The Ogie Thread - A Romantic Novel

Ok.. so I got home from work and much to my surprise, the Robert Klass razor from hi_bud_gl is sitting in my mailbox... VERY FAST shipping hi_bud_gl -- the guy is a class act and I'll work with him anytime.... Anyway its a fine piece of work. The blade feeeeeeeeeels very sharp on the TPT. I didn't bother stropping it out of the bag as it was nicely packed with some mineral oil on the blade and hi_bud_gl said it would be shave ready. I attached some pics. I'm happy with it.

So I figured I'd give it a whirl. I had a solid 2-3 days stubble (which for me is more like a short beard). I got a nice hot towel and applied it 2-3 times, reheating it each time to really get everything opened up. Since I haven't gotten around to getting a real "shave soap" yet (yes, I know, problem #1), I used what I usually use, which is a fragrance-free basic foam, but I added some water and re-foamed to make it less airy and more creamy.

Razor out... here we go. Started out WTG on the cheeks. First pass was great. Concentrated on my angle (30 degrees or less) and took it slow, making sure not to force it if it catches and keep the blade loose. Only one nick per cheek, and both times it was because of the spike at the end (need to be cognisant of this thing or else I'm going to look like Freddy Kruger).

So I went for the neck, which for me is always a daunting task, since my grain is crazy. On the left side of my neck (my left) the grain moves down and towards the right side. On the right side, the grain also moves to the right, but kind of up. I know... the mechanics of it are mindboggling. I can't fathom a WTG or ATG motion on the neck since the grain goes sideways, so I did two XTG motions and they turned out great. Not BBS, but respectable for a first run.

I went back to the cheeks and tried to do an XTG motion and hacked myself up pretty good. Figured from there I'd call it quits... stropped the blade for the first time (about 30 passes), which was an awkward motion trying to concentrate on everything I've learned and not to go too slow at the same time

I mentioned in another post about how sensitive my skin is, so I think getting it firmed up will be key. Below are some taking-away points:

1. Get real soap. I'll check out some recommendations and make that move ASAP.
2. My angle is good but my pressure is probably a little heavy. I'm a brute with most things in life so this does not surprise me. I have a hell of a time doing anything gently.
3. Under the nose was surprisingly successful, but the whiskers that go all the way up to the nose seem difficult to get. How the hell am I supposed to hack those buggers while maintaining a 30 degree angle? I bang into my nose.

Anyway.. I am excited to be on this kick now. I hope it sticks and I start having some success. I'm going to start scouring the classifieds for another razor just so I can see how two of them compare.

Sorry for the long post. Special thanks to hi_bud_gl for the great razor and the lightning fast shipping.

Here we go!

Ogie

Two shaves (had to give my face some time to rest) and a few nicks later (some larger than others), I think I'm getting the hang of it. I think I need a new strop since the one I have is way too short (and maybe too cheap). I got it at a local shop for like 9 bucks and I can't be sure if I'm getting a good strop.

Any recommendations?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oglethorpe

1. Get real soap. I'll check out some recommendations and make that move ASAP.
2. My angle is good but my pressure is probably a little heavy. I'm a brute with most things in life so this does not surprise me. I have a hell of a time doing anything gently.
3. Under the nose was surprisingly successful, but the whiskers that go all the way up to the nose seem difficult to get. How the hell am I supposed to hack those buggers while maintaining a 30 degree angle? I bang into my nose.

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1. This helped me a lot! Make sure to lather as the videos show. A good creamy leather made the difference between pulling and smooth shaving.
3. I think I found an old-time diagram/website from the wiki, but it basically showed that you put the blade at a 90 degree to your face (scary) and roll it while going down. I waited a whole week before trying this maneuver but surprisingly it was not too bad. Before then I would carefully go across this area, slightly downward and that got most of it. Carefully using the tip of the blade, I could work the mustache off my face, but it would take a good 10 minutes just on that spot. The new, scary method does much faster (take it slow though). Did I say carefully enough?

Alright!

hi_bud_gl posted another set of razors that look great. I had been looking for a W&B (or another example of something from Sheffield), and this one looks great. I snatched it up as soon as I saw it.

So now I'll have two razors to compare and get a feel for. I'm on my way. Thanks hi_bud_gl.

Also, for any other new guys out there looking to spend under 100 bucks, there are two or three other razors from this seller in the classifieds today. I have already gotten one from him and the shipping was fast and the blade is great and sharp.

Here are the pics:

two great looking razors. The spike point suits them very well.

Do a search for the 'coupe de maitre' - that's the pass for you're upper lip mentioned above. Simple but effective.

Stops - Kenrup and Tony Miller get great write ups on their beginner strops here. Reasonably priced as well.

Good luck!

I forgot to mention that I got a kenrup strop earlier this week. He says he's making it this weekend so I'll have it sometime next week. In the meantime, I'll have the W&B shave ready so it should hold me until the new one comes in. The strop I have sucks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oglethorpe

I forgot to mention that I got a kenrup strop earlier this week. He says he's making it this weekend so I'll have it sometime next week. In the meantime, I'll have the W&B shave ready so it should hold me until the new one comes in. The strop I have sucks.

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Ah, good choice!

If it's really bad then you could try news paper - after I put a slight roll on the edge of the toe of mine I was using newspaper for 3 or 4 days so I didn't scratch my strop - worked quite well.