temjeito's shave journal (starting with very first SR shave!

[temjeito]

Razor: Bowdins wedge Brush: Kent KB8 Soap: Olivia's MW Dschinn A/S: Captain's Choice Bay Rum # of passes: 2 Method of lather: bowl Quality of lather: too dry Result: DFS/BBS Irritation: 2/10 Aaahhh....that's more like. It. I love the smell of this soap, but it just doesn't perform as well as others. It dries out too fast and is never very slick. The Wedge does a nice job. It's a sharper-feeling edge than the OE -- I wonder what Larry at Whipped Dog uses to finish his edges.... Irritation is, I'm pretty certain, left over from yesterday's debacle.

 

[temjeito]

Quick question for you, when did you start shaving your head and did you do so because you were thinning or because you simply wanted to?

The first time I did it was kind of on a lark, but I had already started thinning and I was curious how it would look. Monice I started thinning more, I started keeping it shorter and shorter, and eventually kept it shaven for a few years. Now I shave it in the summer and keep it close cropped in the winter.

 

[temjeito]

I have a bunch of her creams, it took me at least five times to get the lather right on these. Once you do, you'll love it.

I will definitely give it another few tries. I love her scents, but haven't had great results from her soap...

 

[Shave_Rat]

You can probably email Larry to ask, I'm sure he'd let you know what stones and such he uses.

 

[MickToley]

I will definitely give it another few tries. I love her scents, but haven't had great results from her soap...

Check out my thread on the Ambra scent. At first all I was getting was brown lather, and I kept on saying to myself "this can't be the color of the lather". I just kept adding water and I eventually got it right. However, I do think that different scents require amounts of water because not all are the same consistency.

 

[temjeito]

Razor: Spike wedge 5/8 Brush: daVinci 293 Soap: La Toja stick (grated into dish) A/S: Captain's Choice Lime # of passes: 2 Method of lather: bowl Quality of lather: slick, cushiony perfection Result: DFS/BBS Irritation: 5/10

OK, La Toja is very good. It took me 3 or 4 unpleasant attempts before I dialed it in, but its a good soap.

The Spike felt extra keen today. It even sliced a piece off a small skin bump on my cheekbone that I've had for a long time. The shave was close and quick, but the alum surprised me. It stung almost everywhere, and post shave I've got a red, splotchy neck.

I also put a massive slice into the center of my strop, about 3/4 of the way up. It's too deep to sand out, so I guess I just have a shorter strop now. I may use this as an excuse to upgrade to a wider strop with a cloth component (maybe a Big Daddy), though I should probably wait until I stop carving up my strops...

So many variables, and nearly every day I'm surprised by how well one thing goes and how poorly another does. The field is narrowing, though, and I know what I need to do is focus on technique. I also really want to start honing my own edges, but just haven't had the time.

I'm heading to Mexico for a week on Sunday (for work, but at a resort in Cabo), and probably will end up using a cartridge razor, unless I can find blades at the hotel. Hopefully, that time off will help me bring new focus when I return for shave number 50.

 

[Bird_Flu]

The big Daddy is good value and the replacement leather is around $27 shipped in case you screw it up. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[temjeito]

Shave #48: Shave Ready

Razor: Ontario Cutlery 5/8 Brush: Kent KB8 Soap: Pre de Provence A/S: Captain's Choice Lime # of passes: 2 Method of lather: bowl Quality of lather: slick Result: DFS Irritation: 3/10

Please welcome the newest member of the rotation, a fleabay special that I personally cleaned up and honed. This marks my first attempt at cleaning up a blade, and my first attempt at honing (before and after pics and further details here).

And, what do you know? She shaves! Not the sharpest or smoothest edge I've ever shaved with, but not the worst by a long shot, either! I've never shaved with a blade that gave me so much feedback, either, especially auditory. I wonder if this is one of those "singing" blades I've heard about?

 

[Attila]

Congrats! Also, great pic. Love the salamander!

 

[Bird_Flu]

Congratulations on your first restore!! The razor looks great and congrats on getting a serviceable edge, that's a huge step!

 

[temjeito]

Razor: Henckels 50 6/8 Brush: Bock Silvertip Soap: Seagrapes Studios Basil & Lime A/S: Captain's Choice Lime # of passes: 2.5 Method of lather: bowl Quality of lather: too wet Result: CCS Irritation: 2/10 Post-shave laps: 40

Tried out my newest razor, a 6/8 Henckels 50. Shave was about on par with yesterday's, which surprised me. It means my honing kung fu is better than I thought, and/or my technique with a hollower grind still needs a lot of work.

I also had much less luck with this Seagrapes soap than the last time. I think I added too much water, so next time I'll dial it back a bit. I think I have pretty hard water, but still…the lathering is more of a challenge than the shaving!

 

[temjeito]

The big Daddy is good value and the replacement leather is around $27 shipped in case you screw it up. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[Bird_Flu]

Razor: Henckels 50 6/8 Brush: Bock Silvertip Soap: Seagrapes Studios Basil & Lime A/S: Captain's Choice Lime # of passes: 2.5 Method of lather: bowl Quality of lather: too wet Result: CCS Irritation: 2/10 Post-shave laps: 40

Tried out my newest razor, a 6/8 Henckels 50. Shave was about on par with yesterday's, which surprised me. It means my honing kung fu is better than I thought, and/or my technique with a hollower grind still needs a lot of work.

I also had much less luck with this Seagrapes soap than the last time. I think I added too much water, so next time I'll dial it back a bit. I think I have pretty hard water, but still…the lathering is more of a challenge than the shaving!

Getting consistent lather with hard water is a challenge for me as well. I'm half tempted to get an electric kettle and use my Brita pitcher water to get better, more consistent lather. You can tell if your water is hard by seeing if there's mineral buildup around the spigots on your faucets and your shower head and what not.

 

[temjeito]

Leather: 40 laps Razor: Ontario Cutlery 5/8 Brush: Semogue 1305 Soap: MWF A/S: Captain's Choice Lime # of passes: 2 Method of lather: bowl Quality of lather: too dry Result: DFS/BBS Irritation: 2/10 Post-shave laps: 40

First off, 50!!!!
Second, I can't believe I didn't think to use the Henckels 50 today. Oh, well. I'm determined to get my hollow ground technique up to par with the wedges, and I'm getting close. Today's shave was on a par with my best straight shaves, except that it took many more strokes to clear the chin, and I have just a touch of irritation and slightly less close a shave on the neck. I love the feedback these blades provide, but right now using a hollow ground adds a fair amount of time to my morning shave.

I followed Raithskar's advice and focused on starting my strokes before the blade hits the skin, and also used a bit of a "scooping" motion on my strokes. It seems to have helped a lot.

I used distiller water today, and the results were astounding but mixed. As you can see from the pic, I got a lot of lather. I mean, way, way more than I usually get and way, way more than I needed for two passes. For sure, using distilled water will make my soaps last a lot longer.

I bowl lathered with the Semogue, which i don't usually do, and the distilled water meant my usual sense of how much water i need was out the window. I don't think I added wuite enough water, as the lather had a tendency to dry on me a bit quicker than I've come to expect. I had plenty to reapply, though, so it wasn't much of an issue.

I soaked the brush in distilled, and added distilled to the lather, but rinsed my face and the brush with tap water. It's a bit of a pain to add water from a gallon jug, so I may transfer the water into one if those olive oil bottles with the pour spout or something that will allow me to easily add a little at a time. I wonder if I should start rinsing the brushes in distilled water, though. I've noticed that my bk8 gets "spiky" when it dries, and the tips are clumped together a bit almost as if there was still some soap. I've rinsed it really well, and its basically brand new, so I'm wondering if it is mineral deposits from the hard water collecting at the tips (I dry it hanging). It softens up if I give it a few brisk swirls only hand, but I'm worried that over time the accumulation will be substantial and diminish the brush's performance. Oddly, I haven't noticed this on my other badgers, but I'll be paying more attention now.

EDIT: The razor I honed myself still works! Two shaves! Holy crap!

 

[temjeito]

Leather: 0 laps (new & freshly honed) Razor: ERN Ator 6/8 Brush: Semogue 1305 Soap: MWF A/S: Captain's Choice Bay Rum # of passes: 3 (WTG/XTG/XTG) Method of lather: face Quality of lather: too dry Result: DFS/BBS Irritation: 3/10 Post-shave laps: 40

Another new razor, the mighty Ator! A very close shave, in part because I used more pressure than I should have, so there's a bit of irritation. I also tried some new moves on the neck, which bordered on ATG.

I think I dialed back the product and water a bit too much after yesterday's latherplosion, so hopefully tomorrow will be right in the sweet spot.

 

[temjeito]

Leather: 40 laps Razor: Henckels 50 6/8 Brush: Semogue 1305 Soap: Mike's Barbershop A/S: Captain's Choice Lime # of passes: 2+ Method of lather: face Quality of lather: thin but good Result: CCS/DFS Irritation: 3/10 Post-shave laps: 40

I got a bunch of Mikes samples and plan to work through each one. Today was Barbershop. Not a bad smell, but not amazing, either. The lather was odd to me. One of the thinnest lathers I've made, but seemed plenty slick and supportive in action.

Still using a bit too much pressure with these hollow ground. Also, I noticed today that I've kind of gotten into a pattern of shaving that ignores my face map. It works, more or less, but I think I can minimize the irritation on my neck, and maybe speed things up on my chin if I tweak the directions of my passes.

Very excited to have received my Copic marker wallet ($11 from Amazon), which I learned of on a thread here, and which is perfect for straight razors. Here's a pic:

 

[temjeito]

Linen (pre-shave): 40 Leather (pre-shave): 40 Razor: ERN Ator 6/8 Brush: Semogue 1305 Soap: Mike's Barbershop A/S: Captain's Choice Lime # of passes: 3 Method of lather: face Quality of lather: not enough Result: DFS/CCS Irritation: 2/10 Linen (post-shave): 20 Leather (post-shave): 40

I am a big hollow man this week, sticking with the Ator and the Henckels in alternation. Also sticking with the Mike's and the Semogue until I get this lather down.

I thought I loaded up a lot more than yesterday, but I still came up short in the lather department. The first pass was thin but good, like yesterday. I had to reload soap for each subsequent pass, however, and had a bit of drying out on the face during passes as well.

I tried changing up the directions of some of my passes today, and I think it only made things worse. For one thing, I've developed habits and muscle memory, so switching things up felt awkward. Those changes also resulted in some patches that didn't get cut quite as close as others, like at the top of my cheekbones and near the corners of my low lip. Just a bit of irritation in the usual spots on my neck.

I've more or less dialed in the pressure with these bigger hollow grounds, but not the angle yet. It took me three passes to get a slightly less good shave than I get from a wedge in two. The blade seemed a bit duller today, so I wonder if I goofed on the linen (got a linen-only strop from TheSuperiorShave, this was my first time using it) or even the leather. More likely, it's the angle. But, I will persevere.

"Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act, lies the [Five O'Clock] Shadow."

 

[Bird_Flu]

"Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act, lies the [Five O'Clock] Shadow."

So after doing so many shaves the same way does this feel like starting over trying to change things up? How is the Linen only strop? I have felt with my Big Daddy and love it but like all good B&B members I want all the shaving things!

 

[temjeito]

So after doing so many shaves the same way does this feel like starting over trying to change things up?

Completely. Seems like a good argument for trying out as much as you can in the first few dozen shaves, because now I really don't want to go back to the way those early shaves felt, so I'm probably "stuck in my ways" now.

How is the Linen only strop? I have felt with my Big Daddy and love it but like all good B&B members I want all the shaving things!

I thought about replacing my Poor Man's with the Big Daddy, but had read lots of mixed reviews about the felt, and actually liked the thinner strop fine, so I went with Star Shaving's 2" bridle strop, which I absolutely love. I felt like I was missing a non-leather component, though, so I got the linen strop. It was not quite what I was expecting--I thought it would be relatively smooth and thin, but it is quite coarse. I think when I first put the blade to it I didn't tighten it enough and also used too much pressure, so I may have rolled the edge a touch. It's a very different feel from the leather, but satisfying in its own way. I can't say yet whether it adds anything to the keenness or longevity of my edge, though. I may at some point treat one side of the linen strop with diamond spray or something similar, if only to avoid having to drag my blades down to the basement where my balsa strop lives (it "sheds" green and red a bit too much to be allowed in our mostly white bathroom).

 

[temjeito]

Linen (pre-shave): 40 Leather (pre-shave): 40 Razor: Harmar cast steel wedge 7/8 ("The Old English Razor") Brush: Kent KB8 Soap: O Melhor cream A/S: Captain's Choice Cat o' Nine Tails # of passes: 3 Method of lather: head Quality of lather: slick Result: CCS Irritation: 2/10 Linen (post-shave): 20 Leather (post-shave): 40

Help! After a hard days' night I chromed my dome, but the razor felt like it needed a hone. I think I am dulling my edges on the new linen strop. I imagine it will all come together eventually.