Grandfather's old shaving kit
I have a few old bits of shaving gear inherited from my grandfather that I'm trying to learn how to use. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
First, there's a trio of DE razors. One is plastic (with SHS Sweden on the head), and is what I'm trying first. It seems to work fairly well, though there's a lot less control than with the straight razor I'm used to. Any suggestions on how to improve, and particularly on shaving the chin? It's always been a nightmare for me, and the best I can do right now is to shave it from the sides since going against the grain around a tight curve is a nightmare.
The other two razors appear to be Gillettes. The older one is adjustable, the newer isn't. Both are covered in dried skin slurry, and I'm not comfortable shaving with them until they've been cleaned out. Does anyone have any advice on how to do so? I'll probably need to oil them both after cleaning as well, and have no idea how.
Last is the real prize. It's a Twinplex DE stropping machine, patented in 1915. Alas, no date of manufacture. Everything seems to be mechanically sound, but the leather strops themselves look a scuffed and likely needs to be washed. There is also some green residue where the leather is attached to the metal. I can't take the unit apart, so I'll have to clean it through the window over the mechanism. Can this unit be restored to working order, or it effectively a show piece?
Thanks in advance,
TEGS