Thread: I'm SCARED!

Originally Posted by Nightblade

I use Camellia oil because that's what Lynn Abrams uses and sells and he is the founder and top honemeister here so I go with the pros.

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

@Nightblade, Yeah saw that video, that guy is good!
Funny you mention oil, just took out the razor to find a spot of rust on the shank. I tried to make sure it was dry before putting it away but clearly it wasn't. I did spread some Eucalyptus oil on it (will that work), or what about a thin smear of extra virgin olive oil?...

Camellia oil it is then..(forgive me for tidying up the HTML :-))

All my blades are clean steel - no fancy etchings to worry about - and I just give them a rub now and then with some Mothers mag and aluminum polish. It says on the can it cleans and protects... don't know what's in it that does the 'protecting' but my razors are nice and shiney.

Fourth (and best) shave tonight (7PM). Got organised after seeing and being inspired by mjhammer's setup, left it a day after my last shave, filled up shaving bowl with hot water, had a hot shower, put shaving cream on IN the shower, put brush in shaving bowl on sink, left shaving cream on face for the duration of the shower, washed it off, put some hair conditioner on face, washed it off, got out, dried, dressed, filled sink with hot water, wet face, more shaving cream on, shaved, felt MUCH better than last time, (maybe I was more confident), swapped hands and changed grips a lot, decided on holding the razor with only three fingers really; index finger over shank, middle finger on tang, thumb under shank. Did whole face WTG, even under neck a bit, then did a bit ATG on jaw line. I'm still finding the jaw line (mine seems a bit bony) and neck difficult, but it's only shave #4!

I still don't have a strop, so, I got a newspaper, put it on the edge of the dining room table, and stropped 20 or so times on that!

All in all that was a nice shave, and will do me I think until maybe the weekend (I'll buy a strop (hanging) Friday) :-)

That strop is an all important tool mate. The sooner you have one the better. If you get stuck give me a yell. See what I can sort out for you.


Mick

get a cheap strop and watch some stroping videos

I carved a wooden blade from a tongue depressor in the same shape and size as my razor blade. Scraping lather off with that helped me to get a feel for the angles with no chance of injury. The other thing that helped me was realizing that the angle of the handle from vertical was the same as the angle of the blade. This is easy to see in the mirror also. After a few shaves you learn what the range of angles can be for getting a close shave without scraping or cutting on various parts of your face.

Originally Posted by MickR

That strop is an all important tool mate. The sooner you have one the better. If you get stuck give me a yell. See what I can sort out for you.


Mick

Cool, thanks Mick. I pick up a Dovo strop tomorrow (100 buckeroonies), bit narrower than what I wanted but they're as rare as hens' teeth. I may still get a paddle strop later, if the wife doesn't arc up about it...