First shave with my Thiers-Issard No 17

Took me two months but this morning I got to put steel to face using this beautiful Thiers-Issard.

Now, I am as much of a noob as one can be when it comes to straight razor shaving so I didn't feel all that confident as I started to lather up this morning.
I've used a shavette 3-4 times (ugh) and my Diamondine straight razor I think 5-6 times but neither of them w/in the past six months.
I've never really felt fully comfortable/confident when using a straight which of course probably has made me more reluctant to pick one up as a daily razor.
But, well, there I was, all lathered up ready to go...

I used Klar Kabinett soap and Myrsol emulsion as pre-shave.

I started out on the throat going WTG - it went surprisingly well. Might I even say 'easy'?

I was especially surprised that it was as effortless as it was around the adam's apple - and area I sometimes need to do some clean-ups when I use a safety razor.

I moved on to the cheeks and it was still pretty smooth sailing. A tiny bit of tugging but nothing too bad.
I felt very Clint Eastwood.

First weeper appeared on the left side of my face due to me being over confident and speeding up.
"Finding the right grip" is still something I am having a bit of a challenge with..especially when switching between the sides of my face. It doesn't feel completely natural.

The real challenge ended up being the area around my mouth - basically where you'll have a goatee. Hardest of it was the area under the nose.
I approached it slowly. Got a second weeper and decided that I had done enough for today with the straight.
My throat and cheeks were actually rather smooth.

I grabbed one of the smoothest DE's I have - a Gillette blue tip and finished it all off with an ATG pass with it.
Smooth and clean shaven.

I stropped the razor (ridiculously slowly I must admit) 20-25 times on the leather and another 10-15 times on the canvas before I put on some Anherb ASB and called it a day morning.

Personally, I think I did pretty well. There was some blood but not too bad.
I'm quite honestly looking forward to tomorrow morning.
Gonna strop it a little bit and then see if I can improve on confidence and grip.

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/y...psdwc87o7q.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/2r4n894.jpg

Interesting, I have a number of TI framebacks like that one - 69 and 19...I have never seen a 17.

Must be rare, as the listing here doesn't include it, great find, and I know they are superb razors.

Check it out:

Les Marques des Couteaux de THIERS

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phrank

Interesting, I have a number of TI framebacks like that one - 69 and 19...I have never seen a 17.

Must be rare, as the listing here doesn't include it, great find, and I know they are superb razors.

Check it out:

Les Marques des Couteaux de THIERS

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Thanks and I'm sure its rareness is completely wasted on me - but I truly love the way it looks - and shaves.
I received some great information about it in the thread here: http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...rs-issard.html

There are a few numbered TI framebacks, the #69 is very common, have seen a few #19's, but never a #17, you're #17 has a crown on the blade face and the Thiers&Fils mark as well - great find!


edited to add: I posted the link to the Thiers in the thread you linked to already! LOL!

Here is a TI #69:

Attachment 201373

Here is a TI #19:

Attachment 201374

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phrank

There are a few numbered TI framebacks, the #69 is very common, have seen a few #19's, but never a #17, you're #17 has a crown on the blade face as well - great find!

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They look really, really nice.
I basically got this as a freebie when I bought a L'Essor SE razor for $20 so I guess I got my money's worth. :)

Sounds like a successful shave!
Nice TI, especially for a freebie.

Your grip will settle in over time. You will know when you are doing it right when you have good control and it feels comfortable.

Very Nice and A Great Collectable: Congratulations

Shave Report 2

The shave today with the Thiers-Issard was actually quite a bit of an improvement compared to Monday's shave.
I even did two WTG passes on my cheeks.

Good:
* Felt a bit more natural holding the razor and I think a big part of that came from shifting my finger so that it was placed further out, ontop of the spine. It added a lot of stability to the strokes.
* Very, very little tugging on cheeks and throat.
* Really enjoyed the shave AND the stropping last night.
* Was able to shave around the mouth apart from under the nose.

Still challenging
* Still not able to shave under the nose - it tugs and I don't want to attempt faith too much
* One weeper
* Seems like ATG is a real challenge both in terms of comfort in holding the razor and that it felt tuggy as soon as I even attempted.

Yeah, I can see how this straight-razor-thing can be rather addicting.

Attachment 201675​

Progressing...another pretty good shave. :)

Attachment 201694

Most times I don't usually go ATG except on my neck area. WTG, CTG on my cheeks and chin and I'm usually good to go. Going WTG, CTG, and ATG may not always be necessary if you can get away with it. May be more work than necessary.



Mike

You"re making great progress. Practice stretching your skin with the off hand as you shave. Your shaves will be much closer and shaving ATG much easier. Good Luck

Finished the week with my Thiers-Issard No 17 - and the Gillette Blue tip for clean up.
It went really well and am enjoying this so much that I might try to dedicate one day/week for straight razor shaving at the same time as I work my way through my DE/SE backlog.

Razor: Thiers-Issard No 17
Razor II: Gillette Blue Tip w/ a 7 O'Clock blade
Brush: SOC Boar
Soap: Klar Kabinnet
Pre-Shave: Myrsol Emulsion
A/S: Myrsol Agua Balsamica and Emulsion

http://i61.tinypic.com/vsc6eo.jpg