Thread: Zak is finally going to try it out!

I am on quite a lot, usually afternoon through early morning.

My nick is from college; I lived in the Hollister wing of my building on the 4th floor. I was quite good at finding things on the internet, so everyone assumed that I pirated things. I didn't actually pirate anything - I don't know anything about hacking, cracking, or other such illegal activities.

Thanks for the welcome and advice, MistressNomad.

I actually do have several nice, very quality belts. I did consider it, and I think that the kilt belt would work best, as it's very wide, but I don't want to nick it up. Just for fun, here's my dad's website http://shootingstar.montana.com, which I used to maintain when I was like, 12 (excuse the broken links, he keeps it up now, and he's a saddlemaker).

ALSO: wow and good job over in the "my wife wont let me shave" forum. I'm glad that discussions like this exist even though the conditions that require such discussions are, as you've delicately pointed out, problematic and result from an unbalanced society. I hope you don't catch too much flak from those who would categorize such posts under the heading of "rant." Here's to respect for boundaries!

Cheers, I'm off for the night.
-Zak

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I didn't actually pirate anything - I don't know anything about hacking, cracking, or other such illegal activities.

Hahahahaha!
Sure, sure.

Thanks again for the suggestions concerning make-do strops.

-Zak

Okay. I got my brush today, and decided to go ahead and at least do the prescribed single/couple of strokes down the jaw/sideburn.

I showered, and got a mug ready with a small bit of soap in the bottom of it. I don't have the Taylor's of OBS soap yet, and so used some standard (but nice) goats-milk hand soap. Upon dowsing/squeezing the Tweezerman's brush, and trying to apply a nice lather to my cheek, I noticed a rather distinctive smell - that of old hair on semi-rotten hides. So, my first question: is badger a particularly pungent fur, does Tweezerman have any sort of smelly reputation, or did I just get a bad brush? I brushed this inquiry aside and continued to apply lather.

As this was the first shave, I didn't strop before shaving. I was much too cautious at first, keeping the angle too shallow and not applying much pressure at all to keep the razor close to my skin. Moving the blade slowly doesn't seem to work very well, and I had to increase my angle/pressure to get much of an action on the hair removing front. The soap, had it been really a lather seems like it would have been bothersome, I couldn't always see what I was doing through it and had much better luck following a soaped stroke with a clear-shot second. Second question: Do people mostly shave by feel, not eye, when they have a good lather on their face?

The razor performed quite well (thanks, Dylan!). I shaved my cheek and sideburn on my dominant side, and the cheek on my alternate side (oh yeah, and my mustache, but that's not much to write home about!). I can believe that the neck and chin are going to be very tricky. I'm going to read up on those again before attempting. The shave I did achieve was medium on my right-hand (dominant) side and pretty coarse on my left, but I'm sure that I'll get used to it and the shave will get closer/quicker. I'm very pleased with the results so far.

Thanks again for all the help thus far, and if anyone would be able to address those two questions (smelly badger, lather obfuscation) I would be very appreciative!

...and, in case you're wondering - NO CUTS!!!

Glad to hear you're pleased with how the first shave went.

Badger brushes do tend to smell when new; I believe they can be shampooed/conditioned like you would with your own hair, but I'm not totally sure so I wouldn't take my advice there.

As for the lather, yes, it will make it more difficult to see areas you have not yet shaved. There is no way around that. You should find that better quality soap/cream will give you a better cushion and glide.

Do not apply pressure to try to get the blade to cut better. The razor should be shaving sharp because I shaved with it before I sent it to you, so it is likely beard prep/lather and technique. Be paitent as you develop your shaving skills, and do not fall into the trap of applying pressure at a steep angle or doing loads and loads of passes. You may not, and probably will not, get great close shaves at first, but that's normal; there is a learning curve.

Good luck, and I hope you continue nick and irritation free.

Ah. I will wait for the TOBS soap to arrive before I give it another try. It is quite possible that the beard prep was to blame, but I was working with a really flat razor at first, seemingly <15 degrees. Lifting the spine up just a bit more off the skin really did start the whiskers falling. It's a good trap, if it is a trap. I will try not to get caught.

Also - I dried out the brush as much as possible, dried the blade carefully, and then tried very gently (probably ineffectively) stropping with newspaper 30-40x. Anything I'm forgetting??

Ah, ok. Yes, really flat will not likely shave well. What is it everyone says? The spine should be 2 spine widths off the skin? I forget the degree number...

Sounds like your blade care is good; dry carefully and stropping will help clean the edge. You can oil between shaves if you are in a humid enviornment. I personally do not oil mine.

First off welcome to the world of the str8. Second I looked at your dad's website and it looks like he does fantastic work, you should be able to get some distinct and original lookinf strops. You say your waiting for him to make one for ya, you didn't learn the leather works from him? Again welcome and have fun!

Glad to hear your first shave went well, Zak! It's all about learning. And you've probably avoided a lot of unnecessary pain and frustration by starting out right, and with so many knowledgeable people at your fingertips. I know everyone here has helped me a lot.

I can't help you with face-shaving in particular, but I know that there is a lot of stuff I shave mostly by feel. I have a few blind spots on my legs, for sure.

I did find something that helped though. I build up lather in a separate bowl, then build it up a bit more on my leg. Then, after that, I stroke in the direction I want to shave with the brush, so the lather is smoothed out. I find it easier to see curves when the lather doesn't look like a crazy fractal. Not sure if this'll work as well on your face, but perhaps give it a shot.

I think you also just get used to it. Once you really get "NO pressure" into your head, it gets much easier to glide over stuff you can't necessarily see all that well.

Wow, your father does some really impressive work. I'm sure you'll have the finest strop in town.

Maybe you guys could make it a project you do together. Nothing like using a tool that not only comes from someone you love, but has a little bit of your own efforts engrained in it as well.

As per the thread in Lady's Corner - Thank you. I think everyone really pitched in with some very valid stuff. And it also made me re-think some of my views in the world as well. That's what I like about this place - most of the people here are very articulate, honest, and intelligent. Apart from all the help they offer on the subject of wet shaving, I regularly find myself in thought-provoking discussions as well.

It's hard to navigate that line between "rant" and "discussion" on such delicate issues. Glad to hear it didn't rub you the wrong way.

Thanks guys, for the comments concerning lather and my dad's work. I'll pass along the compliments. I would make it myself or with him if I was in back at home in MT, but I'm in Boulder, CO. True, I never appreciated the work he did while I was growing up, but now I know that I should have done so and learned as much as possible. I built with plastic at the time (Legos) and later with Si (computers) and didn't spend much time learning from him. However, I still grew up in that environment, can handle myself well in a shop, and am realizing how wonderful older-style methodology and materials can be.

The soap should arrive tomorrow, and I'll try stropping on jeans or on paper (whichever seems to give the best result), and let you guys know how it goes! THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT/HELP!!