Thread: A Couple of Questions

Hi everyone,
I've been shaving for less then a month now and was wondering if I could ask a couple of quick questions.
First: Should I strop after I shave? If so should I use the linen side? B4 I shave I usually do 40 linen/ 60 leather. Should I just repeat this?

Second: What do the grinds mean? I asked a similar question earlier and received some info and did some studying. But I'm still unsure on the reason behind different grinds.

Third: I've been oiling my blade with baby oil. My wife had some in the house and it says that it is really purified mineral oil. It seems to work fine, and I definitely need to use some oil since I live in Washington and it hasn't stopped raining for about a week now. But I was worried about any unnoticeable longterm damage.

Fourth: What would be a good brush with really long bristles that is relatively cheap? I get up b4 my wife and she complains that she knows when I start making lather because she can hear the pinging of the brush handle against the bowl.

Fifth: I bought the Ogallala Bay rum sampler pack and it came with a sampler of the aftershave. I really liked the smell when I first put it on. But not a big fan on how it degrades throughout the day into something almost like vanilla, or a spice cake. Are there any good cheap bay rum aftershaves out there that are witch hazel based as well. I like the witch hazel feeling more then alcohol. Especially since I'm still cutting myself.

Thanks for the help.

I have had great results just stropping immediately before shaving. From what I understand, the blade "rests" and changes shape a bit over time, so I don't strop right after shaving. I probably strop 8-10 times per side, and that seems to do the trick.

Good luck and enjoy shaving with a straight!

Originally Posted by oblonglego

First: Should I strop after I shave? If so should I use the linen side? B4 I shave I usually do 40 linen/ 60 leather. Should I just repeat this?

Stroping after a shave from what I understand is mostly to make sure the blade is completely dry of all residual moisture. 5-10 quick strokes on the linen should be enough.

Second: What do the grinds mean? I asked a similar question earlier and received some info and did some studying. But I'm still unsure on the reason behind different grinds.

Grinds are the thickness of a blades edge (how much steel the razor has), the term full hollow refers to thin blades while wedges refer to very thick blades. The henckles chart LINKis a standard reference when refering to a razors grind.


The reason behind different grinds is the results yield different shaves wedges are heavy and sturdy while hollows are flexible and manuverable (some say hollows have a sharper blade too). In the end personal preferance is really what it comes down to with grinds.

Third: I've been oiling my blade with baby oil. My wife had some in the house and it says that it is really purified mineral oil. It seems to work fine, and I definitely need to use some oil since I live in Washington and it hasn't stopped raining for about a week now. But I was worried about any unnoticeable long term damage.

The only cautions about types of oils that you use are that you don't want to use oil that may be harmful to your skin. WD-40 works fine at preventing rust but has chemicals that may be harmful to your face, this is why natural oils like mineral oil is suggested. Unless the oil is well known to degrade metal you should be fine

Fourth: What would be a good brush with really long bristles that is relatively cheap? I get up b4 my wife and she complains that she knows when I start making lather because she can hear the pinging of the brush handle against the bowl.

you have a bunch of choices here:
1. first off you could try using a wider and more shallow bowl this would help you be able to mix with vigor while keeping quite

2.You can try making a custom brush handle or make a post in "the workshop" asking for someone to make you a long custom handle.

3. thegoldennib.com sells brush knots check to see if they have something you can use then just replace the knot in you current brush handle

4. Boar hair brushes usually have longer bristles than badger but are not as soft as badger. If you don't mind the pokey feeling OMEGA sells cheap boar brushes.



Fifth: I bought the Ogallala Bay rum sampler pack and it came with a sampler of the aftershave. I really liked the smell when I first put it on. But not a big fan on how it degrades throughout the day into something almost like vanilla, or a spice cake. Are there any good cheap bay rum aftershaves out there that are witch hazel based as well. I like the witch hazel feeling more then alcohol. Especially since I'm still cutting myself.

Again the cheapest way is to make your own, you can find a basic aftershave recipe in "aftershaves" section of the forum. This way you can play with the ratios to suit you.

Thanks for the help.
You welcome

Hope this helps if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Thanks for the help you guys.
I think I'm still a little confused on the grinds. What you say makes sense but I'm wondering why the razor would bend. If you are using a razor and it bends aren't you putting to mush pressure on it. I know I'm new and please don't take this as criticism I'm just trying to make sense of it. Since I've started getting into this everyone has said go very lightly and easily.
Also I was planning on making my own aftershave someday. But right now I think I better get the shaving done first. lol
Once again thanks for your help.
Tom

Here's an example of how carbon steel will flex

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9tvJ...om=PL&index=45