Thread: 1st attempt

I have a rather angular face too, esp the jawline, pulling the skin up certainly helps. I shave only down wards on my neck (N to S), and having little hair there is a bonus! I find I have to literally puff my left cheek out; not so much my right, as it seems my left cheek is more 'hollow' than my right. Doing these little tricks helps with an angular face. It's either that or many trips to a famous fast food restaurant until my face resembles Charlie Brown's...

Sound like you're doing well; I'm only about 7 weeks in, and find now I can do a pretty good job in a pretty reasonable time. I don't rush, but an hour to shave each morning in the beginning was just rather a long time; now it takes about 10 - 15 minutes, going at a leisurely pace...

In regards to angle, I find a use a much steeper angle going over the jawline; much more than 30 degrees; more like 40...After a while, I think it all become very natural; I still have to ensure my mind doesn't wander, but since I've stuck to it each and every day, it's becoming very automatic now. Of course there's still a lot of room for improvement, but I think in a month to six weeks you'll be comfortable with it all. I oil my blade with eucalyptus oil after each shave, after drying it throughly first, I also ensure I dry between the scales with tissue paper folded up. The first time I used it I didn't dry it there and found rust on the tang the next morning!

yes, very proficient. I read and studied alot before I started, so when I got my first razor and used it for the first time everything just came to me.

just remember... "practice makes perfect".... and best o luck!!

carlmaloschneider - Is camellia oil okay to use? And do you just let it sit on the blade until next use or do you wipe it off soon after application?

Originally Posted by VonDerBerg

carlmaloschneider - Is camellia oil okay to use? And do you just let it sit on the blade until next use or do you wipe it off soon after application?

For blade protection camellia will work. I think if you're talking about long term storage you'd need to wipe and reapply after a length of time, but for a few weeks I think it's okay to wipe on and rinse off for your next shave. SRD sells it on their site.

I use mineral oil and only on the few razors that I use on rare occasion. Put a thin layer on with a cotton ball, and rinse it before using.

Originally Posted by commiecat

For blade protection camellia will work. I think if you're talking about long term storage you'd need to wipe and reapply after a length of time, but for a few weeks I think it's okay to wipe on and rinse off for your next shave. SRD sells it on their site.

I use mineral oil and only on the few razors that I use on rare occasion. Put a thin layer on with a cotton ball, and rinse it before using.

So after a shave, dry the blade, apply oil and put away until the next shave right? The oil won't hurt the scales (celluloid and ebony)?

I use a heavy coat of mineral oil on all my blades. While the alum bar is working on the face, I wipe the blade dry and use a Q-tip to soak the blade in mineral oil. I then wrap the blade in a folded handkerchief, sit it next to the sink for the next shave (no small kids in the house). I have two razors like this, ready to go. After a while the handkerchief becomes impregnated with the mineral oil. My collection has been stored like this for five months and the blades are beautiful.
My blades are as shiny as the first day they were made.

Originally Posted by VonDerBerg

So after a shave, dry the blade, apply oil and put away until the next shave right? The oil won't hurt the scales (celluloid and ebony)?

I would add a stropping before oiling to make sure working part of blade is clean and dry.

If you are oiling near pin, you are bound to get oil on scales. Ebony is an oily wood to begin with, just wipe excess off down the scale to ensure any color change is uniform. Celluloid, no problem just wipe off excess.

Hirlau, we share the same sutropical climate zone. I could not think of not using oil religiously down here. I have been using CLP break free gun oil (so appropriate for Floridians ) for my collection and that has worked best for me.

Good info, thanks guys.

I also have a very angular face. Re lathering helps a lot. I take about 40min total, but I also like to keep my chinstrap straight