Shave of the day?

[unky_gumbi]

And here I thought the L meant long, guess my mind is made up then its the 89L

 

[Will Power]

I've really decided not to buy any other blades than Feather,they suit my beard and give me an irritation free shave.They're not THAT much more expensive than the others, I do recommend Derby and Bic as back up when the Feather supply is low or gone.

DE shaving shows the interesting variations between us, cartridge shaving wants to reduce our choice and awareness of a proper shave to some homogenised norm. DE blades are markedly different from each other, again this suits the individual's beard. Likewise with razors, I don't much like long handled and heavy razors, other people need and enjoy them. For me, I prefer a shorter razor with an aggressive bar or comb, I like to manoeuvre a short handled razor, it works better for me. not so much choice with cartridge razors though. Back on the quality of shave: Looking at photographs of when DE shaving was the thing, men looked like they had a closer better shave than these days. On returning to DE shaving I found this WAS true not just a trick in photography. OK, today, Vulvix boar, Taylor Shaving Shop cream and of course a Feather(held in place by a Merkur). Would I go back to cartridge,squirty fake-foam from a can?? Only if DE shaving became extinct, the internet has bought it back to my reach once more,good thing too.

 

[Rick in KY]

Faced with the prospect of buying more Mach3 Turbo cartridges at exorbitantly high prices, and, frankly being influenced by the positive experiences by my fellow BFCers, I decided to make the safety razor leap.

I purchased a 1963 Gillette Slim Adjustable from fleabay. It arrived as promised. It looked like it had never been used. I dutifully played with the TTO and adjustment features. Everything seemed to be in perfect working order.

I also ordered some shaving cream (Taylor Sandalwood), Derby blades and a synthetic brush. They all arrived at my home yesterday.

I viewed a couple wet shaving "how to" vids on Youtube. I've never used a DE to shave with and was somewhat worried I might hack my face off.

I was actually looking forward to shaving in the morning when I turned in last night.

When the time came, I dabbed a bit of the cream on my face, smeared it around a bit to evenly distribute, then applied the brush. It foamed up nicely and I was on my way!

With some trepidation, I touched the razor, which I had set for a gentle "2" setting, under my nose until I felt the blade touch my skin and gently, with no pressure, pulled it to my upper lip.

It was pulling like I was dry shaving. I felt the trail I'd just covered, it was still quite stubbly. Not what I was looking for.

I just assumed I was doing it incorrectly, so I eased back on the angle a bit, but now the blade no longer touched and I was no longer shaving at all.

I moved to my cheek and eased the blade downward. Again, the unpleasant pulling along with the rather disconcerting sensation of having a freaking raw razor blade on my face.

I assumed it was just my learning curve being flat.

I went to my jaw line. This was where I drew first blood.

Damn!
:grumpy:

I then thought, "Well, I better move this sucker down to the lowest setting and hope for the best."

I knew I was supposed to loosen the TTO feature before making adjustments, so I began to twist the thingy at the bottom of the razor.

It was already quite loose.

I hadn't tightened it after playing with the adjuster.

I looked at the razor's head and saw the blade was well above the safety bar.

Oooopsy.


I tightened it and tried again. What do you know but it worked much better. It was even too gentle...

Dumb razor.

I hope to have better results tomorrow...


Question: I was using shaving oil with my Mach 3. Would that work with the DE, or should I stick to the cream/brush deal?

Thanks.

 

[Munky88]

I've heard some people use oil underneath their lather for the first pass. But just stay and work on just your lather for awhile, at least a week or two. Just experiment with different amounts of water. Chances are your lather is too dry. Mine is still getting richer and fluffier daily.

Also about the slim, there's an extra quarter turn you can tighten it. Don't, just tighten it to just after it starts to get hard to turn.

 

[C.S. Graves]

I've heard some people use oil underneath their lather for the first pass. But just stay and work on just your lather for awhile, at least a week or two. Just experiment with different amounts of water. Chances are your lather is too dry. Mine is still getting richer and fluffier daily.

Also about the slim, there's an extra quarter turn you can tighten it. Don't, just tighten it to just after it starts to get hard to turn.

Mmm, I know certain youtube tutorials recommend a minimal amount of water in the brush prior to lathering, but I find I get a more comfortable shave with the brush SATURATED in water first. Then it's just a matter of evenly distributing the ample suds.

Rick, your tale of the uncomfortable shave reminds me of some of my own recent experiments with the variables. For some odd reason, I think I've gotten worse in the last month or two than I was just prior. Heck I was even at the point where I could almost get a close shave from a few rickety old straights. Found myself without the time to even think about using any of those again lately though.

 

[Gollnick]

I've really decided not to buy any other blades than Feather,they suit my beard and give me an irritation free shave.They're not THAT much more expensive than the others,

That's one of the neat things about DE shaving. The absolute best luxury blades are pennies per day. It's like having caviar-stuffed lobster and champagne for every meal. The height of luxury every morning for jusst a few cents. Why not? Go ahead. Treat yourself. This luxury you can afford


I do recommend keeping a stash of Dorco or Derby around because there may be times when you need a milder shave for a day or two, perhaps if you get caught outside on a bright day with no sunscreen on and end up with a bit of a burn.

 

[Gollnick]

What do you know but it worked much better. It was even too gentle...

I'm glad you got that all straightened out and it's all going well now. There's be a few more nicks long the way, I'm sure, but you'll get it all smoothed out pretty quick.

Light pressure at most. Relax. You're going to be pleased with it.

I now have 18 months of DE shaving under my belt and I can say with confidence that my every-day shave is now at least ten times better than the best shave a Gillette cartrige ever gave me. Every day, day-after-day, I have a first-class shave.

Question: I was using shaving oil with my Mach 3. Would that work with the DE, or should I stick to the cream/brush deal?

Thanks.

I would try going without the oil for a while. Some guys use it, but I would try breaking away from it and see if you can get DE working for you without the oil. You can always add it back later.

Keep in mind that while most guys can only shave once or twice per day, you can lather as many times as you want. It's perfectly fine to spend a hour in the bathroom one day lathering up, rinsing off, lathering again, etc, each time adjusting the water ratio or the technique until you find what seems best. Even then you can make fine adjustments day-to-day for the first month or two.

I suggest sticking with one lather product for the first few months just to elliminate one variable.

 

[unky_gumbi]

It's like having caviar-stuffed lobster and champagne for every meal.

I can honestly tell you that lobster everyday loses it's novelty after about a week How do I know this? My fathers side of the family are east coast lobster fishermen and very summer as kids we would go visit for 2 weeks and every day it was lobster and scallops for lunch and supper with the occasional feed of mackerel or salmon after the first week us kids would be dieing for some hamburgers or hot dogs Gee I miss those days

I understand what you are saying about the blades though, I just ordered 60 assorted blades for 21.99, that is almost less then a pack of 4 fusion blades

 

[Will Power]

Rick, don't get discouraged. I was lucky enough to start shaving with a DE razor(345 years ago...)and return to it a couple of years back. It took me a while to get it right believe me but the results are worth the effort.

Try a new Derby blade, the one you've used could be a dud.

Whip up some lather in an old cup or bowl prior to applying it to your face. Takes about 90secs to whip up a decent thick lather.

I'd leave out the shaving oil for now, its grease could be reacting with the shaving cream possibly,this might actually dry out the face.

Don't know about adjustable razors, maybe you're setting it too low? Angle is imperative and be slow at first a DE razor must feel huge like a Billhook in the hand after those cartridge jobs! You might consider not shaving for 2days it will make the razor 'bite' more accurately, helps you to judge technique better.

Gollnick, you are not wrong about the lobster analogy! That's some exquisite food, mind you, DE shaving is like wine, improving with time. Wouldn't mind drinking Gevrey Chambertin every day for that matter....

 

[LawyerSam]

Come on over to shavemyface.com. I am a moderator there. A fellow attorney, Squire, has tried a lot of blades and done reviews there. I prefer Feathers and Kais as being some of the sharpest. I can not use Derby's as they do not cut close enough.

I use an Edwin Jagger Georgian razor (Merkur head with bulbous handle) and use Feathers in it. I touch up using a Merkur Slant bar with what is called blade buffing, quick short strokes. Now, some guys use the preshave oil but that stuff never really worked for me. One thing I do like is to use a glycerin shave stick, currently I use those by QED. I rub that across the face and then use the last of the shave cream in my badger brush, and use short, quick, light strokes with skin stretched with the slant bar. I blade buff this way in all directions and that shave stick and glycerin allow the glycerin to be pushed around ahead of the blade. I can then take wet fingers and rub the mixture in all over and go at it again.

If you like custom work, I had a shave brush and the Merkur slant bar handle done in Honduran Rosewood burl by Robert Quinn at elite razors, and his prices are great for custom work. He did a mockup of the brush so he has one in stock and then I asked him how the slant bar would work in Macassar Ebony and he did that. He does other razors and brushes, so go to www.eliterazors.com and tell him Sam from Memphis sent you. Not affiliated, but when you find a great guy willing to work with you (he called a few times and tons of emails and pics) and has very good prices, I try to support him.

 

[Gollnick]

I just finishes today's Shave of the Day:

Preshave: hot shower
Razor: Merkur Futur
Blade: Feather
Lather: TGQ Soap
Brush: Merkur Futur-style
Aftershave: Liberal splash of drugstore rubbing alcohol
Shave: Two pass

Result: yet another first-class shave. Every square inch perfectly-smooth in any direction. It is an order of magnitude better than the best shave any Gillette cartridge ever gave me. I don't think it could get much better than this.

Time: 11 min 57 seconds from first twist of the faucet to last wipe of the towel on the countertop (the job isn't done until the tools are put away and the jobsite is clean).

 

[Rick in KY]

Update: I appreciate the replies and encouragement.

This morning I used the adjustable set on "4" (this time with the TTO firmly tightened ).

I was treated to a much smoother experience.

I did, however, find that the area between my nose and upper lip was very hard to shave clean. I used the "O" face technique (not the one from Office Space ). The shaver's head is quite a bit wider and I guess I haven't yet got the hang of proper maneuvering of it. Any tips for the hard to reach area just under the nostril?

willgoy: Regarding the size differential, my new (antique) razor is quite a bit smaller (handle), heavier and broader (head) than my old (Mach 3) razor. This has taken some getting used to. Also, using an angle, as opposed to the Mach 3's "squeegee-style" is quite an adjustment.

I'm tempted to move up from the 4 setting to a 5 tomorrow morning as I'm still not getting as close a shave as I was getting from the Mach 3. (Who says patience is a virtue? )

 

[Will Power]

Rick, glad to see you are progressing!

Er, the nostril area is defo difficult for me too, must be my large nose getting in the way...I have to confess that a cartridge job can get in close here. But, just stretch the skin downwards.

Woman friend of mine reckons that one reason that men's faces age better than women's is because of all the grimacing and face pulling that can go on with shaving. It could be true, but then.....

Today:
Merkur 34
Feather
Vulvix badger
Taylor Lavender cream (my current favourite)
dab of styptic pencil...I got careless....
L'Occitane juniper aftershave balm
Face feels like I was twenty! (might not LOOK it though...)

 

[Munky88]

Rick the reason your not getting a close shave is because you still need practice on holding the angle right. Changing it to 5 will just make more of the blade exposed to cut or irritate you, it probably won't help you get any closer. Leave it on 4 for now.

I get under the nose by going sideways across the grain after the preliminary WTG.


Bad shave today. I don't want to talk about it

 

[unky_gumbi]

No shave today to hot and sticky here 28.5C in the shade and humidity is high. I will wait till tonight after the sun goes down, can't wait till next week when I can give the new DE stuff a try:thumbup:

 

[Gollnick]

I get under the nose by going sideways across the grain after the preliminary WTG.

This is exactly how I have come to handle my upper lip. I do a very light north-to-south (WTG, with-the-grain) pass just to knock the stubble down a bit and then a second pass across-the-grain (ATG), "sideways" using very short, about 1/4", strokes. Works great.

 

[Rick in KY]

I followed Munky and Gollnick's advices of staying at a 4 and decreasing the number of variables, respectively.

I also tried Munky's sideways, across the grain technique for the under the nose area. I didn't bleed for long.


I'll try Gollnick's method of short strokes, as I used long ones to effect the cut.

 

[Munky88]

I can honestly tell you that lobster everyday loses it's novelty after about a week How do I know this? My fathers side of the family are east coast lobster fishermen and very summer as kids we would go visit for 2 weeks and every day it was lobster and scallops for lunch and supper with the occasional feed of mackerel or salmon after the first week us kids would be dieing for some hamburgers or hot dogs Gee I miss those days

East coast prisons used to feed prisoners lobster regularly when it used to be cheap peasant food. The prisoners would riot. Theres now a law in place under prisoner treatment that prisoners cant be fed lobster more than 3 or 4 times a week. It's now the food most requested for last meals.

Carefull Rick Might help if you went from nose to outside of the lip as-well. Less to snag on. Just go slow and you should be fine next time.

 

[unky_gumbi]

Well even though I wont have my DE till Wednesday I figured I would share my shave today.

Razor: Fusion Power:barf:
Blade: only thing I can use with above mass produced thing
Soap: Proraso Aloe and Green Tea for ultra sensitive skin
Brush: Omega Boars hair

Pre shave: a long hot shower, soaked brush and razor in hot water while in the shower.

Shave: 4 passes followed by a light buffing

After shave: just cold water.

Result: as near as I can get to BBS in both directions.I admit that the cartridge in my razor is getting dull, but with 60 blades arriving on Wednesday I wont be spending anything on more cartridges for a razor I hope to never use again.
I was able to get an amazing lather today, it just didn't seem to quit:thumbup:. Because of the less than sharp blades I do have a touch of razor burn, but not much.

This is the only shave of the day for me till I get my EJ89L, now I am off to make a sheath for a knife, have a great day.
George

 

[Munky88]

may not be a bad idea to have day or two stubble for your first DE shave. May help you figure out angles better.

Did against the grain yesterday and had some irritation and bumps. so I just did a single wtg pass, and rubbed the minor ingrown hairs bumps out with a toothbrush. Don't think I'll be trying that again for awhile. face feels fine now though.