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Sotiris' straight razor journal

SR Shave #39 (#2 after retouch):
  • Pre-shave: Hot water
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 round point
  • Brush: Omega 10065
  • Soap: Tabac
  • ASL: Pitralon Classic

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd ATG.
  • Result: Nice and comfy DFS. No blood, no irritation and excellent post-shave feel.

Notes:

Pre-shave stropping: 30 laps on latigo, 30 laps on English bridle. Post-shave stropping: 10 laps on napped cow leather to dry out the edge.

Great performance from the soap and the brush again. The lather was slicker than yesterday.

I was in a rush today, because I was planning to visit my mother at the hospital. She had a hip replacement surgury two days ago. All good on that front so far.

I opted for two quick passes and got a nice DFS. The edge felt good again.

Happy shaves and have a wonderful day! :)
 
Thanks Thom! :)

It's her second one, so she is somewhat used to the process. The first operation was 3 years ago and it was very successful. Same doctor, same hospital. All good!
 
We had a good laugh today when I told her that is is slowly turning into a cyborg. The Robo-Granma. But yours is even better! I'll use it tomorrow to cheer her up.
 
SR Shave #40 (#2):
  • Pre-shave: Hot water and GFT Eucris skin food
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 Spanish point
  • Brush: Muhle STF XL
  • Soap: Speick
  • ASL: Speick

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd XTG, 3rd ATG.
  • Result: Super close and comfortable. No blood, no irritation and excellent post-shave feel.

Notes:

Pre-shave stropping: 20 laps on latigo, 20 laps on English bridle. Post-shave stropping: 20 laps on canvas. I'll start stropping less after the shave to check the results. I used the canvas side of my hanging strop just drying out the edge.

With cold weather finally hitting us, my face was drier and I used some skin food prior to the shave. No moisturizer/balm needed afterwards. My face feels great.

Tremendous lather and a very enjoyable face lathering session. I love this combination. Speick offers very good lather stability and can hold a lot of water.

The edge of the new RA is great. Not that much sharper than the other's but more comfortable. The result today is sublime.

I opted for two quick passes and got a nice DFS. The edge felt good again.

Happy shaves and have a wonderful day! :)

P1170335-1.jpg
 
SR Shave #41 (#1):
  • Pre-shave: Hot water and GFT Eucris skin food
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 round point
  • Brush: Muhle STF XL
  • Soap: Tabac
  • ASL: Floid The Genuine

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd XTG, 3rd ATG.
  • Result: Very close and comfortable. Two tiny nicks, no irritation and great post-shave feel.

Notes:

Pre-shave stropping: 60 laps on English bridle. Post-shave stropping: 20 laps on napped leather.

I decided to retouch the edge. Due to my inexperience, the bevel width is uneven along each side. On face one, the center is wider than the heel and toe, on face two it's the opposite. I cannot see any visible frown on the edge itself so I will roll with it and hope I don't have to set the bevel again, else it might be beneficial to send it for honing/fixing. That said, I managed to put a sharp edge that was super comfortable today.

The lather was very good once again and I enjoyed the shave. I didn't have that much stubble, but I saw no reason to skip a day. Usually, these shaves tend to be average as the razors have a harder time cutting whiskers. Today it was a good one though.

Happy shaves and have a wonderful day! :)
 
I would call that a "wonky" blade. I have a few myself. The factory bevel on my Dovo is less than .25mm wide. Roll with it.

Thanks Doug! :)

That's the plan, I just have to mind the pressure more. The unevenness was there from the beginning but it is a bit more pronounced now. I did the sharpie test and the whole edge is in contact with the stones, so there is a formed bevel. The shave was also very good, so no need to lose my sleep on it. At least that's what I tell myself to keep the my compulsive nature in check... :lol:
 
SR Shave #42 (#2):
  • Pre-shave: Hot water and soap bar
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 round point
  • Brush: Omega 10098
  • Soap/cream: MdC Fougere / LEA Professional
  • ASB: Noxzema Action Plus 7 in 1

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd XTG, 3rd ATG.
  • Result: Close, but not comfortable. No tiny nicks, some irritation due to the soap.
Notes:

Pre-shave stropping: 60 laps on English bridle. Post-shave stropping: 20 laps on napped English bridle.

My face hates MdC in the winter. I felt irritation creeping in after a few seconds in the first pass and quickly finished it. I keep a 250ml tube of LEA Professional cream in the bathroom and I switched to that and cold water so as to avoid as much irritation as possible. I applied a moisturizer in the end, however even after two times the skin is still dry...

The razor did its part very well.

Happy shaves and have a wonderful day! :)
 
What a shave! :001_wub:

It is a pity I don't have time to make a SotD photo. :mellow:

SR Shave #43 (#3):
  • Pre-shave: Hot water and Mitchell's soap bar
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 round point
  • Brush: Omega 011842
  • Soap: The FAT!
  • ASL: Pitralon Classic

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd XTG, 3rd ATG.
  • Result: Super close and comfortable, despite the irritation from yesterday.

Notes:

Pre-shave stropping: 10 laps on napped leather, 20 on latigo, 20 on English bridle. Post-shave stropping: 20 laps on napped leather.

My favorite brush and soap for the win. Marvelous lather, despite the fact that I had to reload a bit after each pass. Actually, I never understood the obsession of having lather for 3 passes. If it doesn't cause brush burn, sometimes it is better to do a couple of swirls on the puck to refresh the lather and rebuild it on the face.

The razor felt great. I had quite a bit of dryness on the face from yesterday. The moisturizer helped remedy the lower skin, but not the upper layers. I'm glad that the equipment I used today exfoliated most of the dry skin without causing any damage.

I cannot stop using Pitralon. It is great for wintertime. Perhaps I need to move some of my heavier scented ASL and buy a couple of bottles. My wife prefers it, too.

Happy shaves and have a nice day! :)
 
You're right about that, it's completely irrational. But it's still one of my main obsessions, haha. And I only do 2 passes, lol!

Us "ritualists"of the wet shaving practice, tend to attribute almost metaphysical importance to some aspects of the ritual. It's like me with using 4-5 different stropping surfaces :out:


SR Shave #44 (#4):
  • Pre-shave: Hot water and Mitchell's soap bar
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 round point
  • Brush: Semogue 620
  • Soap: The FAT again!
  • ASL: Fine American Blend

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd XTG, 3rd ATG.
  • Result: Very close and comfortable.

Notes:

Pre-shave and post-shave stropping: 20 laps on napped leather, 20 on English bridle.

Not much to write. Another great lather, that needed a bit of a refresh on the last pass. The razor still feels great. The shaving routine is well established now and most strokes are a repeated sequence now.

Happy shaves and have a great day! :)
 
SR Shave #45 (#5):
  • Pre-shave: Warm water
  • Razor: Ralf Aust 6/8 round point
  • Brush: Tony Forsyth tuxedo
  • Cream: Geo F. Trumper Eucris
  • ASB: Geo F. Trumper Eucris skin food

  • Method: 1st pass WTG, 2nd XTG/ATG
  • Result: Socially acceptable and super comfortable.

Notes:

Pre-shave: None. Post-shave stropping: 10 laps on napped leather, 30 on English bridle.

I spent some time outside yesterday and my skin was very dry, probably due to the cold and dry weather. I also don't think that it is fully healed from the MdC shave a few days ago. I decided to do two quick and easy passes just to reduce the stubble a bit while avoiding to irritate the skin. If my skin condition continues, I might take a break.

Happy shaves and have a great day! :)
 
I wonder if it is the Stearic Acid base that is giving you so much trouble with MdC.

I don't know what it is, but MdC leaves my skin drier. In the summer, it isn't much of a problem. On the contrary, it takes away some of the oiliness of the face.

I think my latest problem is a result of the weather too. The temperature dropped 15 degrees within 2-3 days and the northern winds decreased the humidity. The use of heat radiators throughout the day doesn't help either.
 
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