Well, this morning was the day. I finally had all my parts assembled. I got a shave ready razor from Bob Keyes, aka Altima55 (Thanks Bob!); a Tony Miller Strop; a whole fistful of Geo. F. Trumper samples; my old C&E Badger Shaving Brush that I've used for years with my Trac II; I've reviewed Lynn's DVD until I'm nearly blind; I've got a nice hot shower and I'm alone in the house. Perfect.

I shower until I'm pretty much a prune and then whip up a nice thick lather with the GFT Extract of Lime Shaving Cream and lather up. The razor is an Orlando, made in Germany, in near new condition. It has a full 5/8 plus, mirror finish, spike point blade and really nice butterscotch colored celluloid scales. I didn't strop the blade following Bob's recommendation and because I didn't want to screw it up with poor stropping technique.

The short version is that I managed to shave up, down and across without drawing blood. I consider this a major achievement. The bad news is that I feel like I shaved with a rasp. I'm sure it was technique but man is my face tender. I can shave three ways with the Trac II and get a really smooth shave with very little razor burn but this was a whole new dimension in razor burn to me. I'm sure the prep on my face was ok. Lots of heat and water and lots of lather, frequently reapplied. I'm pretty sure the problem is operator headspace so I'll keep trying until I get the smooth gliding sensation that I'm looking for.

Any suggestions appreciated. More later, after my face heals enough to shave again.

Mike Layne