What Did You Learn From Your SR Shave Today?

[Tomo]

To get the full benefit of a Jnat finish, I need to use a light tomo slurry for the touch ups. Plain water gets me a bit sharper but I loose the magical soft/sharp feel to the edge. A hint of slurry also keeps everything moving and means that I don't need any soap on the stone.

A 1200 Atoma 'diamond nagura' does the trick nicely. This is actually gentler on the stone than my current tomo nagura which has scratched the surface of the main stone a little.

 

[rbscebu]

Today was my 300th SR shave - one of my best but I was not happy.

Preped as normal and face lathered with an Arko stick. Beautiful smooth first pass WTG using 火曜日 (Tuesday) from my Japanese M7DS. I re-wet my face for the second pass only to find that I had no whiskers left to shave . Not even a touch-up anywhere.

Obviously I am going to have to adjust my technique and/or blunten the edges. One pass per day is just not good enough.

Does anyone SR shave spine leading?

 

[camoloc]

Today was my 300th SR shave - one of my best but I was not happy.

Preped as normal and face lathered with an Arko stick. Beautiful smooth first pass WTG using 火曜日 (Tuesday) from my Japanese M7DS. I re-wet my face for the second pass only to find that I had no whiskers left to shave ☹. Not even a touch-up anywhere.

Obviously I am going to have to adjust my technique and/or blunten the edges. One pass per day is just not good enough.

Does anyone SR shave spine leading?

spine lead all the time......beats the stubble back down into the pores nicely.

try the rarity of Filipino Flying Lemur Dung.....that will accelerate the stubble growth exponentially. surely available from a side street vendor???

congrats btw.

camo

 

[Mouette]

Does anyone SR shave spine leading?

What's spine leading?

 

[Tomo]

What's spine leading?

This is an advanced SR technique that should not be attempted until you have completed at least 300 SR shaves.

 

[rbscebu]

What's spine leading?

@Mouette We normally shave with the edge leading, that being when moving the blade over your face the edge is the first part of the blade that touches a whisker and cuts it. Spine leading is exactly the opposite such that the spine of the blade is the first part of the blade that touches a whisker - thus the whiskers never get cut.

 

[camoloc]

I know I keep getting excited about learning different stones; however, I can say that the use of a Jnat has significantly improved my SR experience.

that and a good WD progression can completely remove etching/printing.

camo

 

[ajduplessis]

I know I keep getting excited about learning different stones; however, I can say that the use of a Jnat has significantly improved my SR experience.

that and a good WD progression can completely remove etching/printing.

View attachment 1180442

camo

I can still read “ground” ...

 

[camoloc]

I can still read “ground” ...

lol

yep will visit a couple more times on this.

camo

 

[global_dev]

lol

yep will visit a couple more times on this.

camo

so ive gone back and forth on this type of activity and whether the value is there. Sometimes i think absolutely, other times i feel like my time and sanity is worth more.

and here i find myself doing all sorts of ridiculous time consuming stuff i wont even mention that sparks joy.. at least it does for now

 

[camoloc]

so ive gone back and forth on this type of activity and whether the value is there. Sometimes i think absolutely, other times i feel like my time and sanity is worth more.

and here i find myself doing all sorts of ridiculous time consuming stuff i wont even mention that sparks joy.. at least it does for now

thought that was part of the hobby ????
(this coming from a person who wanted initially avoid this very same thing.)

I mean...... I've spent some serious time flattening rocks only to fret about how flat they may or may not be. I dished a 12 x 12 marble tile piece......theres gotta be something wrong with me.

camo

 

[global_dev]

. I dished a 12 x 12 marble tile piece......theres gotta be something wrong with me.

i intentionally dished a 12x12 glass piece!! And then bought a spherometer to make sure it was dished just right!

 

[RumpleBearskin]

I'm finding that my face complains when I use a full hollow for too many days in a row, while a string of heavier grinds doesn't seem to be a problem.

 

[ajduplessis]

I'm finding that my face complains when I use a full hollow for too many days in a row, while a string of heavier grinds doesn't seem to be a problem.

I do 2 passes six days a week, every second shave I don’t do ATG. I do agree that heavier grinds feels less intrusive but that’s said with limited experience. Healthy and well hydrated skin will also play a critical role. If your skin is not happy no razor, soap or technique will help. 50% of my shave quality and comfort I can guarantee upfront if I know my skin is healthy.

 

[ClemsonTigerz]

I’ve learned that your shave REFLECTS your stropping game. I didn’t realize how huge a role such a seemingly small part of the process had to play. Also, I’m a firm believer in the balsa strops. .5u, 0.25u, and .01u after the shave. These will get you where you need to go. It took a little while for me, but we’re getting there. I’m no longer anxious for straight shaves to feel like safety razor shaves. Elevate your stropping game- that’s where it begins once angle, pressure, & technique are mastered. Nobody ever told me that- but in terms of my search for a shave equal to a DE shave, I elevated my stropping game. Hammer THAT technique down, be generous on the leather, and the steel will be generous to your face. The love is returned. Just my 2c.

 

[rbscebu]

I’ve learned that your shave REFLECTS your stropping game. I didn’t realize how huge a role such a seemingly small part of the process had to play. Also, I’m a firm believer in the balsa strops. .5u, 0.25u, and .01u after the shave. These will get you where you need to go. It took a little while for me, but we’re getting there. I’m no longer anxious for straight shaves to feel like safety razor shaves. Elevate your stropping game- that’s where it begins once angle, pressure, & technique are mastered. Nobody ever told me that- but in terms of my search for a shave equal to a DE shave, I elevated my stropping game. Hammer THAT technique down, be generous on the leather, and the steel will be generous to your face. The love is returned. Just my 2c.

You still have some way to go if your shaves are only equalling DE shaves. Keep on improving your technique(s), all of them.

Once diamond pasted balsa stropping stops improving your edge, drop back to just the 0.1um (hanging) after each shave. That is all you will need to keep that edge perfect.

I use a different SR each shave so I just spend about 15 minutes each Sunday balsa stroppping my SR's.

 

[Tomo]

Back to basics. I used to be much more careful about stroke direction in relation to the grain. Somewhere along the line I started to relax and go a bit rouge.

I’ve recently tightened up my game and returned to the technics I had already learned but stopped focusing on. Problem areas are smoother than ever.

 

[Tomo]

Two razors is enough to get me through the week with a little touch up session on the weekend. My blades have no problem holding an edge for 3-4 shaves with stropping alone. My current ebony / ivory set may be all that I need.

 

[RumpleBearskin]

My current ebony / ivory set may be all that I need.

While it may be all that you need, I am most certain that it is not all that you require.

 

[rbscebu]

Two razors is enough to get me through the week with a little touch up session on the weekend. My blades have no problem holding an edge for 3-4 shaves with stropping alone. My current ebony / ivory set may be all that I need.

I'm getting like you. Starting to think that I might only need a few M7DS's. Fifteen minutes maintenance once a week is keeping them in perfect condition.