Thread: Crappy shave of the day

Ok, you guys have freakin' ruined me. I hold you all personally responsible. I used to not even think about shaving (except maybe with a vague sense of dread). Now, when I have a crappy shave it just sets the tone for the rest of my day.

I have only been using my feather for about 3 weeks now and haven't really cut myself much beyond a nick or two. Today I cut the crap out of myself. Bad enough that it took 3 tries with the styptic to get it to stop.

It kind of pisses me off too, because I was really looking forward to a shave this morning. I brewed last night and by 11:30 or so when everything was done and cleaned up and the wort was happily to bed in the fermenter I was whipped, dog tired from slinging around 60 lbs or so of wet grain, wort and hot water. Luckily I clean out the grain and stuff as I go, so five hours start to finish including cleanup is about my norm and when I'm done I'm done... no big huge piles of crap to wash and put away. I wanted a shave badly before I went to bed but I was just plain too tired and didn't trust myself so I put it off until this morning.

I woke up this morning looking forward to a good shave. Got out of the shower, got everything ready and just couldn't hit the "zone". I didn't hurry, even though I was running late (I set my own hours at work but I like to try and get in there fairly early) but I was distracted, thinking about too many other things, and bam... nicked the hell out of myself as I was squaring off my left sideburn. I nicked myself badly enough that I yelped a bit and then started swearing, stuck my finger against my cheek and dreaded pulling it back knowing the blood would start. The dog and cat both looked at me funny too.

Anyway, I'll probably have a bit of a small scar there, it'll be small and only my fiancee will probably notice it but none the less it's a good object lesson to PAY ATTENTION. Then to top it all off, I was only about a third of the way through my shave, so of course I finished up and I still couldn't hit the zone and ended up with a fairly crappy shave that just didn't feel up to par and now I'm grumpy.

I blame it on you all. Damn you guys.

-- Gary F.

Why do we get the blame? We didn't cut you!

But seriously, if you're using one of those machine-sharpened blades, expect to cut yourself. They're super thin, super sharp, and provide none of the forgiveness a genuine straight razor will give you. I've used my disposable-bladed straight once or twice, and each time the blood flowed. I don't think I nicked myself as badly as you did, but it was enough to make it a bad experience.

I never *knocks on wood* cut myself with the regular straights.

Heh I don't blame you guys for the cut, I blame you guys for the fact that now I *expect* good shaves and know what it feels like to have a really good one that just starts your day off well. Before I was ignorant and blissful (well, not blissful but plenty ignorant at least).

And I will start using a regular straight and put the feather in a drawer as soon as Tony's strops get here (hopefully in a few days).

-- Gary F.

Gary,

If you send me some home brew, I'll also allow you to send me your cursed Feather razor. I prefer oatmeal stout. If you can make a nice Trappist-style quadrupel, I'll take that too.

Thanks,

Ben

ROFL, as it so happens it's an oatmeal stout I brewed last night, and while I'm eating lunch I'm reading my belgian books (tripels, saisons, bier de garde, trappist brews in general etc).

I like the feather but am beginning to think it was a poor choice to learn on. It's rather unforgiving and it just takes a microsecond of inattention to really spoil your day.

-- Gary F.

Gary,

Why a feather and not right away straight?

I find that a straight razor is more forgiving than a DE when it comes to nicks. I used to use a DE and dreaded shaving a few spots, especially the chin where I nicked myself almost every shave.

With a straight it offers more control than a DE and the edge is more forgiving than the feather. I hardly get any nicks and that makes the shaves enjoyable. I am not into blood-letting, go figure.

Gary,
when you use the Kronpunkt you will know what a real straight is like. Enjoy it.
I thought you were gonna say it was the one I sent you that cut you. Phew..relief.

Gary

Why the feather? Good question. It's a very long answer though, so my apologies in advance

I tried a straight in the past (in my early 20's) and had nothing but problems with it. It was a pakistani razor, I had no hone and only a strop so the only thing I had to sharpen it was a whetstone I used for my hunting knives. I didn't know this wasn't a good thing, my father died when I was three so I've generally taught myself any of the "man" skills that I've picked up such as hunting, shaving, tying a necktie, etc. I had a stepfather but he was worthless and the only thing he taught me was how *not* to treat women and your family.

I also didn't know anything about honing or stropping, I had no resources to turn to and nobody to ask. Nobody I knew used a straight and everyone thought I was crazy. They looked at me the same way they looked at me when they found out I used a sliderule in nuclear power school (ok, I did it just to prove a point though). All I had to go on was my own experimentation. Understandably, after hacking my face to ribbons or just flat being unable to shave with the blade at all I gave up (although the brush and soap habit stuck, I was a "wetshaver" long before I ever even knew there was a term for it, let alone a movement).

Fast forward 20 years or so... and I decide I want to try again. I stumble across classicshaving.com (regrettably after Ray passed, I'm sure I would've loved to have met him even if it was only via email). I see the feather and I think "Wow, there's the solution to my sharpening problems" so I order one, not realizing that these razors should have big "NOT FOR NEWBIES" warnings stamped across the tang. I'm sure had Ray still been around he would've steered me to something much more sensible for my level of inexperience.

A few days later (my feather hasn't arrived yet) I stumble across you guys. I read up on everything I can find and join the group. I begin to finally understand what all I was doing incorrectly and to get a faint glimmering of what all I need in order to make a successful go at this whole straight razor thing. A week later I get my feather in the mail, about the time I realize that I probably shouldn't have ordered it in the first place.

I realized that I needed a real razor and a strop. Miraculously you guys are giving them away to noobs so I eagerly toss my name in the hat. In the meantime I trade Gary out of his beautiful kronpunkt which I can't use until I get a strop. I keep shaving with the feather while I wait to see if I'm lucky enough to win (and trying to trade homebrew for razors in the interim lol).

I don't win, so I immediately call Tony and order a pasted paddle strop (see, I'm learning!) an unpasted beginner's hanging strop for travel and a starter dovo shave-ready. Tony's great and talks me through the whole process, exactly what I need and how I need to use it and spends at least an hour on the phone to some random guy in california when he could be spending quality time with his family, for which I'm eternally grateful. I also buy a Wade and Butcher from eBay that catches my eye one day when I'm bored at work.

I now have the W&B and the kronpunkt but still no strop (I'm sure it will be here shortly, Tony just shipped it) so in the interim I continue with the feather. I'm becoming more and more careful and am managing to score a few good shaves, enough to finally understand that shaving can be a treat instead of something that I dread doing every day.

While I'm waiting, I branch out again and try something other than the williams soap I've been using for the last umpteen years, buying both a full kit of proraso as well as some Trueffit and Hill white goop that everyone on here really likes (and now I know why). I've now officially reached the limit of new stuff that I can possibly try without worrying about whether my head is going to explode or not. I don't generally change stuff like this very easily and I've made more leaps of faith in the last two months than I normally make in two years.

Once the strops get here, I'll work with those and when I'm convinced I can keep a razor shave-ready (or some reasonable facsimile thereof) with a pasted strop and/or a norton I'll probably trade the feather to someone who's a whole lot more experienced than me. It's a great razor, but frankly it scares me and I didn't know better when I ordered it. I found you guys about a week late

-- Gary F.

Originally Posted by gfoster

ROFL, as it so happens it's an oatmeal stout I brewed last night, and while I'm eating lunch I'm reading my belgian books (tripels, saisons, bier de garde, trappist brews in general etc).

I like the feather but am beginning to think it was a poor choice to learn on. It's rather unforgiving and it just takes a microsecond of inattention to really spoil your day.

-- Gary F.

I have a nice library of books on my shelf about making beer. It's a shame that I don't have enough time to brew.

this reminds me of a song:

Well it's a strange old game you learn it slow
One step forward and it's back you go
You're standing on the throttle
You're standing on the brake
In the groove 'til you make a mistake

Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're just a fool in love
Sometimes you're the Louisville Slugger
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together
Sometimes you're gonna lose it all

You gotta know happy - you gotta know glad
Because you're gonna know lonely
And you're gonna know sad
When you're rippin' and you're ridin'
And you're coming on strong
You start slippin' and slidin'
And it all goes wrong because

Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're just a fool in love
Sometimes you're the Louisville Slugger
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together
Sometimes you're gonna lose it all

One day you got the glory and then you got none
One day you're a diamond and then you're a stone
Everything can change in the blink of an eye
So let the good times roll before we say goodbye because

Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're just a fool in love
Sometimes you're the Louisville Slugger
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together
Sometimes you're gonna lose it all

Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're just a fool in love

Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're just a fool in love