Thread: The Ultimate Minimalist Shave!...??

Got tired of pingponging between razors at various stages of restoration, and the one I've been trying to hone for a while now (Cattaraugus Cutlery "Green Lizard") has a geometry issue about a quarter inch (or less) from the heel! So I grabbed my Geneva Cutlery Co. that I've been breathing life back into, and was practically shave ready after only a few minutes on my 12k ceramic hone (after many hours of hand sanding from 220 grit through 2k, then MAAS on a toothbrush...). It was always nearby my honing kit, and I have seen all the raves this brand of razors gets. So after a few passes on the hone again, I decided to get crazy... again!

For the record, this came with no scales (and I haven't added that skill to my quiver yet), nor is it the first time I've shaved with a SR missing scales.

I'll get right into it...

"Before". Cocked my head trying to allow light to show all my stubble, including under my chin. Roughly a week's worth of growth.


Razor shots.






"During". This was the most nerve racking part (taking the pic while shaving) lol.


The proof is in the pudding...




The final tally.


The final results.




Prep: A few minutes of wetting/wiping my face with warm water. Normal, or less, amount of stropping on my untreated SRD 3" Black Latigo strop.
Lather: ... none*. Just made sure to splash more warm water on my face every time I wiped off the razor. Well... does "patience" count as a lather?? *= As an experiment, I rubbed in half a dozen drops of liquid glycerin when I got to the right side of my face. Didn't help; also the source of the cloudy gunk on the edge in pic #8.
Post: Rinsed clean both my face & razor. Thoroughly dried the Geneva Cutlery. Stropped enough to feel satisfied that the edge was dry.

Though not the best shave I've ever had, it is by far not the worst, either!! Time saved by not bothering with a lather was spent ensuring proper technique & high level of focus. Also, no scales meant that my grip was essentially "choked up" on the razor, since all I had was the tang for grip. The tape left of the spine wasn't really a problem, since the spine rarely touches the skin anyway. The best stroke seemed to be short, quick, multiple, across the grain motions. I'm crazy, not stupid: I know better than to try any truly against the grain strokes! Yes, there was tugging. But that was expected when this "spit-ball" started rolling through my brain lol. If you are patient, cautious, and don't get overzealous, you can keep it from progressing to painful pulling.

Maybe I'll get a picture or three, this week, of the micro-pitting on the edge that I still need to hone out.

This was fun! Seriously. Thanks for tuning in!

Looking a little red in the post shave pictures. It's all about experimenting and having fun. We can't learn new things unless we try new things.

I think I,ll stick with my lather, I,m all grown up and have a real beard. If it works for you great, but not for me. I could drive a Yugo too but. Don't. Tc

As TC said, I too will stick to my lather. I have never even thought about shaving without scales! Glad it worked out for you without any blood shed.

Your a Wild Man Crawler !!!


keep having fun.

Great job on the restore! I love a restoration story, especially done with hand sanding.