Need Honing

**gssixgun** · 05-16-2009, 03:20 AM

Kudo's to the Mad Max !!!!!!

Go shave already Bassguy

**gugi** · 05-16-2009, 04:51 AM

Great job, Max!

**gregs656** · 05-16-2009, 08:33 AM

That's really cool, what a fantastic way to learn.

**Joeman** · 05-16-2009, 01:44 PM

Kudos to Max!

**Maximilian** · 05-16-2009, 05:53 PM

He Justin,

it was a pleasure having you over. Anytime.

You're a fast learner and a smart kid. That shows.

Now guys what Justin didn't tell you is that he came with a Geneva, Boker, Fili and MK31... and all in pretty good condition. Now how about that for a newbie starter kit!

And he plays Jazz (double bass)... Maybe he could do a jam session with Alex at the National SRP gathering held in Vegas (hopefully one day... I can only dream

)

**gugi** · 05-16-2009, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by Maximilian

Now guys what Justin didn't tell you is that he came with a Geneva, Boker, Fili and MK31... and all in pretty good condition.

Actually he did tell us, Max. I was a bit disappointed - would've been so much more impressive if you'd helped him with a 7-day zeepk set....

**Maximilian** · 05-16-2009, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by gugi

would've been so much more impressive if you'd helped him with a 7-day zeepk set....

**bassguy** · 05-16-2009, 10:55 PM

Holy ****.

But I digress. I started this thread, now I'm going to hijack it to document my experience with each razor, as Max kindly requested. Here's my first story:

C.V. Heljestrand MK 31 Eskilstuna 5/8 Full Hollow

Prep

Took a shower, washed my face with Aveda Gel Cleanser, put on Aveda Shave Cream (girlfriend goes to Aveda spa school, get the stuff dirt cheap) and jojoba oil to prep while I boiled some water. Soaked the steam towel and massaged my face. Then took the La Toja shave stick to my mug, being generous with the silvertip time. (I think I got the water ratio closer to correct on the 2nd pass, started to dry so slightly but fixed that with hot water on the base of the knot)

Shave

Then I grabbed my new and freshly honed MK31 and went to town. I kept remembering Seraphim's thread about no pressure, and here it was. With no pressure at all I was gliding through hair effortlessly. I experimented with how delicately I could take the razor to my face. It gave me the ability I guess to pay more attention to stretching and angle. I thought a lot about grip this time as well. The thumb notch isn't the intuitive place to put my thumb- I wanted it to balance like a violin bow, with my thumb slightly back -but I got used to it.
ATG always scared me under my chin and today the tougher hairs there put up as little trouble as the very fine hairs in the corner of my mouth (anyone else get those?)
I even took a third clean up pass, something I normally don't attempt because my face feels too raw to go on safely. Just three spots around my jawline.

Post Shave

I finnished (hah!) with Aveda After Shave, a touch of jojoba to the hands and face, and! I feel so smooth, hardly any irritation. What redness I do have I think might be my face not liking something in La Toja, seems like a familiar sting and location: from corners of mouth and down maybe a half inch. Also lopped off the top of a previous razor bump, bled very mildly. My cheeks feel especially smooth, but I haven't had this level of smoothness ever. It isn't perfect, but this is a new plateau entirely.

Final Thoughts

The only totally BBS shave I've had was given to me by the master barber at the Art of Shaving store in the Palazzo. Until I reach that standard I will not declare anything as such, though large portions of my face are silky smooth, the best so far.
My main concern now is how careful I must be when I strop. I would hate to mess any of the Perfect 10 edges Max bestowed upon my humble rotation. But this is how we learn.
I'm getting closer to settling on a regular 'flight pattern' around my face. Every video has similarities and differences, and finding the path that suits my face the best is getting clearer each time.
Also, I have no choice but to make playlists for each razor now, each being from different parts of the world. Sweden, America, Spain, Germany... good mix of cultures. Sibelius is the only logical choice for me with this MK31. He's Finnish but...as they say, close enough for jazz. And appearantly Eskilstuna has a huge Finn population. SO...
By the way, I low balled an offer on another MK31 on the bay several days ago, and he accepted my offer! What am I going to do with two of these beauties?

Dig The Moustache

**gugi** · 05-16-2009, 11:14 PM

those heljes are nice, aren't they?

BTW that on on ebay looks like no.30 - it's quite a bit smaller - fun razor but very different from no.31

**bassguy** · 05-19-2009, 10:43 PM

After driving all over town to get a shipment from Australia, I finally came home to get ready for work:

Filarmonica Doble Temple #13

Prep

Took a shower, washed my face with Aveda Gel Cleanser, put on Anthony's Logistics preshave oil (bit thick for me), then Aveda Shave Cream (going for consistency) to prep while I boiled some water. I dropped what was left of my Leatherneck sample into my bowl, then poured hot water into the sample jar and shook. I planned to use this to hydrate my lather and clean the jar with one stone, but I knocked it over at some point. I then proceeded to use a new Desert Ironwood Brush from bryce72 in Australia to build the foam. I like this brush so far, great feel in the hand and not too soft on the face.
Playing in the background was Spanish guitar great, Andres Segovia. Click the video below to enjoy him playing Mozart

Shave

I took extra care to pay attention to angles this time, to see how low I could go. The Filarmonica whacked through the hairs so easy I couldn't believe it. The tough hairs around my chin gave it no more trouble than my cheek provided I kept the angle low. I probably wouldn't have needed a 2nd pass if it weren't for my technique in some areas. But I had exhausted the Leatherneck, so I added just a touch of Provence Lavender to bring the lather back to life. I had added too much hot water to the base of the brush, making it watery. The Provence Lavender was a nice touch, but the Leatherneck still dominates, an hour after the shave.

Post Shave

I finished with a hot, then cold water rinse, dabbed a few spots with a stypic pencil, then applied the TGQ aftershave. I almost didn't need the pencil, as the nicks were so small that I couldn't find the spots that were bleeding. I blame technique for those nicks, and a few remaining visible hairs on my cheek, but under my chin and jawline are so smooth. My neck isn't as red, but the corners of my mouth still are slightly. I wonder why my skin is having such difficulty there...

Final Thoughts

I think this razor is heavier, harder, and bigger than my other razors, which made it balance in my hand very nicely, and allowed me to slice through hairs easier than I have before. The blade was just more stable in my hand than I am used to. Maybe it was the nice music, maybe just more experience under my belt, but this was a very nice shave for me. I was able to concentrate on technique, but also the art of shaving itself. Don't know how to explain it any other way than musically: there came a point where I was able to exercise artistic will with every note I played on my bass, where I was aware of what each note meant before I played it, and glide along with the music as if I were simply listening. Like Zen, or Tao, where it just happens and I get to have fun with it. I'm nowhere near that yet, but I felt glimmers of it in places, especially under my jawline and chin.
Most confident shave yet.

Dig The Magic Flute

Thread: Need Honing

LinkBack

Thread Tools

Display

The Following User Says Thank You to gssixgun For This Useful Post:

The Following User Says Thank You to Maximilian For This Useful Post:

pardon my language but...

I'm from New Jersey, not Philly

Posting Permissions