Thread: The Noob Chronicle - My Straight Razor Experience

The Straight Road - Part 64: The Return of the Bow
After several days of frustration with my TI Le Canadien Snakewood, I decided to change it up and shave with my W&B Bow Razor, also honed off the Nortons. This razor had last received a conservative pyramid, after feeling a little bit less than smooth on my last shave. Today was the first test since then.

The Anticipation
With several days of less-than-stellar shaves behind me, I was really looking forward to trying something different and, hopefully, something smoother. My Le Canadien in Snakewood is going to get shave-ready, but I don't know when or how, yet. That said, this razor is usually a wonderfully smooth little shaver, so I was ready to give it another whirl. Choosing my gear for the shave presented something of a challenge, but I finally settled on Trumper's Coconut Oil soap, Dominica Bay Rum and my Omega Pro 49. This week will have a tropical air about it, with Bay Rum and coconut mixing with a nice bottle of Kraken black spiced rum I bought.


The Prep
With SWMBO and SWMBO Jr. both out at dance class, I was able to take my time with a nice hot shower. Prior to that, I primed the soap with a few drops of water, filled the scuttle and deposited the brush in the soaking reservoir. Though this razor had been stropped after its honing, I decided to give it a good 50 on the 'roo, just to make sure it was ready to go. That out of the way, brush dripping and ready, it was time to get that Trumper's Coconut sample going.

The Lather
Amazing. This soap has a great scent and it lathers like a dream. Now that I am getting the hang of the lathering with a wet brush to start, it is really producing abundant and phenomenal lathers. I loaded the brush for quite a while, which gave me a great start on building in the bowl. I've taken to applying a bit more force on the brush while building my lathers, which has rewarded me with creamier lathers with less bubbles. Such a simple thing, but such a great result. I had enough lather for about 5 passes, though I only needed three, with minor touch-ups at the end. With today's performance, the scent and the ease of lathering, this soap has bulled its way into consideration for The Keeper list.

The Shave
The shave was very nice today. The smoothness of this blade, the keenness of the edge and the ease with which it mowed through my stubble made this one a winner. I think this blade could get even a touch smoother with a bit of a run on the finisher, which bodes very well for its shaving future. It's a pretty amazing thing to take a shaving tool, made over 120 years ago, take it to a shave-ready, then get a nice smooth comfortable shave. It really gives a great sense of satisfaction. The first pass was effortless, without any issues, while on the second pass I did try to get too fancy on my upper lip, which rewarded me with a very shallow slice. Luckily, it was shallow and didn't bleed. The third pass went very well, including the tricky area under my chin, so that was encouraging. There was a bit of tenderness, which is why I think that this blade has even more smoothness to give. In the end, my neck is a bit of a mess from the beating it took the other day, so I should probably give my ingrowns a few days to heal up. If I can resist shaving, that is.

The Verdict
After so many days of frustration, I was considering putting my kit up for sale and just settling down with a few well-honed blades and my touch-up hone. But that fit of madness is behind me. Today reminded me of all the great reasons I enjoy this hobby and why I keep at it. With more restorations getting closer to fruition, I know my honing will continue to improve, while this blade from today could also use the lightest of touch-ups.

I guess just being on The Straight Road could be seen as madness by some, but I think I'm right where I belong!

I managed to get some time in at the restoration this afternoon. A really nice 7/8 W&B Wedge is getting closer to being finished. The scales are in the finishing stage, with the first application of Tung Oil out of the way, but the blade is going to require a lot of time to polish up to where I want it to be. I suppose it's time to find a few movies to watch and get to sanding. My Llyn Melynllyn also took up a good hour of lapping time today, though it still needs more as the seller definitely did what could only be called a very rough flattening. Then there's my W&B 7/8 Bow Razor, which is a beauty. I think I might try to find someone with a tumbler, so it can be polished with minimal metal removal. The scales are already roughed out, but will require another trip to Maxi's shop to shape and prepare for sanding.

Maybe I'll have a few more razors to add to my rotation in the next few weeks!

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Cheers,

Jack

The Straight Road - Part 65: Tweaking and Tuning
After yesterday's pleasant three-pass shave, I probably should have held off until Monday night for my next one, especially since my skin still wasn't at 100% after the Thursday massacre. My neck has quite a few ingrowns that are irritated and could use the break. But for some reason, I can leave well enough alone. I pulled out the Norton 4k/8k and gave the Bow about 15 finishing strokes, hoping to refine the already decent edge it had. Whether this was beneficial or not is unclear, but it was what I did. I spent several rounds with the DMT 325 and my Llyn Melynllyn today, in doses of about 15 minutes each time. I am up to about two hours of lapping time and the end is in sight. There are still some rough spots around the edges and on the corners, which I could probably leave alone if I weren't just the slightest bit anal. I also spent some time sanding my W&B wedge, this time dropping the grit right down to 150 in hopes of making some progress on the pitting on the blade. Once again, progress was made, but cut short after about 30 minutes because, in a moment of carelessness, I put a nice little slice in my index finger. It's not shaving sharp, but it's still sharp! Somewhere in between all this activity, I headed into the bathroom for a shave.

The Anticipation
Basking in the glow of last night's success, I decided to head back to the shave for an encore. I've had pretty good luck with this razor and, after engaging in shaving-related activity all day, it only seemed fitting that I would have another go with it. That, plus I wanted to get cleaned up before dinner, since this is the week leading up to my 8th wedding anniversary, thereby impressing SWMBO with my cleanliness and smooth face.

The Prep
After a busy day that consisted of morning housework, lunch at my grandmother's, afternoon skating and then razor restoration work, I was about ready for a nice hot shower, so that's what I did. I finished up with Real Shaving Creamy Face wash, determined to soften my stubble as much as possible. While it's not that abundant, the individual whiskers are still tough enough to give a razor trouble. The Omega Pro 49 had spent the duration of the quick shower soaking in a small dish of hot water, while I had also dribbled a few drops onto the small sample of Trumper's Coconut soap in its dish. With the razor already stropped, it was time to hit the soap.

The Lather
I'm starting to get into a nice groove with my lather of late. Face or scuttle, boar or badger, things have been working fairly well in the past few weeks, despite a couple of wobbly moments with the MWF. Today was a great day to test the wet brush load on a face-lather. I decided to shake a bit of the water out before loading, as usually it gets a bit messy on a face lather. Then I went to work, swirling for a good 45 seconds on the puck and then working the lather into my face. There was some initial madness as the heavily loaded brush let go some of its cargo, but after that it produced a wonderful lather, thick and slick, though perhaps a touch too hydrated for my tastes. I definitely will have to adjust the initial water load when face lathering, but in the end, I got it sorted out and had enough for three passes with some left over in the brush. Trumper's Coconut is really nice, definitely cementing its place as a top contender for me with its performance and scent.

The Shave
My face was still a bit tender, so the shave wasn't as comfortable as it might have been. I also wonder if I didn't go too far with my touch-ups on the blade. Either way, by the third pass I was feeling a touch of burn on the jawline and neck, as well as a bit of irritation on my cheeks. Still, the shave itself went reasonably well and I can't complain too loudly, as I ended up smooth and nick-free. Still, more comfort would have been nice. I think I'll skip Monday and wait until Tuesday for my next one.

The Post
Post-shave cleanup after face-lathering is really easy, as there is only the brush to rinse. That out of the way, I really went to town on the cold water, helping soothe my face. I know I said I would test some shaves without alum, but I decided that tonight it would be a good idea to apply it, given the burn I was feeling. While it did sting, it wasn't as bad as I'd expected. The witch hazel helped, but then the Dominica Bay Rum stepped in, reminding me what sting is all about. Once the fires had subsided a bit, I applied Trumper's Fragrance Free, helping to moisturize and soothe a bit more. That done, it was dinner time!

The Verdict
Well, it was tough to judge the edge tonight, given the state of my skin, but I think that it could use a touch more smoothness. It had no trouble with the whiskers, but I don't think it's as smooth as it was yesterday. As JaNorton draws to a close, I've learned that these hones can certainly produce a nice-shaving edge, but the coticule edge I got on my 7/8 W&B Barber's Use is still the best one I've had in January. I suppose I was pushing it a bit and should let my skin have a break, so that also factors into the equation. February promises to be an interesting month of discovery, as I move through my samples and learn my coticule.

More learning and more exploring, dead ahead on The Straight Road!

My restorations are starting to catch my attention again after a bit of a lull in enthusiasm, so I'm hoping I can get my big blade sanded and polished to an acceptable level for use some time in the next week or so. The scales are coming along nicely, with a second application of Tung oil adding even more depth and lustre to the padauk today. I am excited to bring this big beast of a razor back to life! My bocote brush is also sitting there, staring at me with its bald head. I will have to figure out how to drill out that knot without destroying the handle, so hopefully I can get that figured out soon. Lots to do, lots to learn!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack

jdto,

Just wanted to say thanks for your thread. I just joined the site and started straight razor shaving a few days ago. I spent a few hours this weekend reading your entire thread from the beginning! Outstanding! Besides the entertainment value, I definitely picked up several things from your experiences. Thanks again, and keep it going!


JC

The Straight Road - Part 66: Tropical Breeze
It's been nearly a week since my last straight shave, which left my skin a bit tender and prompted me to take a break from the open blade. Well, it turns out that my break didn't do me any good, as my alternate, a Gillette Fatboy, gave me the worst case of ingrown hairs I've had on my neck since I stopped using a Fusion. I have had some ingrown problems with straights, but nothing like this, though my brief stints with my Merkur 38c have also given me more than my share of issues. These were the worst I've had since probably about August (well before I touched a DE or straight). Literally the whole right side of my neck was a morass of irritated, ingrown hairs, painful and itchy. This took several days to even clear up to the point where I would risk touching my neck again with a blade, so I waited from Wednesday to Saturday to resume my journey.

The good thing is, on The Straight Road, even when I'm not straight razor shaving, I'm still working on something interesting. This week I've been restoring a W&B wedge, which at one point was almost a full 8/8 blade. Unfortunately, during sanding, I must have weakened the edge near a pit on the blade, because all of a sudden, I was looking at a huge 1/8" chip in the razor, as well as a much smaller chip beside it. That hit my like a punch in the stomach, as I am really enjoying the restoration of this blade, but I had hoped to keep it in the imposing 8/8 range. Alas, it was not to be, so I fixed the edge on my DMT 325 and soldiered on, sanding for about 3 or 4 hours to remove pits and marks on the blade. Even after so much sanding, the blade still showed a lot of pitting and scoring on the surface, so I decided I would have to turn to my mentor, Maxi, and his buffing wheels. On Saturday, we made last minute plans for a quick shop day, so I packed up some of my current projects and walked up the road to his place.

Amongst my projects for the day were a re-knotting of my bocote wood brush handle, roughing out the horn scales for my W&B 7/8" Bow Razor (this one's going to be a beauty) and, of course, buffing my wedge. Maxi had scales, buffing and honing work to do, as well as pinning, so we ended up spending about 4.5 hours in the shop, with great results.

Here are some photos of my brush work (I'm saving the razor blade shots for when the restoration is finished)

Here's how it started:


Then I cut it down




Drilled it out with Maxi's drill press




And finally with the new TGN Finest knot set. I hope to use this brush tomorrow!


The horn scales that I roughed out are also quite advanced, so I am looking forward to the sanding process to take them from rough pieces to shiny, finished scales, ready for a worthy blade. Of course, once we were done in the shop and I'd hiked my way home, I got down to setting the knot in my brush. When that was out of the way, I decided to take my re-honed W&B 11/16 Bow Razor and go for a shave.

The Anticipation
After nearly a week, you can imagine I was chomping at the bit to get back to the straight. I've also done quite a bit of honing this week, laying aside the Nortons in favour of my coticule. I honed my TI Le Canadien 6/8 Snakewood, my W&B 11/16 Bow (today's choice), my Nagamasa Kamisori and touched up my Yamamasa Kamisori, as well. I also received my Llyn Melynllyn (LM) hone, which required hours of lapping, so that was another task for the week. I ended up honing the Bow Razor using the dilucot methoed which had given me good success on my 7/8 Barber's Use, then finished it on my Chinese Natural (C-Nat). I also finished the Le Canadien on the LM and the kamisori, as well. Hopefully the wonderful purple slate from Wales will prove to be a nice finisher, though I do find the hone to be a bit wide for my tastes, as I seem to be enjoying the narrower coticule feeling over the wider hones I have in my arsenal. I suppose time will tell. Maybe I'll cut it in half some day. Anyway, I was inspired to try something a bit new (for me) in this shave, by combining my Trumper's Coconut shaving soap with T&H West Indian Limes and glycerine for a tropical überlather. Along with my Dominica Bay Rum, I figured it would help chase away the February blahs.

The Prep
Even though I'd already showered this morning, I opted for another quick shower before my shave (that, plus it probably wouldn't hurt to rinse off the small particles kicked up from sanding horn and buffing blades). I ran very hot water from the tap and filled my scuttle, then plopped my Omega Pro 49 into the reservoir and hopped in for a quick shower. Less than five minutes later, I was out and towelling off, having already stropped my Bow Razor before starting the whole ritual. As a precaution, I also stropped my W&B 7/8 Barber's Use Bocote, just in case the edge on the Bow still wasn't up to snuff.

The Lather
You put the lime in the coconut...

I swirled the big Omega on the soap, picking up about half as much as I usually do, which I then transferred to the scuttle, where the lime shaving cream and a few drops of glycerine were already waiting. The lather produced by this combination was slick, protective and still thick. The glycerine really does add thickness and stickiness to the lather, while we already know that T&H creams and Trumper's soaps lather with the best of them. The result was enough lather to shave two or three faces, even though I have just the one. The scent was quite nice, with the Trumper's coconut tempering the sometimes overpowering T&H limes to combine for an exquisite experience. Three passes, touch-ups and I still had enough lather for another pass or three!

The Shave
The Bow Razor needs more work. I gave it until the end of the first cheek, but it was definitely pulling. I will get out the coti tomorrow and take it for another ride, as I know it can take a great edge and if I can get an edge like on the Barber's, then I'll be in good shape. The Barber's did what can only be described as a phenomenal job, scything through four days of growth with ease, comfortable and smooth. The coticule edge is really a beauty, when you get it right. At least for my skin. I went for my usual three passes, got mostly BBS/DFS and no razor burn, so the end result was an excellent shave from a beauitiful razor.

The Post
After the great combination of lather products, I decided to combine post-shave products as well. After the alum and witch hazel, I splashed on a generous helping of Dominica Bay Rum, which only burned a little bit, always a good sign that the shave went well. That done, I puttered about, cleaning, rinsing and stowing my gear, before opening my T&H West Indian Limes ASB sampler, which I slathered onto my face and neck, soothing and moisturizing even further. I must admit, I wasn't a fan of the product on its own, but combined with the Bay Rum, it works. SWMBO also approved of the overall scent combo after I'd dabbed on a bit of my WIL cologne sample.

The Verdict
It really feels nice to be back in the saddle. I won't be making the DE mistake again any time soon, I hope. It always leads to trouble when I try to shave with anything than a straight. I realize I still need to work on my honing, but I am determined to master my coticule, so it will be an interesting period of trial and error as I learn my stone. The Bow Razor and the Le Canadien will be made to shave wonderfully again, I just need to be patient.

Patience is of utmost importance on The Straight Road!

I hope, after reading this post, that you all have the "Lime in the Coconut" song stuck in your heads, because I do and I want to share the joy!

It's been a trying time for me lately on the hones, but I know that perseverance will pay off. I've had wonderful edges, so it's just a question of dialling in my technique and staying the course. I am quite excited for my next two restores, both of which are really beautiful razors. Watch for them in the next few weeks!

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Cheers,

Jack

Originally Posted by jdto

The Straight Road - Part 66: Tropical Breeze

I hope, after reading this post, that you all have the "Lime in the Coconut" song stuck in your heads, because I do and I want to share the joy!

Thank!!@#@%!! I didn't until you wrote that line!
Another very nice read, I like the brush re-hair photos, I'm going to try one of those soon.

Brush re-knotting is pretty straightforward, just don't be afraid. Be careful, but not afraid.

Originally Posted by jdto

...snip....
I am excited to bring this big beast of a razor back to life! My bocote brush is also sitting there, staring at me with its bald head. I will have to figure out how to drill out that knot without destroying the handle, so hopefully I can get that figured out soon. ...snip...

Jack,

If you already own a Dremel, for removing a knot consider a Dremel bit that is
shaped like an inverted cone. A patient man with an X-acto knife can do it too.

Something like this:
116 High Speed Cutter / Model: 116

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Jack,

If you already own a Dremel, for removing a knot consider a Dremel bit that is
shaped like an inverted cone. A patient man with an X-acto knife can do it too.

Something like this:
116 High Speed Cutter / Model: 116

Thanks for the tip. Next time I need to reknot a brush, I'll give that a go. Luckily, I was able to use Maxi's drill press (see my previous post).

Hi Guys

I have been busy so have not had chance to catch up, its a bit like my wife watching all her soaps i have to get my fix to.
I am still waiting for my razor but have managed to pick up a few other bits. I have my first badger hair brush with stand. What a difference that makes its wonderful especially when its been soaked, although i could have done without the smell for the first few days. I also managed to get a sample pack from Truefitt & Hill, i now have some idea of the range of fragrances and creams available. The only thing decided so far is that West indian limes will not be a regular in my rotation as the wife is not very keen on it at all. Shame really as i quite liked it, but thats life.
Fingers crossed next time i will have my razor and can then upload some pictures of my aquisitions.

Regards

Ritchie

The Straight Road - Part 67: A Hectic Schedule
It has been a busy time of it the past few days on The Straight Road, so I end up writing up a couple of different shaves after the fact. On Sunday, I spent a good deal of time working on my restoration projects, after having spent Saturday afternoon at Maxi's shop. I sanded my W&B wedge with 1k, which seemed to help a bit after finishing up at 600 on the buffer at the shop. I'm not sure if it will turn out ok or not, but I do know it will need more time. Either that, or another couple of hours of buffer action! I also took the roughly finished horn scales and polished them all the way from 400 grit up to 12000, then put them in a plastic baggie with some neatsfoot oil to help keep them in top shape. They'll get another run of 12k in a few days, after which I'll take them to Maxi's for a buffer treatment. Hopefully, I'll get an amazing, glossy horn finish.

On another note, I got down to business on some honing touch-up work. I took my underperforming razors (W&B 11/16 Bow Razor, TI Le Canadien 6/8 Snakewood, W&B 6/8 Smiler and W&B 7/8 Barber's Use Bocote) and worked them on the coticule. The first three got a full dilucot treatment, while the 7/8 Bocote just got 50 finishing strokes on pure water. I was hoping to get edges back to where I've had them in the past, but I'm not sure if I've accomplished anything. After the Sunday honing and scale-polishing extravaganza, Monday evening was time for a shave.

Monday Shave


The Anticipation
After honing the blade and reknotting the brush, I was quite excited to trot out my Bocote combo for this shave. It's been a bit of a frustrating stretch, as my honing abilities are simply not where I need them to be to get me smooth-shaving edges. I figure the only way to get there is to keep soldiering on and practicing, so this shave was going to be another test of my edges. Nerves were jangling. I laid out the four razors, along with my Nagamasa kamisori, my Trumper's coconut soap, T&H West Indian Limes cream and balm and the Dominica Bay Rum, for tropical shave number two.

The Prep
For this shave, I made sure to take a good, long, hot shower, using Real Shaving Exfoliating Scrub to ensure my whiskers were ready for the next step. The razors had all been thoroughly stropped and laid out, the new brush had been soaked in the scuttle, so all that was left was lather.

The Lather
The lather wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as last time. I need to get to know this new finest badger knot, which has tons of potential, but is not the same as my boars or my super/silvertip brushes. That said, I had plenty of lather, lubricated by glycerine and the lovely combo of lime and coconut, so at least on this front, all was well.

The Shave
This wasn't so hot. The only razor of the four that passed the shave test was the kamisori, which had been finished on my Llyn Melynllyn. It took me a while to feel them all out, but one by one I eliminated them all, including the previously smooth 7/8 bocote W&B, which I guess I must have wrecked by trying for more smoothness with some coticule finishing strokes. I am going to need a honing clinic, I think, as I have just been trying too many different razors and not having much success with any of them. Anyway, I managed to get a decent shave, which ended up very smooth, though I did have some razor burn on my upper lip. The tamahagane blade of the kamisori is definitely nice and sharp, so I look forward to trying it again, though my kamisori technique needs work.

The Post
I rinsed the brush and scuttle, ensuring they were both nice and clean, then stowed them in their customary places on the shelf. The cold water splash had a nice, soothing effect, followed by only minor sting from the alum block. After that, I went with the witch hazel, then the Bay Rum, which only burned a little bit. The final application of WIL balm did the trick, leaving me smooth and fairly comfortable.

The Verdict
It sucks to not be able to get a good shave from the razors I'm honing. I know I'm doing something wrong, but I can't figure it out. My restorations have been going well, my shaving technique is much more confident than in the past, but my honing seems to be spotty, at best. Hopefully I can pick up some pointers at our barber shop meetup at the end of the month.

Tuesday Shave
After shaving on Monday night and leaving my skin nice and smooth, if a touch tender in spots, I probably shouldn't have shaved on Tuesday evening. The thing was, I started an executive certificate course at a top business school this morning, so I wanted to feel like I had a nice shave going in, just for the confidence boost. I also wanted to try a kamisori shave. Since I'd not been having much luck with my own edges of late, I decided to pull out the Nagakichi kamisori I got from JimR, since I know his edge is reliable, sharp and smooth. I stuck with my bocote finest brush, hoping to break it in a bit more, while the soft products were DRH Marlborough, soap, AS and cologne, with Trumper's Fragrance Free as the balm.

The Anticipation
There wasn't much anticipation here, other than my contemplation of the kamisori. I probably should have avoided this shave, but, as I've said before, sometimes I'm more stubborn than is good for me.

The Prep
After a bit of a tough day, a nice, long hot shower was in order. That done, I hopped out and stropped the kamisori for a good 50 laps on the 'roo strop, then got down to business.

The Lather
I opted for a face lather with the Marlborough, which allowed the 24mm finest TGN knot to shine. The lather I got was protective, slick and abundant, the brush had backbone and nice softness. Overall, I'd say I lean toward finest as my preferred badger hair, but it's too soon to be sure. There was lather for more than three passes, though that's all I needed.

The Shave
Kamisori are straight razors, make no mistake. But that doesn't mean they are the same thing as a "western" straight. My technique with the western is good enough that, provided my edges are well-done, I'll get a great, irritation-free shave. Not so with their Japanese brothers! While on some of the strokes, I was able to enjoy the wonderfully keen, smooth edge, on others I ended up with either a bad angle or too heavy of a stroke. The result of this was some pretty nasty razor burn all over my face and neck. Combined with shaving too soon after the last time and I can confidently say that this wasn't my best move.

The Post
The cold water felt alright. The alum gave fair warning. The witch hazel soothed. The Marlborough aftershave gave me a Home Alone moment to remember, enough to make my eyes water. Luckily, the menthol kicked in and soothed things down to a bearable level, then the Trumper's balm helped round it out. Good thing I didn't need to be seen in public last night!

The Verdict
Something's not clicking right now. Like Austin Powers, I seem to have misplaced my mojo. These last few shaves have been rough, literally and figuratively, which has lead me to some moments of angst regarding my straight shaving experience. I still get less ingrown hairs, but lately it's been at the cost of uncomfortable shaves. I need to get my mojo back and get back in my comfort zone.

After all, we all need some comfort on The Straight Road!

Well, I'm staying at the campus hotel here for my three day intensive, so I packed my TI Le Canadien 6/8 in black horn, which I know has a wonderful Maxi edge. That, my bocote brush and my Arko, combined with some Trumper's Spanish Leather and balm, should see me through the next couple of days in relative smoothness. I am going to try shaving with my known good edges for the next while, then see about fixing my messes.

Until then, thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack