Thread: Neat or Messy?

I guess I'm in good company of the neat freaks here. No lather flying around, no lather on the brush handle, if so, I rinse it, and when shaving, no wet soapy hands. There's only lather on the face where I shave, and after every pass, all lather is gone from the face. I rinse the lather from the blade, but scales and pivots are absolutely dry. That's for shaving with a straight. When occasionally shaving with a double edge, I don't care if the razor, brush handle and hands are soapy wet. Combined with face lathering, DE shaving will get messy, but when it comes to straight razor shaving: neat freak.

Who me? Mostly messy, in that I like a lot of lather on my face and some will remove itself from said substrate to be deposited at another location. I like smaller brushes to keep lather out of my ears. The wet on the razor is removed after stropping by a bath in 190 proof alcohol with mineral oil dissolved in it. A quick wipe with tissue and I can re-use it or place it in Coventry with no worries. A quick splash on the face with 104 proof alcohol containing some scent and I am good to go. Clean up is done after brushing tooth. ( now that is messy!)
~Richard

Nobody would ever accuse me of being neat when shaving. Water and lather all over the counter and sink. I especially notice when I use B&M Lavanille soap. It is a very dark brown. I make an effort to keep my brush dry but never succeed when using my Simpson Classic or my Shavemac. Always end up with soap running down my arm. Whatever, it's called wet shaving for a reason.

Originally Posted by Geezer

...The wet on the razor is removed after stropping by a bath in 190 proof alcohol with mineral oil dissolved in it. A quick wipe with tissue and I can re-use it or place it in Coventry with no worries...
~Richard

Richard that is a great way to dry the razor. It makes perfect sense. Do you use pharmacy grade ethanol, some liquor store alcohol, or perhaps a moonshine made in a secret "holler" in the hills?

Seriously, what is your alcohol, what is your mix of alcohol and mineral oil, and does it pose any danger to the scales?
And thank you in advance for sharing a great tip for this wonderful pursuit of ours!

I generally face lather with a Arko stick,so that can get messy . On the other hand,I can not abide wet hands or razor. A damp sponge on the sink to wipe the blade of lather and a microfiber towel draped over my left shoulder to pinch dry the blade and blot any moisture on the digits. I began this regimen as a rookie when a three pass shave took so long that water spot staining occurred during the shave. Probably not necessary now but my OCD demands it.

Originally Posted by boshave

Richard that is a great way to dry the razor. It makes perfect sense. Do you use pharmacy grade ethanol, some liquor store alcohol, or perhaps a moonshine made in a secret "holler" in the hills?

Seriously, what is your alcohol, what is your mix of alcohol and mineral oil, and does it pose any danger to the scales?
And thank you in advance for sharing a great tip for this wonderful pursuit of ours!

I use 190 Vodka with about a tablespoonful of baby/mineral oil. More oil will drop to the bottom of the mix. So will water if the mix is beyond its use. The squeeze bottle will admit a razor past the pivot and the plastic is forgiving. I dip the razor into the solution.The top of the bottle is just to prevent evaporation...but...I think application by the tip would work also.
Utopian clued me in on the method. He no longer uses it.

~Richard

Very neat & tidy. I also shave with no shirt just in case some lather drips off. It's also important to me to wipe the sink & rinse the sink basin good when I'm done, you wouldn't even know I shaved.

Originally Posted by boshave

A sharp blade in the hands of merciless gravity is a GREAT reason to wear underwear or pajama bottoms or shorts...

Not if you have a bit of a paunch

NEAT only neat, always neat, nothing BUT neat, did I mention tidy ? If I feel soap anywhere but on my face the towel comes off the rack and everything gets rinsed and wiped dry, start over. And how in the heck do you see where your shaving if the line between mustache and skin is covered with soap ? I try to make "neat habits" in everything I do so as not to have to save up a big mess and leave it behind for another day.
I hate grabbing a tool with clean hands only to feel a greasy glob. I hate looking in a mirror and seeing water spots in my eyes. Neat, yes.

Lather everywhere. Water everywhere. I dry my razors with 91% rubbing alcohol, which is also my aftershave. Shaving is one of the fun times of my day. Messy!