped flat.

For benchstones, I have a translucent Arkansas from St. Gobain/Norton, and waterstones from 120 to 8,000 grit, but I’m only used to using them with knives and shears where excess pressure sometimes helps.

 

[Sotiris_A]

Then, you probably have more than enough to get started. Have a look at these, if you haven't already:

Newbie Honing Compendium

I find myself often linking just a few threads rather than give a long winded explanation that takes me 15 minutes to type on my phone. So, here are my favorite threads to suggest that newbies read if they are interested in making their razors sharp. Lapping film, try it. Setting the Bevel...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[thombrogan]

Thank you! I get overwhelmed reading them and try not to use it to justify buying 0.25μ diamond paste.

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
Micromatic Open Comb
Personna GEM PTFE (1)
Maggards 30mm synthetic brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: face wash with PdP Milk bath soap
Lather: Col Conk Unscented
Aftershave; Ulm Nom
Post-shave: Face wash with shave binky

Wondered if my extra soapy, extra watery lather from the shave before would give me the same protection as the night before. Weepers on chin and under jawline suggest waiting until after a shower or after the GEM’s first use or not using ATG as the first pass would’ve helped.

edit. Skin so smooth this morning, trying with blade on use two next time instead of using super fun barber razor.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Hmmm...

Loaded brush with a few swirls on puck, applied to face, added water. More than water. More than that.
<snip>
NO burn from the aftershave. Only chill.

Then...

Wondered if my extra soapy, extra watery lather from the shave before would give me the same protection as the night before. Weepers on chin and under jawline suggest waiting until after a shower or after the GEM’s first use or not using ATG as the first pass would’ve helped.

Why assume after a shower would help?

Based on your later comments, here and elsewhere, you overshaved. Smooth face, but with burn. That's not hydration, that's pressure of blade on skin. Or to put it another way, blade height too low. Yes, directly against the grain won't have helped, as that does draw the blade inwards (I think we've discussed that before).

You found that very hydrated lather gives superior glide. Great! I agree! Make that keep happening. But I don't follow along with what you are suggesting stopped you getting that superior skin feel again on the following shave. Go WET lather again, go multipass again, do not let the blade be lower than it needs to be again. You may well find yourself having that great skin feel more often.

 

[thombrogan]

I certainly wasn’t hovering. Was drunk off the slickness.

Will try same lather and multiple passes. Might stick with last shave’s razor for continuity (smort) or use orange handled barber razor because I like orange (smortn’t), but same lather and more than one light pass with as much WTG as choice allows first.